Following on the heels of the announcement of a team merger of two teams in MLR, Major League Rugby's NOLA Gold will reduce the league's number of teams, at least for a season.
The franchise announced Wednesday that it will not field a team for the 2026 season.
Officially the plans are to potentially move forward after 2026, but that's a stretch.
Once a sports team says it's done for a year, it is enormously difficult to get back on the bike and start pedaling again.
What this and the LA-San Diego merger also does is make it tougher for younger players to break into teams. There will be perhaps 80 players now looking for a team to hook onto in a league that now has 400 to 500 roster spots. Add in a draft class hoping to find places and this will make it tougher for players to find a pro spot.