Chicago Sun-Times sports reporter Adam Jahns said his paper was unlikely to devote many resources to the All Blacks' clash against the USA next Sunday (NZT), with the minimal coverage instead calling for a freelance writer.
"You do have the Bears [football team] on their bye week and that opens up a lot of space but, I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it's going to be buried," Jahns said. "I don't think it'll get one of our staff reporters or a columnist. It'll maybe just be a stringer and I think the [Chicago] Tribune will do the same."
That's not to say the All Blacks will be ignored entirely. Jahns said a strong European expatriate population would be pleased to see the sport in the city, while rugby clubs from across the country ensured a sell-out of the 63,000-seat Soldier Field.
"There's a big Irish base so they'll be into it, and there are rugby clubs in Chicago. It's competitive and it's growing in numbers because people like the physicality. A lot of people still say it's like playing American football without the pads."
The game will also gain traction by being broadcast live nationwide on NBC, one of America's four primary broadcast networks. But it will vie with college football for casual sports fans' interest, an amateur game held in similar regard to the NFL.
"There will be interest, knowing the lure of the All Blacks," Jahns said. "But it's a Saturday and it's a college football day. You've got a lot of eyeballs to compete with."
The three college teams in the wider Chicago region - Notre Dame, Illinois and Northwestern - will attract the Sun-Times' attention on game day. Two inactive pro teams will fill the section during the week.
"The Bears have been on the front of the sports section every day this week. In our Friday edition, there will be seven pages of Bears coverage," Jahns said. "Then you've got the Bulls [basketball team]. Their regular season begins next week, so they're going to steal the spotlight."
