Las Vegas was the center of the football world last weekend, and it will become the center of the football world next month when Allegiant Stadium hosts the National Rugby League.
And Australia’s biggest sport is tapping into one of the country’s most recognizable voices to promote the NRL’s first venture into the United States.
Hollywood heavyweight Russell Crowe stars in a new promotional video released over the weekend to promote the March 2nd National Rugby League doubleheader and explain the rules to American audiences exposed to the sport for the first time. I was in charge of the voice.
Crowe, 59, is a lifelong fan of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who will be one of the teams playing at Allegiant Stadium.
He has also been co-owner of the club since 2006.
“Rugby league is football, but maybe not as much as you know,” Crowe says at the beginning of a dramatic promotional video. “It’s probably the fastest, most aggressive ball-in-the-hand football game in existence.”
Featuring bone-crushing hits and impressive feats of athleticism, the video explains the rules of the game, comparing and contrasting it with what NFL fans are accustomed to.
“No helmets, no pads, no timeouts, no blocks, no forward passes,” Crowe further explains in the video.
The Rabbitohs will be joined by the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos in the double-header announced last August to open the regular season.
The Rabbitohs will face the Sea Eagles in the first game at 9:30pm ET, while the Roosters and Broncos will face off at 11:30pm.
The match will be broadcast live on FS1 and Check out the NRL app.
match tickets You can purchase it here.
These games are part of a five-year deal that will see Allegiant Stadium host NRL matches, with the league hoping to expand its footprint to other parts of the country.
“It involves a lot of action and continuity. NFL CEO Andrew Abdo in December and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo in December, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I think sports fans in the United States, not just the NFL, will be passionate about this sport because it’s action-packed and fast-paced.”
Crowe’s Hollywood star power is sure to draw attention to the sport in the US, but he is not the only celebrity to try to raise the NRL’s profile.
Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata was in Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekend as a National Rugby League ambassador.
During his promotional campaign, Mailata was filmed speaking to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and asking Johnson for his “thoughts on the ball” used in rugby.
Rugby doesn’t have as much influence in the United States, but it already has some penetration.
