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10:55 PM | 
Posted by
kender
Feel free to add to this. It isn't completely developed yet.
I have a theory that a nations favorite sport reflects that nations general demeanor to an extent. Now there is one small exception to this rule. In England the favorite sport sems to be soccer, but that doesn't fit into the theory completely. Luckily the english have cricket.
Allow me to explain. I will start right here at home in the Good Ol' U.S. of A.
Once upon a time the biggest sport in the U.S. was baseball. It is still called the national pastime, but I think it is past time to change that designation to football. Back when baseball was the nations favorite game America fit that game to a tee. (No golf jokes here please) Back then American life moved slower. People were kinder to one another and we were a nation that would take the time to sit in a park for hours on end watching a gentlemanly game that really did reflect the country of the day. Baseball has a more relaxed attitude about it and the country did them too.
Now though it is football. Not that ever moving yet little scoring game that I will get to in a bit, but American football. American football reflects our country now. There is a time limit in football. How many of you are always facing deadlines at work huh? Football resembles war. You attack in the air and on the ground, attempting to get through your opponents territory to score. There are arcane rules that deal with situations in minutiae. The real world calls it "fine print". There are serious penalties for getting caught breaking the rules. (Martha Stewart) American football is a fast paced, violent game. But they get the job done. (scoring) A perfect reflection of America today.
Britain has cricket. Stodgy, boring, sometimes incomprehensible and occasionally puntuated by a quick burst of action. Now does that sound like the england we all know and love or what?
Several countries have as their most beloved sport the game we call soccer. They call if futbol, probably because they couldn't come up with a better name. After all saying "Let's go down and play Kick the ball for hours and score one point" is just a huge mouthful. Also you just need one little ball and a big open field. That is a great equipment list for a poor group of people. Almost anyone could afford that. And 3rd world countries being less built up than developed countries makes for lots of open spaces.
Soccer is fast paced. The ball is always moving. There is almost always alot of furious action on the field. It is a passionate gogogogogo all the time. That sounds like alot of 3rd world countries to me, especially in latin america. They talk fast and excitedly. Soccer also has the lowest scores I have ever seen in a game. 1-0...1-2...you get the picture. I think that illustrates alot of those countries perfectly. Lots of talk and action, but they rarely get anything done, in other words they don't get to the goal.
Australia has RUGBY!!!! American football without padding and looser rules. Those fuckin' Aussies are TOUGH!!!! Glad they're on our side.
France has........well france has.....uuummm...whining? Uuummmmm.....surrendering...no...they haven't actually done that in awhile, mostly because they haven't actually fought anyone in awhile, at least not alone they haven't. Hell, I don't know what france has for a national sport. Someone told me soccer. That may be. It would fit in with the whole "create alot of action, (bitch about America) while rarely scoring points, (face it, right thinking people don't like france)" thing that france has going on lately.
Give me your ideas on this. Who did I miss?
I have a theory that a nations favorite sport reflects that nations general demeanor to an extent. Now there is one small exception to this rule. In England the favorite sport sems to be soccer, but that doesn't fit into the theory completely. Luckily the english have cricket.
Allow me to explain. I will start right here at home in the Good Ol' U.S. of A.
Once upon a time the biggest sport in the U.S. was baseball. It is still called the national pastime, but I think it is past time to change that designation to football. Back when baseball was the nations favorite game America fit that game to a tee. (No golf jokes here please) Back then American life moved slower. People were kinder to one another and we were a nation that would take the time to sit in a park for hours on end watching a gentlemanly game that really did reflect the country of the day. Baseball has a more relaxed attitude about it and the country did them too.
Now though it is football. Not that ever moving yet little scoring game that I will get to in a bit, but American football. American football reflects our country now. There is a time limit in football. How many of you are always facing deadlines at work huh? Football resembles war. You attack in the air and on the ground, attempting to get through your opponents territory to score. There are arcane rules that deal with situations in minutiae. The real world calls it "fine print". There are serious penalties for getting caught breaking the rules. (Martha Stewart) American football is a fast paced, violent game. But they get the job done. (scoring) A perfect reflection of America today.
Britain has cricket. Stodgy, boring, sometimes incomprehensible and occasionally puntuated by a quick burst of action. Now does that sound like the england we all know and love or what?
Several countries have as their most beloved sport the game we call soccer. They call if futbol, probably because they couldn't come up with a better name. After all saying "Let's go down and play Kick the ball for hours and score one point" is just a huge mouthful. Also you just need one little ball and a big open field. That is a great equipment list for a poor group of people. Almost anyone could afford that. And 3rd world countries being less built up than developed countries makes for lots of open spaces.
Soccer is fast paced. The ball is always moving. There is almost always alot of furious action on the field. It is a passionate gogogogogo all the time. That sounds like alot of 3rd world countries to me, especially in latin america. They talk fast and excitedly. Soccer also has the lowest scores I have ever seen in a game. 1-0...1-2...you get the picture. I think that illustrates alot of those countries perfectly. Lots of talk and action, but they rarely get anything done, in other words they don't get to the goal.
Australia has RUGBY!!!! American football without padding and looser rules. Those fuckin' Aussies are TOUGH!!!! Glad they're on our side.
France has........well france has.....uuummm...whining? Uuummmmm.....surrendering...no...they haven't actually done that in awhile, mostly because they haven't actually fought anyone in awhile, at least not alone they haven't. Hell, I don't know what france has for a national sport. Someone told me soccer. That may be. It would fit in with the whole "create alot of action, (bitch about America) while rarely scoring points, (face it, right thinking people don't like france)" thing that france has going on lately.
Give me your ideas on this. Who did I miss?
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9 comments:
Interesting theory, although the baseball strikes may have had an effect, I do agree that football is the new American sport though.
France's national sport is 'snoot'. From a very early age, French persons eat bugs(snails)and cheese and practice looking down their noses. Each individual player is called a 'snooty' person.
Over slept the 'match' last night...sorry about that.
I wonder who's dumping all the verses on the shitheads blog? AssHat john could be a canidate as he keeps pointing his finger at someone? who knows,who cares?
Anon Lurk
OMG...that is too damned funny,,,,,that is funnier than black vans. Last nights match was quiet...nobody there I left. Email me for new wicked plan in effect about a TFHW.
You missed Canada with Hockey. Hockey is more fast paced and often has as high or higher scoring as football (if you consider the fact that in football you get multiple points for one 'score' - for instance, the Super Bowl would have had a score of 3.5 - 3 if you consider a touchdown 1 point and a field goal half a point). It is also often a lot more violent and you get more fights. Any comments on that?
Also, the original American sport is Lacrosse - warrior training for American Indians. This also happens to be my favorite sport.
Yes, Kender ... how do Canada and hockey fit your theory? Seems important, as it is the only country with that one as its favorite sport.
Soccer's popularity in Britain dwarfs that of cricket. There is simply no comparison.
Soccer is also the most popular sport in France. Soccer is the most popular sport in all but a small handful of nations.
One of the greatest professional soccer players of the past decade has been Zinedine Zidane, a Frenchman of Arab heritage. He is the star of Real Madrid, one of the most widely-followed professional sports franchises, period. Zidane led the French national team to victory in the next-to-last World Cup, in 1998.
The French also "have" cycling, which, at least in terms of modern stage-racing, they virtually invented. Someone like Jacques Anquetil has Babe Ruth-like status not only in France but throughout Europe and in much of South America. Even with an American having demonstrated complete dominance of the sport's premier event, few Americans understand just how hugely popular cycling is in much of the world.
Old farts like you and I grew up thinking of soccer as something foreign. Our kids won't. That's obvious walking by any school athletic field. And, anyway, if there is a truly American sport it is basketball.
Who is lurking here?
Basketball and Baseball have both sucked since they went on strike. Basketball is a 'sport' filled with grown men who act like giant babies. They both need salary caps as this is what keeps the NFL interesting every year. I hope the outcome of the current NHL lockout is that the players give in to reasonable salary caps.
Hockey became alot les interesting since they really clamped down on the fights....I used to love being able to say "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out."
How it relates to canada I am not sure......it is a rather fast paced game with some violence tossed in, and that is soooo NOT canada.
See, now your whole theory is shot to hell (especially since you were stretching to make it fit in the first place). Ah well, try, try again...
Oh - and Lacrosse is like hockey before they clamped down on fights. Good stuff there.
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