Major League Rugby is the pro league here.  Last year it had 12 teams.  During the off-season, half of them folded, including my second favorite team the Utah Warriors.  Teams are suddenly rather thin on the ground.  Sure, my favorite team, Seattle, is still in it, but Seattle is, shall we say, failing to play up to expectations (Could be worse, could be England in the Six Nations, but that's the sort of place you have to go to find worse.).

On top of it, in a desperate bid for cash, MLR switched game broadcasters.  Up through last year, the games streamed on The Rugby Network.  It was free, but TRN really promoted the games and had all sorts of accompanying programming.  This year it's on ESPN+, which requires a subscription.  And there's no promotion.  ESPN knows its viewers are there for football (US), basketball, golf, and World Wrestling Entertainment (Gag me.) and doesn't really give a rat's ass about rugby beyond further cornering the US sports market.  Go to ESPN's rugby site, and it's all Europe.  ESPN promotes MLR about as much as it promotes county cricket leagues.

If MLR thought it was going to significantly boost its revenue stream this way, it needs to think again.  Provided league management can think at all.