Saturday’s upset of California over BYU at the Penn Mutual Varsity Cup marked the latest activation from the insurance brand, with the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship now on deck on June 4-5 in Philadelphia. The company has gone all-in on the growing sport, with the results seeing the brand become synonymous with rugby stateside in recent years, capped by Penn Mutual, United World Sports and NBC Sports Group locking in a landmark extension and expansion of their partnership for the events earlier this year and includes Penn Mutual’s title sponsorship for both events through 2019.

Ahead of the CRC, Cynopsis Sports asked Penn Mutual Chairman and CEO Eileen McDonnell about the strategy, the event and the evolution of rugby in the States. 

McDonnell on leveraging rugby: We think rugby is a perfect match for us. First of all, it’s the fastest growing team sport in America, and Penn Mutual is one of the fastest growing companies in the life insurance industry, so there’s great alignment there. And while it’s the fastest growing team sport, no one had stepped up to sponsor collegiate rugby, so we believed it was a great opportunity for us and it sets us apart in the sports marketing space. From a values perspective, rugby is all about integrity, respect and teamwork, things that Penn Mutual is about too. From a business perspective, we believe rugby is a great way to connect with the next generation of advisors and clients. And we’re making very strong connections with the rugby community via social media, campus visits and the Rugby Business Network. We believe our sponsorship is a great strategic marketing decision that will bear fruit for us in the years ahead as well as grow the sport of rugby.
 
On lessons learned: We’ve learned that rugby is a highly connected community that values its traditions. Our sponsorship has allowed us to reach a new audience on a national scale, and has presented our offices across the country the opportunity to connect directly on a local level through colleges, clubs and Rugby Business Network chapters in various cities. The rugby community has been very welcoming to our efforts to build contacts and support the sport.
 
On activating: We’re very excited about our expanded partnership with United World Sports and NBC Sports. We were very pleased with our results in year one of the sponsorship and look forward to continued success. Our rugby fan experience (3D art) was part of the Fan Festival, helping us build brand awareness through social media. Because recruiting rugby players to our company is a key focus for us, we also meet with coaches and administrators at both the Penn Mutual Varsity Cup and Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship to familiarize them with the opportunities at Penn Mutual that are available to their athletes.

On the sport’s growth: Rugby has certainly increased in popularity at the collegiate and high school levels. In fact, there’s a safe tackling component at the Penn Mutual CRC, where high school football players are invited to learn the same safe tackling techniques that the Seattle Seahawks and Ohio State Buckeyes have learned. Ex-Philadelphia Eagles are on hand to support this initiative, and because of it, rugby will be introduced to a brand new audience, who are great candidates to play collegiate rugby in a few years. With rugby being reintroduced to the Summer Olympics in Rio this year after a 92-year hiatus, we think the popularity of the sport will increase even more. In addition, it’s gaining popularity because the sport is inclusive of gender and ability, and is a sport that is played from youth to adulthood, that’s very important to Penn Mutual. And rugby’s values, like integrity and respect are paramount to the sport, just as they are to Penn Mutual.

NASCAR announced that its Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will offer fans a new format on May 21 as drivers duel for 113 laps to decide the winner of a $1 million prize. This year’s event will include two 50-lap segments with mandatory green-flag pit stops to shuffle the field. The finale will see a 13-lap trophy dash. “We worked with NASCAR and talked to several drivers to gather feedback for what they thought would make the very best race for the fans,” Charlotte Motor Speedway President and General Manager Marcus Smith said. FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio carry the race at 7p.

The NHL updated its Stanley Cup Playoffs TV schedule, announcing that Game 6 of the Second Round series between the Capitals and Penguins will take place at 8p tomorrow, carried by NBCSN. A potential Game 7 of the Second Round series between the Stars and Blues would take place at 8p on May 11 on NBCSN.

A Pirates/Marlins MLB series in Puerto Rico is off the table due to concerns about the Zika virus. The two games will now take place in Miami on May 30-31. "It’s ironic that athletes are willing to go to Brazil to the Olympics and don’t want to come to Puerto Rico," Puerto Rico governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla stated, according to El Nuevo Dia.

Elsewhere, Mexico’s largest broadcasters, Grupo Televisa SAB and TV Azteca SAB, are sitting out the Olympic Games this year after failing to reach an agreement to buy the rights from America Movil SAB, according to the WSJ. The events will now be carried on two government-owned broadcast television channels, as well as on pay TV systems and online.

Feld Entertainment unveiled the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross schedule with the 17-race run making stops in Minneapolis on February 18, Seattle’s CenturyLink Field on April 8 and Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium on April 22, among others. The season begins on Jan 7 in Anaheim and concludes on May 6 in Las Vegas. All races will air live on FOX Sports family of networks.

Champs Sports is launching a second location to it The ARMOURY At Champs Sports, which debuted at The Mall in Columbia last June, announcing a follow up at Galleria Dallas in Dallas. The shopping initiative will offer the complete line of Under Armour’s footwear, apparel and accessories via “a single cohesive context” and serve as a venue for Under Armour elite athlete appearances and autograph signings.

The NFL is partnering with HBCU athletic conferences  the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference  in a move to increase opportunities for ethnic minorities  both professionals and students  interested in pursuing careers in football administration. The partnership will see the league offer support to academic and athletic endeavors, while MEAC and SWAC personnel will benefit from programs that include internships at the club and league level, integration of their football operations staff  including athletic trainers, video directors and equipment managers  into existing NFL platforms such as the Regional Combines, and networking and mentorship opportunities.

Meanwhile, two European soccer stalwarts have made moves into the eSports scene. West Ham United announced the signing of its first official eSports player Sean Allen, aka Dragonn, to become the first football club in the UK to sign an official e-sports player. In addition, German staple Schalke has reportedly agreed to purchase the 2016 EU League of Legends Championship Series spot owned by eSports team Elements, according to eSports Observer.

Riot Games announced plans to launch an alternative network dedicated to League of Legends in North America via Riot Direct. The game developer has been partnering with internet service providers to lay out their own fiber lines and server routers across the country for a more stable playing experience.

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: Who was the jockey who rode American Pharoah to the Triple Crown last year? Answer: Victor Espinoza. Kudos: Nello Pesci-Kinetic Consulting/Geneva; Chris Long-FloSports/NY; Michael Ritz-BucStar Consulting/NY; Denis Barry-CBS/NY; David Stern-BARD Entertainment/NY; Jerry A. Kapner-Kapner Group/Montclair; Michael G. Hawkins-Francis Marion University/Florence; Jeff Miller-CW/Atlanta; Harrison Root-NBC Sports/Stamford; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Lance Phegley-Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine/Houston; Judie Henninger-Valentine Productions/Santa Monica; Greg Dudsic/Venice; Miriam Aardahl-OMD/LA; Alan Perris/Beverly Hills.

Later — Chris
Chris Pursell for Cynopsis | Sports @VegasandVine
05.09.16

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