The changing shape of the NRL's pursuit of the American dream in Las Vegas

In Las Vegas, you have to accept the simultaneous existence of two completely contradictory things. The grit in the desert can turn into gold, but it can also slip through your fingers. Every night feels like it ends too early, but also ends too late.

The lights of the casinos glitter, as dazzling as paradise, but if you stray slightly from the main thoroughfare into the dark alleys, you'll find despair everywhere, reminding you that the abyss of hell is close at hand. You can be anyone you want to be, as long as you can bear the consequences that come with it.

Therefore, the Australian National Rugby League's (NRL) American dream could be a glorious victory or a painful failure, and you can either be filled with romantic aspirations or hold a cynical attitude towards it. For existing fans, the pilgrimage to Allegiant Stadium has quickly become the greatest rugby league adventure of a lifetime, which is undoubtedly a success.

Rugby league fans from all over the world flocked to participate in the league's second foray into Las Vegas. The city is too big and too wild to ever be completely conquered, but throughout the week, you could see a jersey almost every five minutes. Accents from Australia, New Zealand, and the north of England intertwined in the warm days and cold nights, as all sorts of people gathered together and blended in a peculiar way.

In a bar called "Tilted Kilt" (the unofficial headquarters for Cronulla fans, where you can enjoy a two-for-one drink special as long as you can prove you're a Sharks fan, and "Up Up Cronulla" is played every few hours), a reunion was held for former Warriors players. At the next table was a Ukrainian man who had accidentally become fascinated with rugby league and fallen so deeply in love with the sport that he flew in from Chicago to watch the games.

The week was expensive, but the match scenes were spectacular. The Wigan versus Warrington game turned into a one-sided affair, but the British fans created an atmosphere that made arriving early at Allegiant Stadium well worth it. After Bevan French and Jai Field led the Super League champions to an easy victory, the Cherry and Whites fans mingled with the Raiders fans in the next bay, and the resulting uproar turned the Canberra versus Warriors game into a party.

The Raiders' impressive victory was a blow to the large New Zealand fan base, who outnumbered all other fan groups. The Australian women's rugby league team's 90-4 victory over England started off a bit dull, but Australia's dominance eventually re-excited the gamblers, who began to hope to see the team achieve a hundred-point score. There were some empty seats towards the end, but the quality of the Penrith versus Cronulla game was high, and it brought some energy to the crowd after three largely uncompetitive matches, 7 hours, and too many overpriced beers.

After the game, the crowd poured into the night, filled with joy, and no doubt they would wake up the next morning with splitting headaches and empty wallets. Las Vegas isn't cheap, but that night felt priceless. In terms of creating an experience, launching the season in a spectacular and prominent way, and locking in a new important date on the calendar, the Las Vegas games were a success.

But all of this is for the loyal fans who are already involved in the sport. Preaching to the converted is easier than converting the masses, and if we're honest, the likelihood of America embracing rugby league is slim. Of course, there were some Americans on site. Every few rows, you could hear a confused local asking about the rules, especially when it came to blocking or scrummaging. But if the NRL wants a share of the American betting and television revenue, it has a long way to go.

Even if it were possible, breaking into the already crowded American sports scene to gain the tiny market share that the NRL craves would take decades and countless funds, which is why it's just as easy to be skeptical about it all as it is to be immersed in the possibilities.

These Las Vegas games won't last forever. The initial agreement was for five years, so we're almost halfway through, and there have already been reports that the NRL is looking for new locations, such as London, New York, and Miami. While the league has done well to arrange for the Warriors (who have a large fan base and are willing to travel) and Super League teams, thereby opening up England as a new market, these may only be one-off moves, once in a lifetime in a city that emphasizes "once."

But at a gathering held by the American National Rugby League in the middle of the week, a former US international made a good point. These are the most loyal believers, who started the sport in the United States in the early 1990s and did everything they could to try to keep it away from the lights of Las Vegas. Their passion for the sport is inspiring.

They are all optimistic about the future of the sport in the United States—you wouldn't do something like forming a rugby league if you didn't believe in the possibilities it offers—but they are more aware than anyone of the difficulties the sport faces. "Even if it doesn't happen, these games give people like us hope, and that's still important," said the former Tomahawks player.

That's important because money can buy almost anything in Las Vegas, but you can't put a price on a dream. If the gambling tables leave you penniless, it may be all you have left when you leave, which may not be enough for rugby league to thrive under the Stars and Stripes, but it's better than nothing.