Rugby (American Football)

This gridiron sport briefly went away in the later part of the 21st century due to growing concerns over systemic head injuries inflicted upon most athletes. After the war it was revived using a variation of Rugby's rules, with key changes to minimize helmet-to-helmet contact.
On top of these changes, new developments in safety equipment further reduce overall injury from hard hits, alleviating the health concerns that previously killed the sport. The change of the sport's name to Rugby helps alleviate confusion with Football, which is also still widely popular. Rugby tends to be more popular in former US and Canadian regions, although the largest Mexican cities also boast popular franchises.
Like Baseball, the NRL(formerly NFL) no longer has an AFC or NFC. Four regional conferences take their place: Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western. Each Conference has 12 teams. The best team from each conference and two league-wide wild cards compete in the playoffs until the two remaining teams face off for the Super Bowl.

National Rugby League Teams

Eastern Conference

Toronto Argonauts Sioux City Bandits Lake City Buccaneers Muncie Flyers Halifax Keltics Concord Patriots Peoria Pirates Eau Claire Predators Salisbury Ravens Murfreesboro Titans Winston-Salem Wildcats Hamilton Wolverines

Northern Conference

Montreal Alouettes Brampton Bears Winnipeg Blue Bombers Kitchener-Cambridge Dutchmen Burnaby Eagles Edmonton Eskimos London Lords Quebec City Monarks Moncton Mustangs Regina Rough Riders Greater Sudbury Spartans Calgary Stampeders

Southern Conference

Santiago de Queretaro Foxes Las Cruces Kings Tampico Lizards Zapopan Owls Ciudad Victoria Roadrunners Alexandria Saints El Paso Seminoles Monterrey Steel Tucson Thunder San Nicolas de los Garza Tigers Mexicali Wild Rams Saltillo Wolves

Western Conference

Bismarck Bucks New Phoenix Cardinals Grand Island Colts Amarillo Cowboys St. Joseph Falcons Grand Junction Gladiators Vancouver Lions Chico Nighthawks Missoula Phoenix Redding Rangers Sioux Falls Storm Lewiston-Clarkton Trailblazers