By Nick Cain

 
The Premiership/ RFU’s stampede for money, and the pitfalls that come with it, is reflected in the franchise fix proposed by Bath owner Bruce Craig, and supported by RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney.
So far, with the rest of the Premiership following Craig as if he is the Pied Piper, all that has emerged is that the model being pursued is based on those of the big franchise sports in the USA, with American Football’s NFL – by far the world’s most profitable league, generating an estimated $20 billion in revenue in 2023 – as the inspiration.
Potential of American investment in...