Could Rugby Replace Football in the United States? (VIDEO)

Don't get me wrong. I love football, but I am getting tired of all the crap that has begun to take over the professional game. The rule changes the NFL keeps coming up with to wussify the game, all the cheating scandals, all the criminals the game embraces, the endless bickering between the owners and players over everything, the pitiful excuse of the game called the Pro Bowl, lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit--its getting to be too much!

I may be alone in feeling this way, but I highly doubt it. While some may call this an ample time for a competitor league to form, I think it could be time for something else entirely, like  a new game.

The game is not for the weak and timid. If you've never seen it imagine a game with the consistent play of a soccer match combined with the bruising hits of a football game, but minus the pads. That's a fairly decent description of what playing rugby is like. You have to be physically fit to not only run the whole game, but to give and take vicious hits as well.

Rugby already has a pretty solid foundation within the United States. Many colleges and universities field teams, some on a club level while others are more closely associated with their respective university. A number of cities, states, and regions have adult leagues, and high school rugby is quietly becoming a popular game as well.

The groundwork has already been laid in the U.S. for rugby to become immensely popular. It will likely creep into the national spotlight more and more over the next few years as the 2016 Summer Olympics approach. That is when rugby 7s will once again become an Olympic competition. The last two Gold medal champions (1920 and '24) were Team USA.

By now you are probably wondering what kind of person plays the game. If you haven't already, check out the video above. The guy exhibiting incredible focus and strength is named Tendai Mtawarira, otherwise known as the 'Beast.'

Could rugby ever replace football? The chances of it happening are slim, but if you have followed the endless stream of scandal, bickering, and litigation this off-season that has surrounded the NFL the idea might not be too far-fetched after all.