This story appears in the Aug. 22, 2016 issue of Sports Illustrated. Subscribe to the magazine here.
Scrimmaging is out, scrummaging is in. Rucking and mauling are legal; the forward pass, not so much.
It is Sunday, Sept. 7, 2036. Still aglow from Team USA’s dominant performance in the Nairobi Olympics—yet again, Americans ruled the obstacle-course racing events—sports fans across the republic eagerly anticipate a full slate of American Rugby League matches.
Locks, props and hookers, it turns out, were the primary beneficiaries of the demise of the NFL.