ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

MLR Draft

MLR stands for Major League Rugby, which is a professional rugby league in the United States and Canada. It's a lot like other sports leagues you might know, like the NFL or NBA, where teams compete against each other to be the best.

The MLR Draft is a special event that happens before each season. Imagine it like a big party where all the teams gather to pick players for their teams. But instead of balloons and cake, they use something called a draft.

A draft is like a game where teams take turns choosing players from a big group of talented players. It's kind of like when you and your friends take turns picking teams for a game on the playground.

Before the draft, all the players who want to be picked have to show how good they are by playing rugby in college or on other teams. The teams watch these players and decide which ones they like the most. They might even talk to the players and ask them questions to learn more about them.

When the draft day comes, the teams sit in a big room, and the order of picking players is decided. The team with the worst record from the previous season usually gets to pick first, and then they go in order from worst to best. This helps make the teams more fair by giving the weaker teams a better chance at getting good players.

Each team gets a turn to pick a player. When it's their turn, they say the name of the player they want out loud, and that player becomes part of their team. This continues until all the teams have picked enough players to fill their roster.

The teams try to pick players who they think will help their team become better. They might need players who are good at scoring goals, players who can run really fast, or players who are really strong. Each team has different needs, so they have to think carefully about who they choose.

After the draft, the players become part of a team, and they train and practice together to get ready for the upcoming season. They learn the team's strategy and play against other teams to see who is the best.

So, the MLR Draft is like a big party where teams pick the best players to join their team, and they use a draft to do it. It's a way for teams to improve and get ready for the exciting rugby season.