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The Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC), is a college rugby sevens tournament held every June at PPL Park in Philadelphia. The CRC is the highest profile college rugby competition in the United States, with the tournament broadcast live on NBC every year. The CRC has capitalized on the surge in popularity of rugby following the 2009 announcement of the addition of rugby to the Summer Olympics. The Collegiate Rugby Championship has succeeded in drawing media attention.〔("7s tournament points to resurgence of invitationals" ), Gainline.us, Nov. 11, 2011.〕 NBC recognized that rugby is growing in popularity, participation and interest,〔Bleacher Report, NBC to Broadcast Collegiate Sevens Rugby Championship, March 6, 2010, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/358141-nbc-to-broadcast-collegiate-sevens-championship〕 and NBC's broadcast of the inaugural 2010 CRC was the first time college rugby had been broadcast live on network TV in the US.〔Bleacher Report, Rugby: NBC's Collegiate Sevens Championship Preview, June 3, 2010, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/400735-rugby-nbcs-collegiate-sevens-championship-preview〕 NBC Sports Programming President, Jon Miller, described NBC's support of the Collegiate Rugby Championship, "We're hoping to see continued growth in the ratings and the attendance. We like the sport a lot, and we've given it a great time period and a real plumb position on our schedule."〔Rugby Mag, Fans Can Make Rugby Work on TV - NBC, May 1, 2012, http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4390:fans-can-make-rugby-work-on-tv-nbc&catid=149:usa7s-crc&Itemid=392〕 The CRC has posted respectable TV ratings, with the TV audience for the CRC larger than that of the NCAA lacrosse championships.〔("Varsity Cup, USA 7s parent, NBC in landmark pact" ), Gainline, June 21, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2014.〕〔("College Rugby Shines Under TV Spotlight Created by 2016 Olympics" ), Bloomberg, Mason Levinson, May 28, 2015.〕 Due in part to the exposure from NBC's broadcasts, the tournament has attracted several blue chip corporate sponsors, including Geico, Subway, Toyota and Bud Light.〔PRNewswire, Utah Utes Win Inaugural USA 7's Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational on NBC, June 6, 2010, http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/utah-utes-win-inaugural-usa-7s-rugby-collegiate-championship-invitational-on-nbc-95741209.html〕 The CRC is popular with fans, with over 17,000 fans turning out to watch the 2011 tournament,〔Philly.com, "Big turnout for Rugby Sevens tournament at PPL Park," June 6, 2011, http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/123210403.html.〕 and over 18,000 fans in attendance at the 2012 tournament.〔("PPL Park to host college rugby championship through 2014" ), The Times Herald, June 3, 2012.〕 In September 2014, Penn Mutual life insurance company announced a multi-year title sponsorship of the annual championship, which is now titled the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship.〔http://www2.pennmutual.com/content/public/about-pennmutual/press-room/press-releases/releases/2014/09/pennmutual-rugbychampionship-varsitycup.html〕 The Collegiate Rugby Championship has sparked a mini revolution in college rugby, prompting scores of schools to begin offering a rugby sevens program.〔Gainline.us, 7s tournament points to resurgence of invitationals, Nov. 11, 2011, http://www.gainline.us/gainline/2011/11/7s-tournament-points-to-resurgence-of-invitationals.html〕 One of the schools that has benefited from the publicity generated by the CRC tournament has been the University of Texas. Following Texas' participation in the CRC, Texas "raised an additional $10,000 from alumni, landed a new apparel sponsor, and have been contacted by 90 students (including two DBs from the football team) who want to play rugby."〔Rugby Mag, 15 Teams Invited to 2012 CRC, Nov. 3, 2011, http://rugbymag.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2555:15-teams-invited-to-2012-crc&catid=73:collegiate-sevens&Itemid=91〕 The CRC has also given a boost of exposure to lesser known schools with strong rugby programs. For example, when Life University went undefeated in pool play and reached the semifinals of the June 2–3 2012 CRC, Life University's Wikipedia page was viewed by 9,800 people that weekend.〔http://stats.grok.se/en/latest/Life_University〕 ==Format and qualifying== The first day of the two-day tournament features 20 teams divided into 5 pools of 4 teams, with the top team in each group advancing to the quarterfinals, along with the three best second-placed teams. The second day of the tournament is knockout play, featuring the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. The majority of the participating teams are invited to the tournament based on the quality of the school's rugby program and on the school's fan appeal. Certain teams also qualify by winning their conference 7s tournament. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Collegiate Rugby Championship」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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