We Must Protect this House

I found this intriguing. Under Amour is getting into the rugby business by becoming the official outfitter of the Wales national rugby team. This brilliant move pits UA head to head against other global monsters like Nike and Adidas. I'm also optimistic about the flipside--that in partnering with a largely American company, international rugby as a whole is making an attempt to truly go global (by stirring up interest in the US). This is the latest in a string of events that suggest that rugby is becoming a true international sport.

A lot of buzz has been generated regarding including Argentina in the Tri-Nations tournament. While this is an incredibly important step, the more ambitious plan would be to create an Americas tournament including the USA and Canada. The talent level in the US isn't there, but with large corporations investing millions of dollars into the sport, the hope is that more athletes will be encouraged to play. The timeframe for this, of course, is impossible to determine at this early stage, but to see a company as aggressive as Under Armour getting into the frey is very encouraging.