G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Basketball is just indoor soccer Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blighty Skins Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Basketball is more global but baseball is more popular? Whats your ****in point? Who says it's more global? Show me some official figures or shudup. For now, seeing I've visited many more nations than you, we'll take my word for it when I say baseball is a much bigger and popular sport than basketball. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Forgot that in basketball there's no goalie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckydevil Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I've lived in other parts of Europe. And basketball is a very minor sport. Italy for example have teams called Whirlpool VA :laugh: Air AV :laugh: Benetton TV :laugh: Lottomatico RM. Oh yeah...blimming very big...their teams are named after companies. And you'll remember Piazza played for the Italian baseball team at the WBC? So yes, you're wrong...the second most popular sport in the world in terms of attendence figures, viewers etc is baseball. Not even sure basketball comes third...as rugby is played by many countries...so is cricket. So yes, you're talking out your arse. Everything next to soccer is minor in Europe. I would love to see the attendance figures of baseball games in Europe compared to attendance figure of basketball games in Europe. The same with television ratings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Everything next to soccer is minor in Europe. I would love to see the attendance figures of baseball games In Europe compared to attendance figure of basketball games in Europe. The same with television ratings. Do they even have baseball games in Europe? Off the top of my head I can't name a single European player in all of Major Leauge Baseball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckydevil Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Do they even have baseball games in Europe? Off the top of my head I can't name a single European player in all of Major Leauge Baseball. I believe Italy has a baseball league, but it is pretty small time stuff. You can't say that about basketball in Europe. The infrastructure for basketball in Europe is there, it is not there for baseball. In fact there are many European basketball leagues; they even have a similar format to the champions league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinfan2k Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 blighty wont have a answer for you.. he will give a player that has ancestory that comes from Europe.. NO player has come out of europe.. Shows you the globalization of the sport.. NBA hopefuls play in europe to refine their games and get personal coaching. I dont care about viewership in Europe.. GUys from Europe are playing basketball and coming to the NBA and making an impact. Andrea Barganani Overall 1 pick in nba draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Do they even have baseball games in Europe? Off the top of my head I can't name a single European player in all of Major Leauge Baseball. You do know that baseball was invented in Russia... The cossacks used to throw rocks at the peasants. The peasants would hit the rocks away with sticks and try to get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blighty Skins Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Do they even have baseball games in Europe? Off the top of my head I can't name a single European player in all of Major Leauge Baseball. Ever heard of Andruw Jones? He's Dutch. And yes, you may/may not know that Britain/Italy/Netherlands/Germany all participated in the WBC. Germany and Britain were kicked out at the qualifying stages. This year I'm going to watch baseball games in Italy. Oh and: http://www.baseballsoftballuk.com/ http://www.baseballfan.co.uk/ Look on this website: http://www.five.tv/programmes/northamericansports/ It's from a national TV station which shows North American sports. Look under NFL and MLB. Note they have forums. Look under NBA...note no forums. That's because nobody is interested in effing basketball. :applause: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blighty Skins Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I believe Italy has a baseball league, but it is pretty small time stuff. You can't say that about basketball in Europe. The infrastructure for basketball in Europe is there, it is not there for baseball. In fact there are many European basketball leagues; they even have a similar format to the champions league. Rubbish. Italy have very good baseball teams. They've been crowned Eropean baseball champions many times. In fact the team I'm going to see play later this year: AS Parma http://www.parmabaseball.it/ Also, baseball is very popular in Holland and Germany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Ever heard of Andruw Jones? He's Dutch. :laugh: He is no more Dutch than every player from Puerto Rico being called American. Jones is from Curucao, an island in the Caribbean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blighty Skins Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 blighty wont have a answer for you.. he will give a player that has ancestory that comes from Europe.. NO player has come out of europe.. Shows you the globalization of the sport..NBA hopefuls play in europe to refine their games and get personal coaching. I dont care about viewership in Europe.. GUys from Europe are playing basketball and coming to the NBA and making an impact. Andrea Barganani Overall 1 pick in nba draft. It's because 7 foot freaks can't play soccer, so they are forced into basketball, seeing that if you are even modestly talented athletic-wise, you automatically go into soccer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blighty Skins Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 :laugh:He is no more Dutch than every player from Puerto Rico being called American. Jones is from Curucao, an island in the Caribbean. It's a Dutch Island. He has a Dutch passport. He plays for Holland. The same thing if a player from Alaska or Hawaii can play for the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 It's a Dutch Island. He has a Dutch passport. He plays for Holland. The same thing if a player from Alaska or Hawaii can play for the US. O-kay................ Right. Fair to say, Blighty, you are out of your league here discussing a sport which, you have proven with your "knowledge", doesn't travel over the Atlantic well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckydevil Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Ever heard of Andruw Jones? He's Dutch.And yes, you may/may not know that Britain/Italy/Netherlands/Germany all participated in the WBC. Germany and Britain were kicked out at the qualifying stages. This year I'm going to watch baseball games in Italy. Oh and: http://www.baseballsoftballuk.com/ http://www.baseballfan.co.uk/ Look on this website: http://www.five.tv/programmes/northamericansports/ It's from a national TV station which shows North American sports. Look under NFL and MLB. Note they have forums. Look under NBA...note no forums. That's because nobody is interested in effing basketball. :applause: It is a British website. If you are going to make the argument that baseball is more popular than basketball in the UK, make that argument. However, if you look at Europe as whole, you are wrong. Did you find the attendance rates for games played in Europe (baseball/basketball)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blighty Skins Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 O-kay................Right. You can say that with your arse...he's still Dutch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckydevil Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 It's a Dutch Island. He has a Dutch passport. He plays for Holland. The same thing if a player from Alaska or Hawaii can play for the US. How is it the same thing? Alaska and Hawaii are American states. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blighty Skins Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 It is a British website. If you are going to make the argument that baseball is more popular than basketball in the UK, make that argument. However, if you look at Europe as whole, you are wrong. Did you find the attendance rates for games played in Europe (baseball/basketball)? So let's see. I'm from Europe you are not. Who should know more about which sport is more popular in Europe? :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blighty Skins Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 How is it the same thing? Alaska and Hawaii are American states. And Andrew Jones is Dutch. What's so effing hard to understand? Alaska and Hawaii are not part of mainland US but still part of the US. The island where Andruw comes from is not part of mainland Holland, but still part of Holland. In case you missed it the first time: Nederland = Netherlands (Holland). See the flag? Dutch. Clear now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckydevil Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 This is beyond surreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 This is beyond surreal Well since all Puerto Ricans are technically US Citizens..I guess we can claim all the good players that come from Puerto Rico. :laugh: Schweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Wednesday, April 25, 2007Updated: April 27, 2:10 PM ET The 30 best international players in the NBA By John Hollinger ESPN Insider Yes, it's a global game. We've been hearing it for years now, as basketball's increasing popularity overseas has borne fruit in recent years in the form of international players who are capable of playing at the NBA level. Yet recently, there's been another shift. Although teams have looked overseas for big men for years, owing to the challenge of finding somebody who is 7 feet tall and coordinated in any corner of the world, now the quality of international play is good enough to supply good guards, too. In fact, four of the game's most daring and exciting little guys -- Steve Nash, Jose Calderon, Tony Parker and Leandro Barbosa -- were born on another continent, and there's plenty more where that came from. File away the name Ricky Rubio, for instance -- you'll be needing it in a couple of years. And with that, we're seeing one more chink in the armor of American basketball dominance. Yes, the losses in international tournaments have been mounting for years, but nobody is totally sold on that as defining evidence of the decline in U.S. dominance -- not when the rules are different and the refs, in some cases, seem openly biased. But the fact is, foreign guys aren't just dominating in the tournaments with the funny-shaped lane. They're coming over here and kicking butt too. The latest reminder came when I looked at my MVP nominations and noticed that three of the top four names on my list -- Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and Nash -- were born in distant lands. (And actually, the other guy on my list was Kobe Bryant, who spent much of his youth in Italy.) Believe it or not, of the top 12 players in PER this season, half were internationals. For more evidence, here's another exercise: Make a list of the best player at each position. If your list looks like mine, three of the five names will be non-American -- Nash at point guard, Yao Ming at center, and either Duncan or Nowitzki at power forward. Only at the wings does American talent have a choke hold on the top spot. So perhaps it's no accident that the NBA's last bastions of Americanness are struggling. Only two teams had an all-American roster this year, and both are wobbling. The Knicks struggled to a 33-win season despite a bloated payroll, and the defending champion Heat find themselves halfway to elimination against a Chicago team whose three key international players have torn them to shreds. Overall, 85 players from overseas were on NBA rosters this season, and though some made only brief cameos (nice knowing you, Andrea Glyniadakis), many others have made huge impacts. Duncan, Nash and Nowitzki are the most obvious examples -- if you pencil in Nowitzki as this year's winner, they've accounted for five of the past six MVP trophies. But there are plenty of others. A scan of NBA lineups reveals at least 30 internationals making major impacts for their respective clubs. And that doesn't include the ones who are more than capable, but for either contractual or personal reasons have declined the invitation to join the NBA, including Argentina's Luis Scola, Spain's Fran Vazquez and Greece's Theodoros Papaloukas. That's why I've chosen to shine a light on all the internationals making a mark on the league, by giving you one man's look at the best 30 players from overseas. But before we get to the list, as always, I must explain the ground rules. Several players could plausibly be defined as being from multiple countries -- Chicago's Luol Deng, for instance, could be described as Sudanese or English. The growing market for "ringers" to join international teams in the Olympics and World Championships only complicates matters -- witness Portland, Ore., native Ime Udoka suiting up for Nigeria this past August, for instance. Thus, to simplify matters, I'm using the "birth certificate rule" -- I'll count anyone who was born outside the U.S. As for the rankings: I'm not basing the rankings solely on a player's performance this past season; instead, I'm looking at the big picture. Andrei Kirilenko's play, for instance, has plummeted this year. But nobody denies his talent level because of his previous production, and a lot of people suspect that being forced to play on the perimeter is crushing his productivity. OK, let's get down to business with the top 30. As you'll see, ranking them gets difficult almost immediately. Click here for list of the top 30 foreign players in the League And keep in mind that NBA rosters are almost half the size of MLB rosters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ax Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Meanwhile, back to the original topic. Barry Bonds is a arrogant prick, but then again, so am I. Can't hold that against him. Barry Bonds is a cheat, but so were spitball pitchers. Can't hold that against him. Barry Bonds is a liar. That, I can hold against him. Barry Bonds wears that gay elbow armor. That, I can hold against him. Barry Bonds has benefited from the itty bitty strike zone of the last 15 years. That's an advantage. Barry Bonds has faced more medicore pitching than Hank. That's an advantage. All players now, including ole balloon head, are aloud to hover over the plate without fear. I'd like to see'm try that crap back in the day against the likes of Bob Gibson. I'd like to see what Hank, Willie, and the Babe could have done under those conditions. For me, the steroids didn't help him hit the ball so much further that he needed them to hit home runs, it was more that they kept him playing due to their benefit of healing and preventing injuries. That, was an unfair advantage. Bottom line, if I could make up a team of the greatest ball players of all time, steroids or not, Bonds wouldn't make the team. He wouldn't have been nowhere near as successful had he played 30 yrs ago. IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blighty Skins Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Well since all Puerto Ricans are technically US Citizens..I guess we can claim all the good players that come from Puerto Rico. :laugh: Schweet! Puerto Rico is a different country. Where Andruw comes from is part of Holland. Where Andruw comes from everyone has a Dutch passport, are Dutch citizens and by all intents and purposes are Dutch. Now you can spin that as you wish, but he's as Dutch as people from Gibraltar or the Falklands are British or as people form Hawaii and Alaska are American. Andruw Rudolf Jones [pronounced An-drew] (born April 23, 1977, in Willemstad, Curaçao, in the Netherlands Antilles) is an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves. He was born in a place called Willemstad. That's a very Dutch sounding name for a town. This is where Andruw comes from: Curaçao (pronounced [kura'são]) is an island in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea off the west coast of Venezuela. The island is the largest and most populous of the three so-called ABC islands (for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) of the Lesser Antilles – specifically the Leeward Antilles – and belongs to the Netherlands Antilles, a self-governing part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Curaçao's capital is Willemstad. Curaçao has a land area of 444 square kilometres (171 square miles). At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles census, the population was 130,627 inhabitants, which means a population density of 294 inhabitants per square kilometre. In 2004 the population was estimated at 133,644 inhabitants. It even looks like Holland: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.C.O.L.B. Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Oooooooooh Bliiiiighty. http://www.forbes.com/managing/2006/11/13/leadership-basketball-sports-lead-manage-cx_tvr_1113nba.html The NBA's Global Full Court PressTom Van Riper, 11.13.06, 2:55 PM ET Even though he's already built the National Basketball Association into the most dominant global sports league in the world, David Stern is hardly content. The tireless NBA commissioner, beginning his 24th year running the league, just completed an eight-day, five-country overseas tour as part of the league's exhibition schedule leading up to the 2006-07 season. Known as a marketing whiz who helped lead the NBA back from the drug scandals and fan apathy of a generation ago, Stern's next goal is to double the league's $150 million in annual overseas revenues over the next five years. "We have a product that's global in nature; if we don't move in internationally, someone else will," says Stern, who spoke last week at the Forbes CEO Conference in New York. The league has already beaten the National Football League and Major League Baseball to the punch in Europe, Asia and parts of South America. NBA games are seen on television in 215 countries, a demand driven by the presence of 83 foreign players dotting league rosters, about a quarter of the total player count. The league has also partnered with Yahoo! to bring webcasts to some markets without television access to games, as well as to China on a limited number of nights. No fewer than 14 national teams in the 2006 World Championships--a sort of off-year Olympic tournament--had a combined 50 NBA players. And the league is pressing ahead for more, featuring its foreign players on a special section of its Web site while teams pour money into their international scouting budgets to seek out talent. Most trace the roots of the league's global expansion to the 1992 Olympic "Dream Team," when top stars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird wowed crowds in Barcelona, Spain. As the first Olympic Games featuring professional players, the Americans' dominance raised the bar for basketball excellence in the rest of the world. It worked. After winning gold medals again in 1996 and 2000, the U.S. team settled for third-place bronze in 2004. Winning that year was Argentina, a team led by NBA star Manu Ginobili. Other countries suddenly had a slew of NBA players showing up on their Olympic rosters--bad for U.S. Olympic pride, but good for the league's coffers. "The 1992 Olympics were a huge watershed for us," Stern says. As with so many other industries, he sees China as the biggest growth opportunity for pro basketball in the coming years. A growing economy, combined with the interest spurred by the Houston Rockets' signing of countryman Yao Ming three years ago, gives China the inside track to become the league's next juggernaut. It's where the league has done most of its new hiring, as it looks to beef up operations and build as many as 20 NBA stores with Adidas, a major marketing partner. "We have 50 people in China, and if it's not 150 by the [2008] Beijing Olympics, we're doing something wrong," says Stern, who also notes that 20% of the activity on the league's Web site is in the Mandarin-language version. An "NBA of China" may not be far off as a business unit under the league's umbrella, he thinks. While efforts to grow the game in China and, to a lesser degree, Russia, have raised some eyebrows from critics of those countries' human rights records, Stern makes no apologies. "We view it the same way any other consumer products company does. We have an obligation to shareholders," Stern says. "We also see ourselves in a broader capacity, since sports can bring people together." Meanwhile, creating its own operation in Western Europe is unlikely for the NBA, given the strict government controls over sports. But Stern thinks the relatively virgin territory of Eastern Europe could have its day, calling it "enormously untapped." He's not even ruling out future ventures in Africa, which doesn't yet have the infrastructure to support major franchises but is already a source of playing talent. Despite the frequent flier miles he's logging, the 64-year-old commissioner figures there are a lot of airplane trips in his future before he even thinks about retiring. "There is still much more that we're not doing," he says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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