Can Rugby Conquer the U.S.? San Francisco Giants' SVP Surely Thinks So.
*By Amanda Weston*
Rugby is the globe's [second most popular sport](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/america-rugbys-last-frontier/408982/). And after the San Francisco Giants hosted the World Cup Sevens in their stadium last weekend, rugby might [take hold](https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/16/sport/rise-of-american-rugby-ebner-serevi-wooching/index.html) in the U.S.
At the very least, the sport has a new advocate in Stephen Revetria, senior vice president of the Giants.
"To have this opportunity to bid on it, to get it here in our ballpark, it's pretty special," he told Cheddar on Tuesday.
Revetria didn't take the operation lightly. He says the research took several yearsーand required serious travel.
"Over the last three years we traveled the world, learned more about rugby, and were able to get the pitch, get the entertainment right, and really build the excitement and enthusiasm through everything we've been working on for the last few years.
The work, it seems, has paid off: The tournament at the Giant's AT&T park marked the largest rugby event in U.S. history. World Rugby Chief executive Brett Gosper told the Independent on Wednesday he wants the sport to [fully enter](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/rugby-world-cup-united-states-us-bid-2027-2031-brett-gosper-chief-executive-a8462301.html) the American market.
Gosper said he welcomes a "magnificent" bid from the U.S. as the process to award the 2027 World Cup looms.
World Rugby [ranks](https://www.worldrugby.org/rankings/mru?lang=en) the U.S. men's team 15th, out of 105 countries. The women's team ranks fifth out of 53.
As for the future of the AT&T park, Revetria said a new village with shops and restaurants is on the horizon.
"It's been a great collaboration with the city, World Rugby, and the Giants."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rugby-world-cup-sevens-finds-home-in-san-francisco)
Stefan Olander, Co-Founder of Omorpho, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how they are bringing innovation into athleticwear by creating 'gravity sportswear.'
This year on Black Friday, the National Basketball Players Association launched a traveling NBPA-branded holiday pop-up called 'NBPA 450 Gives.' This was a 14-day long experiential and digital activation showcasing the best gifts for this holiday season, featuring items from black-owned businesses to celebrate Google's black-owned Friday initiative. JD sat down with Brooklyn Nets player, Blake Griffin, who helped launch this initiative.
We're entering a brave new world of broadly legal sports betting. Over 30 states and Washington, DC, have legalized sports betting in the year and a half since the supreme court struck down the federal ban on the activity.
But legalization isn't a simple proposition. The federal law might be struck down but its still up to each state to decide whether to legalize sports betting, and answer a litany of questions that come with it. Should you include online gambling? How much should people be allowed to bet? Should there be limits on advertising for sports betting?
Darren Heitner, founder of Heitner Legal, and Daniel Wallach, founder of Wallach Legal, join None of the Above's "Business of Sports: The Year Gambling Took Over" special to discuss.
Carlo and Baker cover the latest data showing the Omicron wave has likely started, Pfizer's Covid pill, Jan. 6 and a box office rescue attempt courtesy of Spider-Man.
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is slated to be the home of Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. The stadium was completed in July 2020 for a price tag of $1.8 billion.
Rachel Bachman, senior sports reporter at the Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she explains how U.S. athletes have been inserted into the middle of a political debate after the country declared a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.
The future of gambling in Florida recently suffered a major setback after a federal appeals court rejected a request from the state and the Seminole Tribe to allow online sports betting in the state. Now, the tribe has been forced to stop taking bets on its Hard Rock sportsbook app. ESPN gaming writer David Purdum joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what this could mean for the future of sports betting in Florida.
