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Debt collectors, dangerous territory and medical bills: The brutal reality of MLR | Rugby Union

A year ago, Mark O’Keeffe helped Austin Gilgronis to reach the Major League Rugby Playoffs for the first time. The center and teammates were overjoyed. But just before the 2.5-hour bus ride southeast to Houston for the final game of the regular season, coach Sam Harris called a meeting.

“After we won San Diego, the rumors started going around that the season was ending prematurely,” O’Keeffe said. “So the players were pretty bummed out.”

Harris broke the news that Gilgronis was disqualified.The following week, their brothers team Los Angeles Guiltinnis (also owned by and named after Australian entrepreneur Adam Gilchrist) also Banned Since the postseason, the league has cited unspecified rule violations.

both franchises liquidated. Shortly after, O’Keeffe and the other players started getting calls from debt collectors.

Salary caps are significantly lower in the MLR than in other U.S. professional sports leagues, with team owners supplementing contracts with housing allowances and other benefits.

“My credit score plummeted by 120 points because the team owner stopped paying rent,” O’Keeffe said. “The team was actually responsible for paying the rent. I just put my name on the lease as a tenant.”

In late October, after months of silence in the league, players in Los Angeles and Austin were informed of the dissolution and expanded draft in two weeks. Players had to be in the draft if they wanted to play early next season, but they couldn’t negotiate out of the draft.

“We were in a whimsical situation in the league,” said current US Eagles captain Bryce Campbell, center of London Irish and Austin and now with the Chicago Hounds. “We’ve been sitting there for months, unable to negotiate with the other teams, and have no say in how things turn out.”

The entire squad was aware that the situation was unacceptable. On May 11, the United States Rugby Players Association (USRPA) launched #RugbyUnionNow, an effort to unionize nearly 450 MLR players.

The campaign, which involves representatives from each team and has support from trade unions such as the NFLPA and MLSPA, has three main demands: contract safety, improved working conditions and health care provided by the league.

The USRPA is seeking voluntary recognition, but its chairman and former New York rocker Nick Civetta said he was prepared to apply for election if needed.

“We have the overwhelming majority of our delegation ready to join the union,” Civetta said.

MLR CEO Nick Benson said: “While we respect the right of MLR players to consider joining a union, unionization at this time poses a serious and permanent threat to our league. I feel like it could have a big impact,” he said.

“…We also believe it is important for players to consider all the facts regarding union formation and collective bargaining and to hear the position of MLR owners, coaches and other leaders.”


M.LR is now in its sixth season and is the most successful professional rugby venture in US history. Twelve teams participated, including Canadian franchises, giving Americans the opportunity to play professionally from home.

“I would be lying if I said that when I was little I dreamed of being a professional rugby player,” said Old Glory DC prop Jack Iscaro. “Because it wasn’t an option. Now that I get paid to play in the town where I was born and raised, I couldn’t be more grateful.”

But the players said the league hasn’t always treated them like professionals. Athletes rely on workers’ compensation for all their serious medical needs, which often results in long waiting times for surgeries and results, they say. Additionally, coverage is seasonal only, meaning players will be without medical care for up to half the calendar year. During the season, players are required to secure their own medical care if they are injured while returning to play club rugby.

Players are often expected to perform on grass.

“My first season [playing] The game against New York was a 30- or 40-year-old high school football field and it was as hard as stone,” said the recently retired Civetta. “I had multiple injuries to my ACL and ankle, leading to a dislocation of my AC joint.”

Calls for “safer working conditions” such as playing on the grass may sound ironic when 30 men discuss 80 minutes of fistfighting. But for those who play artificial turf, which is often covered with non-rugby lines, it is a real concern.

Contract security is also a top priority. Players usually do not have a say in who they play for. At the end of the six-month season, teams retain player rights for the remainder of the calendar year. Sign and trade is the most common way to switch teams.

Nick Boyer started 2021 in Los Angeles before being traded to Houston.

“I’ve spent most of my life establishing myself in California and just before the season started I was traded with little explanation as to why,” the scrumhalf said. “The players want to stay and be the face of the franchise and the pillars of the community, but they can’t because the league doesn’t treat them that way.”

Some players sign a second tier “Associate Player Agreement” that pays them $15 an hour. Considering the investment of time, APC is effectively below the minimum wage, officials said. Also, there is no protection against drops.

Growing pains are to be expected in a young, cash-poor league. The players understand that and emphasized that they are not asking for a pay increase at this time. Instead, USRPA focuses on contract security and healthcare.

“The players are neither greedy nor naive,” said Iscaro.

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The USRPA was founded in 2016, before MLR began, by the former US captain Blaine Scully and others, with an eye to growing the game and promoting player welfare. It was, by all accounts, received amicably by USA Rugby. In 2020, the USRPA asked MLR for voluntary recognition – a request said to have been met unfavorably.

The next season, Civetta and others successfully pushed the league to update head injury protocols. MLR, Civetta said, was using a dated system. He recalled seeing a player run around for 20 or 30 minutes after sustaining a clear concussion.

At the end of the 2022 season, when Gilchrist’s two teams closed, players suffered. That moment, and the Eagles’ failure to qualify for the World Cup in France this year, brought home how precarious it can be to play in MLR.

Nick Civetta, the players’ union board chair, retired after being part of New York’s MLR title win last season. Photograph: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images for Rugby New York

Campbell said: “At that point I’m in camp trying to focus on qualifying for the World Cup, but at the same time I’m trying to figure out where my pregnant wife and I are going to live, how we’re going to stay insured, and where the next paycheck will come from.”

Kyle Breytenbach, a four-year MLR veteran, was forced into retirement. Thirty years old and relatively healthy, the back-rower had no plans to hang up his boots. But after Austin folded, he wasn’t able to justify another campaign.

“I have a 20-month old daughter,” he said, “and I couldn’t provide for her as an MLR player.”

Breytenbach was also blunt about the effect playing in the MLR had on his mental health, even before the Austin fiasco.

“Every year we get to round 15 or 16 of the season, and internally my wife and I would start to bicker over where the next paycheck is coming from, how we are going to be insured.”

The MLR is now partnered with Looseheadz, a group dedicated to tackling the stigma around mental health. Breytenbach said: “There is a hypocrisy, where it’s easy for them to give branded t-shirts to promote mental health but without the right procedures – healthcare, contract stability – in place.”

Boyer asked: “What about [a player’s] With no job, no housing, no medical care, what happens to mental health? "

Athletes said the increased security of their contracts will help them stay rooted in their communities. With a proper medical plan, he will be able to stay focused on rugby. Uniform working conditions will reduce the risk of injury and balance the playing field.

League decisions, such as the ousting of Los Angeles and Austin, are made by the owners and board of directors, not through player representatives.

Former Austin full-back Chris Mattina, now with Chicago, sees collective bargaining as a way to give his players a much-needed voice.

"Without players, there is no league," Matina said. "So it stands to reason that we get some input on how it will develop."

Players also said the union would benefit MLR and help establish MLR in global rugby and American sports.

"Every major sports league has a union," said rock or flanker Sam Gora, the No. 1 pick from Dallas in last year's college draft. "This is how we grow this sport and what we all want. We're not asking for millions of dollars. We want it to grow." I know it's a young league trying to [help it] Please do just that. "

Iscaro said: It's about building a league for the next generation and leaving it better than what we found. "

  • peter lucas New York-based writer covering labor and politics



Summarize this content to 100 words ○A year ago, Mark O'Keeffe helped Austin Gilgronis to reach the Major League Rugby Playoffs for the first time. The center and teammates were overjoyed. But just before the 2.5-hour bus ride southeast to Houston for the final game of the regular season, coach Sam Harris called a meeting."After we won San Diego, the rumors started going around that the season was ending prematurely," O'Keeffe said. "So the players were pretty bummed out."Harris broke the news that Gilgronis was disqualified.The following week, their brothers team Los Angeles Guiltinnis (also owned by and named after Australian entrepreneur Adam Gilchrist) also Banned Since the postseason, the league has cited unspecified rule violations.both franchises liquidated. Shortly after, O'Keeffe and the other players started getting calls from debt collectors.Salary caps are significantly lower in the MLR than in other U.S. professional sports leagues, with team owners supplementing contracts with housing allowances and other benefits."My credit score plummeted by 120 points because the team owner stopped paying rent," O'Keeffe said. "The team was actually responsible for paying the rent. I just put my name on the lease as a tenant."In late October, after months of silence in the league, players in Los Angeles and Austin were informed of the dissolution and expanded draft in two weeks. Players had to be in the draft if they wanted to play early next season, but they couldn't negotiate out of the draft."We were in a whimsical situation in the league," said current US Eagles captain Bryce Campbell, center of London Irish and Austin and now with the Chicago Hounds. "We've been sitting there for months, unable to negotiate with the other teams, and have no say in how things turn out."The entire squad was aware that the situation was unacceptable. On May 11, the United States Rugby Players Association (USRPA) launched #RugbyUnionNow, an effort to unionize nearly 450 MLR players.The campaign, which involves representatives from each team and has support from trade unions such as the NFLPA and MLSPA, has three main demands: contract safety, improved working conditions and health care provided by the league.The USRPA is seeking voluntary recognition, but its chairman and former New York rocker Nick Civetta said he was prepared to apply for election if needed."We have the overwhelming majority of our delegation ready to join the union," Civetta said.MLR CEO Nick Benson said: "While we respect the right of MLR players to consider joining a union, unionization at this time poses a serious and permanent threat to our league. I feel like it could have a big impact," he said.“…We also believe it is important for players to consider all the facts regarding union formation and collective bargaining and to hear the position of MLR owners, coaches and other leaders.”M.LR is now in its sixth season and is the most successful professional rugby venture in US history. Twelve teams participated, including Canadian franchises, giving Americans the opportunity to play professionally from home.“I would be lying if I said that when I was little I dreamed of being a professional rugby player,” said Old Glory DC prop Jack Iscaro. "Because it wasn't an option. Now that I get paid to play in the town where I was born and raised, I couldn't be more grateful."But the players said the league hasn't always treated them like professionals. Athletes rely on workers' compensation for all their serious medical needs, which often results in long waiting times for surgeries and results, they say. Additionally, coverage is seasonal only, meaning players will be without medical care for up to half the calendar year. During the season, players are required to secure their own medical care if they are injured while returning to play club rugby.Players are often expected to perform on grass."My first season [playing] The game against New York was a 30- or 40-year-old high school football field and it was as hard as stone," said the recently retired Civetta. “I had multiple injuries to my ACL and ankle, leading to a dislocation of my AC joint.”Calls for "safer working conditions" such as playing on the grass may sound ironic when 30 men discuss 80 minutes of fistfighting. But for those who play artificial turf, which is often covered with non-rugby lines, it is a real concern.Contract security is also a top priority. Players usually do not have a say in who they play for. At the end of the six-month season, teams retain player rights for the remainder of the calendar year. Sign and trade is the most common way to switch teams.Nick Boyer started 2021 in Los Angeles before being traded to Houston."I've spent most of my life establishing myself in California and just before the season started I was traded with little explanation as to why," the scrumhalf said. "The players want to stay and be the face of the franchise and the pillars of the community, but they can't because the league doesn't treat them that way."Some players sign a second tier "Associate Player Agreement" that pays them $15 an hour. Considering the investment of time, APC is effectively below the minimum wage, officials said. Also, there is no protection against drops.Growing pains are to be expected in a young, cash-poor league. The players understand that and emphasized that they are not asking for a pay increase at this time. Instead, USRPA focuses on contract security and healthcare."The players are neither greedy nor naive," said Iscaro.Skip past newsletter promotionsReview all the latest rugby union news and analysis, plus the week's activity","newsletterId":"the-breakdown","successDescription":"We'll send you The Breakdown every week"" clientOnly>Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionThe USRPA was founded in 2016, before MLR began, by the former US captain Blaine Scully and others, with an eye to growing the game and promoting player welfare. It was, by all accounts, received amicably by USA Rugby. In 2020, the USRPA asked MLR for voluntary recognition – a request said to have been met unfavorably.The next season, Civetta and others successfully pushed the league to update head injury protocols. MLR, Civetta said, was using a dated system. He recalled seeing a player run around for 20 or 30 minutes after sustaining a clear concussion.At the end of the 2022 season, when Gilchrist’s two teams closed, players suffered. That moment, and the Eagles’ failure to qualify for the World Cup in France this year, brought home how precarious it can be to play in MLR.Nick Civetta, the players’ union board chair, retired after being part of New York’s MLR title win last season. Photograph: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images for Rugby New YorkCampbell said: “At that point I’m in camp trying to focus on qualifying for the World Cup, but at the same time I’m trying to figure out where my pregnant wife and I are going to live, how we’re going to stay insured, and where the next paycheck will come from.”Kyle Breytenbach, a four-year MLR veteran, was forced into retirement. Thirty years old and relatively healthy, the back-rower had no plans to hang up his boots. But after Austin folded, he wasn’t able to justify another campaign.“I have a 20-month old daughter,” he said, “and I couldn’t provide for her as an MLR player.”Breytenbach was also blunt about the effect playing in the MLR had on his mental health, even before the Austin fiasco.“Every year we get to round 15 or 16 of the season, and internally my wife and I would start to bicker over where the next paycheck is coming from, how we are going to be insured.”The MLR is now partnered with Looseheadz, a group dedicated to tackling the stigma around mental health. Breytenbach said: “There is a hypocrisy, where it’s easy for them to give branded t-shirts to promote mental health but without the right procedures – healthcare, contract stability – in place.”Boyer asked: “What about [a player’s] With no job, no housing, no medical care, what happens to mental health? "Athletes said the increased security of their contracts will help them stay rooted in their communities. With a proper medical plan, he will be able to stay focused on rugby. Uniform working conditions will reduce the risk of injury and balance the…
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jun/06/major-league-rugby-players-union-owners Debt collectors, dangerous territory and medical bills: The brutal reality of MLR | Rugby Union

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