Super Rugby must embrace an American attitude for the future - but dont expect that to include a United States franchise anytime soon.Thats the message out of SANZAAR after officials confirmed they would retain the controversial Super Rugby draw in its entirety for 2017, with just the South African conferences swapping crossover fixtures between Australia and New Zealand as originally planned.That result is likely to be met with a mixed response across the competitions stakeholders, and the fans, after the 2016 season created confusion and had its overall integrity questioned.Much of that reaction was down to the conference-based format and the awarding of home finals to the four conference winners despite three New Zealand franchises having legitimate cause for a home quarterfinal.The response to that from the competitions administrators was simple: Its time southern hemisphere rugby supporters adopted Americas attitude to conference style sport.I think one of the mindset shifts that we need to do better, all of us, is to break away from the traditional rugby format, SANZAAR Operations Manager Brendan Morris said at an Australian media briefing on Monday.Were so used to in Australia, we play each other home and away, and thats the only way you can do competition structures. Nobody ever says to the Seahawks, oh you didnt play Dallas Cowboys this year and you won the Super Bowl, so how could that be an [integrous] competition?.Americans grow up with conference-style sport and theyre just so used to it that they dont even look any more about whos in the eastern conference in division X. I go, where are my Dallas Cowboys, who have they got next week and where do they sit in their conference?. Because I know if they win their conference it doesnt matter what else happens theyre going through to the playoffs.While Super Rugbys rusted-on supporters may long for the simple, compact days of Super 12, the reality is that Super Rugby, if it is to retain its mantle as the games premier provincial competition, must continue to develop new revenue streams as a means of combating the massive amounts of money on offer in Europe.That was achieved this year with the introduction of the Sunwolves (Japan) and Jaguares (Argentina), and the return of South Africas Southern Kings, taking the competition to 18 teams.With thousands of kilometres and 15 timezones separating the five countries -- the Sunwolves played three games in Singapore -- the logistics of travel, cost and player welfare meant Super Rugby had to delve deeper into the depths of conference-style sport.Super Rugby went conference style in 2011; it was the first real breakaway from that regular home-and-away fixture where we played everybody and it was due to, as you said, 15 timezones, SANZAAR chief Andy Marinos said.You just, you break everybody by going back to the round-robin format. If its important to the competition that we have the Argentinas and the Japans, and the South Africans and the Australians and the New Zealanders; if we want a truly global competition then round robin is disappearing pretty quickly. And thats without even looking at further expansion in five, 10, 20 years time.What weve got now is a reality that were going to break the people [who] are playing the game by making them sit on planes more than theyre on the field. So when we made a conscious decision to grow the competition, the conference style really is about the only way you can do it sustainably without breaking people.Overall, SANZAAR reported positive feedback from most of the games major stakeholders with a global audience of 50 million watching on television and a further two million going through the gates. For the broadcasters, the addition of the Sunwolves and Jaguares added a freshness to the competition even if some of their results werent up to standard.Still a bold push into the United States doesnt appear to be on horizon anytime soon, despite the games administrators facing the reality of a continued player drain to Europe -- brought about by big-money television deals.Can you tell us how to get in, because everybody thinks the pot of gold is there and in the last 20 years no-ones been able to find it, Morris said.I think conceptually everyone thinks the United States is this great emerging market that everybodys desperate to get into; I think if you look in the media Pro12 are talking to them at the moment, All Blacks are taking another game up there this year, and the Maoris. So theres certainly a lot of development going in there.While admitting the States represented an attractive option for SANZAAR, Marinos said the governing body wouldnt be rushing into the market despite its obvious financial opportunities.Theres a lot of activity but I always liken the States to Argentina, he said.SANZAAR started its engagement with Argentina in 2007-2008, and thats an established rugby market; in saying that, professionalism wasnt embraced completely ... but it had a long rugby heritage and history, and they were competitive. From 2008 till they came into Super Rugby its eight years.Yes they came in at international level first, but they have been competing internationally and been at the table, they were semifinalists in 2007 at the World Cup; but that was a long process and that was setting high-performance structures, getting their Pampas team which is now their Pumas team, playing in the Vodacom Cup in South Africa, and they did that for four years, won it in the second year, finalists in their third year. So it was a process in order for them to be ready to compete in our competition structure.So my view is that America is a big market and theres a huge amount of opportunity, but youve got to get in there and youve got to strategically invest and build sustainability over a period of time so that when they do compete at the main table, they are competitive and they can continue to add value because thats the way you are going to pull supporters and the public in America, and the stakeholders in America, along because everyone wants to see a winner or a successful or competitive team.So I think thats how I see North America; its part of an ongoing development and investment for the long term. Kahlil McKenzie Womens Jersey . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Derrick Nnadi Womens Jersey . 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The slide in NFL ratings could be as much a trend as a blip.The presidential campaign, the growing move away from cable, the increase in live streaming sports and competition from compelling baseball have all been given as reasons for a double-digit decline in viewership through the first five weeks.All legitimate explanations, experts say. But one of the main selling points of live sports to the networks -- theyre appointment viewing that most people dont like to record and watch later -- could be eroding, as the fan base fragments, even for Americas most popular sport.Its not to say that less than the majority of people are going to sit down and watch the game at a certain time, said Dennis Deninger, who teaches sports management and sports media courses at Syracuse. Its just to say its retreating, and that retreat puts into question the value thats been attached to TV rights that were locked up for the long-term.According to Sports Media Watch , viewership for last weeks games was down 26 percent for Monday night, 15 percent for Sunday night (against the second presidential debate) and 20 percent for Thursday night. Overall, for the first four weeks of the season, ratings across the league were down 11 percent.The decline was concerning enough that league executives recently sent an internal memo to the NFL media committee, comparing this years slide to a lesser decline during the 2000 election cycle and conceding that, While our partners, like us, would have liked to see higher ratings, they remain confident in the NFL and unconcerned about a long-term issue.The current TV contracts, worth between $8.5 billion to more than $15 billion each, expire in 2021 and 2022. What the networks are willing to pay when its time to renegotiate will be the best indicator of how big an impact Americas changing viewing habits have had on the NFL, and whether pro football remains the nations undisputed entertainment king.But theres still a lot of uncertainty over how new technology will impact viewership. Best example: Yes, you can live stream Thursday night games on Twitter, but what if your connection is shaky? And how much better will that connection get over the next five years?There will be some instances where the composition of (the media deals) will change vastly, and others wheree theyll continue to engage with traditional partners, said Adam Jones, the director of PwC Sports Advisory Services.dddddddddddd All the deals may not yield the same premiums. But we could see a shift in the actual structures of the deals, from traditional rights fees to a smaller base with more digital-based bonuses and incentives on the back end.PwC does not talk about specific sports leagues, though in a recent newsletter , it predicted a moderation in growth of rights fees for North American sports over the next five years.Though Jones says it will take time to see if this seasons sports ratings are cyclical or more long-term, it should be acknowledged that the market is not limitless when it comes to consumption through traditional broadcast.None of this is to say the NFL is hurting. That same league memo that recognized this years ratings issues said overall NFL viewership has increased 27 percent over the past 15 years. In 2015, the NFL accounted for 63 of the top 100 TV shows. Even with recent legal troubles for daily fantasy -- which could also be partially responsible for the ratings dip -- fantasy football is still considered a growth area for the NFL. The current numbers also dont take into account how many people are streaming the games.Deninger says giving viewers more options is the NFLs best long-term bet. He says the league, to some extent, has to feel some of the same effects as all other televised entertainment products -- the increase in nonlinear viewing. He said that according to comscore.com , Google sites that include YouTube draw 182 million unique users every month, all of whom are turning into clips of things they want to watch, when they want to watch them. Other websites post similar stats.The nonlinear sites where you go select whatever you want, they arent complaining about any drop off, he said. 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