In 1972, the Redskins were technically the only major league sport to call Washington, D.C., home.

That was the year after MLB's Washington Senators left town for the last time, a year before the Baltimore Bullets relocated to D.C., and two years before the Capitals became an NHL expansion team.

Oh, how the times have changed.

In recent years, D.C. has added professional soccer, baseball, tennis, football (indoor and outdoor) and e-sports. It's only logical that we welcome the first professional rugby to the district.

Old Glory D.C. Rugby Club will join Major League Rugby in 2019 as an exhibition team. In 2020, it will take on full membership, joining newcomers from Boston and Atlanta. The league also has teams in Glendale, Colo.; Seattle; San Diego; Salt Lake City; Austin; New Orleans; Toronto, New York and Houston.

Never heard of Major League Rugby? That's OK, it only launched last season.

While there are plenty of reasons to doubt that this venture will work, there is some evidence to suggest that it just might.

Last June, South Africa and Wales played a rugby match at RFK Stadium, drawing a crowd of 21,000. Now, Wales and South Africa are two of the better teams in the world, but there is some local interest in the sport.

Chris Dunlavey, part of the Old Glory ownership group, told the Washington Post that the initial goals are modest and rooted in the long-term. He already has season-ticket deposits from 1,000 fans. He wants to help build the youth rugby leagues.

Eventually, he could see the team with its own 5,000-seat venue. But that's still a ways off.

For now, Dunlavey needs a stadium to call home and a team of players. Tryouts will be held in Columbus, Philadelphia, Charlotte and D.C., all part of the team's sizable rights territory.

Interested in trying your hand at rugby? D.C. tryouts will be on March 31 at Catholic University. The MLR season runs from January to June.