How would you compare football NOW versus Then?

Are Americans aware of Rugby football?  If so, how do they compare it with American Football?

• I know that a lot of Americans are dismissive of soccer, but Rugby seems much closer in format - move the ball to the end, cross the line, kick through an H goal. Europeans often note the lack of armour as evidence that Rugby is the tougher game... not sure how true that is.

• Answer:

  Since rugby was the progenitor of modern American football, yes many Americans are aware of it. There's an American rugby association (see reference) and many colleges have formal and informal rugby squads. However, because of the popularity of American football and the almost total lack of interest in the sport t the high school level, rugby has never caught in the US. This is in a similar vein as cricket in that it is a sport which has many fans throughout the former British Commonwealth, but a noticeable lack of similar interest in the US. Reference: http://usarugby.org/