pointyfootball Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Cheese rolling is one of those uniquely weird English thangs that is just about as dangerous as they come. Every year the list of serious injury to the crazy fools that chase the cheese down the hill side is unreal.Brutal pastime. Hail. It is ridiculously funny to watch. Even in my "indestructible" days of my youth I don't think I would have tried it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 If you're talking about a VARIETY of sports, there's no doubt. Of the world's sports (hockey, soccer, baseball, basketball), 3 of the #1 professional leagues in the world for their particular sport are located in the United States. I'm not sure how you are ranking sports - is it participants, TV audience, turnover generated? In terms of particpation and global TV audience I would guess the rankings would be Soccer as a very very clear number 1, then probably Rugby followed by Cricket. If its turnover or revenue generated globally Soccer again would be way ahead of any sport and then you might see the NFL in the second spot. I found the following ranking of single event TV audiences - figures from 2004 so dated but interesting. 1. Super Bowl (Tampa v Oakland), Jan 26, 92 million 2. European Cup Final (AC Milan v Juventus), May 26, 79 mil 3. Brazilian F1 Grand Prix, Apr 6, 56 mil 4. World Athletic Champs 100m, Aug 25, 32 mil 5. Tour de France, final stage, Jul 27, 27 mil 6. Rugby Union World Cup Final (Eng v Aus), Nov 22, 23 mil 7. Cricket World Cup final (Aus v Ind), Mar 23, 20 mil 8. Wimbledon men's singles final, Jul 6, 15 mil 9. NBA finals, game 6, Jun 15, 12 mil So Super Bowl clear number 1 then not a US sport until the 10th spot and then basketball not baseball. ---------- Post added July-1st-2011 at 08:08 AM ---------- It is ridiculously funny to watch. Even in my "indestructible" days of my youth I don't think I would have tried it. Me neither. I like chesse, but not THAT much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 It is ridiculously funny to watch. Even in my "indestructible" days of my youth I don't think I would have tried it. Would you try some of these other "sports" such as shin kicking? 7 Weird Sports Championships Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Would you try some of these other "sports" such as shin kicking?7 Weird Sports Championships Give me a 6 pack and I'll give the belching thang a good go. . Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 The US performances in international competition have been sub-par. Other than basketball, there really isn't anything to gloat about. The USA's WBC team is not that good compared to Japan's team, or a South American team...the soccer team loses to Mexico and was laughed off the pitch, smh Other than basketball, US sports on the international stage have been a big flop. So, how have we done in the Olympics over the past 50 years? Which country has had the best golfers and tennis players over that same time period? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixcuincle Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Also hasn't been a US Tennis phenom which can stand up to the Federer / Nadal machine Isner is good but he isn't on their level and Roddick is a perennial choker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Also hasn't been a US Tennis phenom which can stand up to the Federer / Nadal machineIsner is good but he isn't on their level and Roddick is a perennial choker I wouldn't beat yourselves up about that. You have arguably (and certainly IMHO) the greatest men's player there's ever been in Federer. And if Rafa stays injury free the chances are he'll surpass what Rogers achieved. Shy of Djokovic of late nobody's been able to split those two up. Murray will probably never win a slam which in most any other era without those two and now Djoki he probably would of had two or three. The overall current state of the American's men's game is another thing again ..... Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixcuincle Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Men's tennis hasn't had a relevant American since Sampras / Agassi It's a real shame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Men's tennis hasn't had a relevant American since Sampras / Agassi It's a real shame So what country has been better over the past 50 years? Golf too. Or are you just trolling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixcuincle Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 I'm not trolling, I'm just saying Americans haven't done well in international sports over the last few years, and it's evident all over in terms of soccer, golf (Europe owns the Ryder cup), baseball, and tennis I admit I am not as KNOWLEDGEABLE as some pundits in the golf sector, but from what I do know, the Americans haven't won the Ryder Cup against the Euros in a long time. All this dates back to 2000, the Americans haven't had a good tennis player since Sampras or Agassi, the American teams have never won the World Baseball Classic, often being outplayed by the likes of Japan or South America, and the American soccer team, whilst improving, is held back by coaching and talent disparity compared to the rest of the world. The international sport Americans frequently dominate though is basketball. That's a machine there. I think that overall, sure, if you want to go back 50 years, Americans technically did dominate, but it's evident to see a decline since the 2000's as the rest of the world has caught up. Golf? In recent history, an Ulsterman won the US Open by a mile, before that, 2 south Africans won majors. I'm saying American sports are struggling internationally right now and I as much as anyone hope to see a turnaround soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 The US is one of the few countries in the world that has made athletics part of the public education system, which has its good and bad points. It should be pointed out that we don't thrive in the "truly" international sports because of this system. In Spain, the best ten year old tennis prodigy would be sent to some academy to master tennis. Here, unless your parents are super rich or super ambitious, you are going to master your tennis skills by playing ten matches a year on the high school tennis team where your coach is a fat man named Norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 So what country has been better over the past 50 years? Golf too.Or are you just trolling? 'K, so I'm off. And I'm bored. And I'm anal. Not looked at the woman's game yet, but over the last 50 years in Grand Slam men's tennis, America tops the list with 51 to Australia's 41. Although the last Ausi to win a slam was Hewitt back in 2002 at Wimbledon; with the last American male to win a slam being Roddick a year later in NY. Hail. *Edit* The womans game, not surprisingly with BJK, Chrissy Evert (who I had a major crush on at one time), Martina and the Williams sisters has been almost total US domination. 83 woman's singles majors to Australia's 33 over the same period. Total American domination. *Double Edit* Revised figures as I took it from 1950 first off and not '61. Brain fart on my behalf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Again, the thing to consider about golf and tennis is that it is really really really hard to practice without access. Every housing project in America has a basketball hoop. Most lack a putting green. Phil Mickelson developed his amazing chipping because his father turned their backyard into a regulation green surrounded by bunkers. The fact that Tiger Woods was able to rise to the level he did with little more than an insane father and access to public courses is fairly remarkable. The Williams' sisters have a similar story. It's fairly cheap and easy to get your kid into a decent football program. Simply show up at the junior high and sign a release form. To turn a 12-year-old into a world-class golfer requires thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours. We understand this instinctively. It would be fairly shocking if the next great hockey player emerged out of the Dallas suburbs. Not a lot of frozen ponds there. When I was in Pittsburgh for law school, the local paper did a story on local players who were recruited to play college hockey. Shockingly, they all came from the one high school that had a hockey program. Go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botched Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 The U.S. doesn't win every competition, but we are legitimate competitors in virtually everything. Most countries are good at one sport, if that. They'll throw a parade if they win a bronze medal by default. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shk75 Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 The US is one of the few countries in the world that has made athletics part of the public education system' date=' which has its good and bad points.It should be pointed out that we don't thrive in the "truly" international sports because of this system. In Spain, the best ten year old tennis prodigy would be sent to some academy to master tennis. Here, unless your parents are super rich or super ambitious, you are going to master your tennis skills by playing ten matches a year on the high school tennis team where your coach is a fat man named Norm.[/quote'] EXACTLY! This thread is not about whether or not the US is the best country internationally when it comes to competitions. It is about the variety you have as a child growing up in the US or an adult and the amount of choice and variety you have when it comes to sport. Like LKB noted in other countries you are forced to specialize at a very young age and enter academies or sporting high schools since most high schools will not have your sport. In the US you can play 4-5 sports a year depending on the season and this in my opinion makes the US the best sports nation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 EXACTLY! This thread is not about whether or not the US is the best country internationally when it comes to competitions. It is about the variety you have as a child growing up in the US or an adult and the amount of choice and variety you have when it comes to sport. Like LKB noted in other countries you are forced to specialize at a very young age and enter academies or sporting high schools since most high schools will not have your sport. In the US you can play 4-5 sports a year depending on the season and this in my opinion makes the US the best sports nation. Again, I'm not sure if having sports be part of our school curriculum is a good thing. It would probably be better if all the money spent on sports was funneled into a general physical education program. Our high school are really great at turning five students in Division I football recruits while having 50 percent of the graduating class be obese. It's really amazing - when you think of it - how much we as a nation spend on youth football. That is a sport that no females play period and that 99.9 percent of men will never play past their 18th birthday. Imagine if we spent that money on tennis, a sport that is many times healthier and that can be played casually into your 60s. This is always a fun trivia question: In terms of participation, what is the number one sport among adults in the US? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 EXACTLY! This thread is not about whether or not the US is the best country internationally when it comes to competitions. It is about the variety you have as a child growing up in the US or an adult and the amount of choice and variety you have when it comes to sport. Like LKB noted in other countries you are forced to specialize at a very young age and enter academies or sporting high schools since most high schools will not have your sport. In the US you can play 4-5 sports a year depending on the season and this in my opinion makes the US the best sports nation. I'm guessing you have not travelled much. Its not just in the US that you get the opportunity to sample a wide variety of sports. At High School i played soccer, cricket, Rugby, track and field, basketball, tennis and hockey. I represented the school at all of those except tennis. We also had a swimming team but that was not my bag. After I left school I also played Football (US) and did some single seat motor sports (the UK is the world leader in motor sports manufacture and development). Then you add in things like boxing, golf and horse racing etc. We have as much choice and as good a variety as the US. Water sports might be the exception for many kids growing up given our less than ideal climate! Australia is probably even more sports mad than we are in the UK. With their climate they also add a lot more water sports than we do - shark dodging not included! Now the UK and Australia may be exceptions to many countries with the variety but we match the US I would say. ---------- Post added July-1st-2011 at 11:50 AM ---------- This is always a fun trivia question: In terms of participation' date=' what is the number one sport among adults in the US?[/quote']Table dancing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 AgaThis is always a fun trivia question: In terms of participation' date=' what is the number one sport among adults in the US?[/quote'] facebook status updates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shk75 Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 I'm guessing you have not travelled much.Its not just in the US that you get the opportunity to sample a wide variety of sports. At High School i played soccer, cricket, Rugby, track and field, basketball, tennis and hockey. I represented the school at all of those except tennis. We also had a swimming team but that was not my bag. After I left school I also played Football (US) and did some single seat motor sports (the UK is the world leader in motor sports manufacture and development). Then you add in things like boxing, golf and horse racing etc. We have as much choice and as good a variety as the US. Water sports might be the exception for many kids growing up given our less than ideal climate! Australia is probably even more sports mad than we are in the UK. With their climate they also add a lot more water sports than we do - shark dodging not included! Now the UK and Australia may be exceptions to many countries with the variety but we match the US I would say. ---------- Post added July-1st-2011 at 11:50 AM ---------- Table dancing? Actually I have travelled to over 40 countries and lived for short periods of time in around 10. Some of these countries include France, Spain, England, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and India. I have seen first hand the athletic systems of these nations. For example in England, most high schools do not offer close to the variety of sports seen in US high schools. Now that is not to say there are not exceptions. I did not see all high schools and was only in the London area so I am by no means saying I am an expert on this matter. All I am saying is that for the average student in the US they will have much more choice than the average student in other nations. http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2011/04/club_sports_is_king_in_europe.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 facebook status updates That actually is a little more strenuous than the winner. Bowling....soon to be replaced by twittering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Actually I have travelled to over 40 countries and lived for short periods of time in around 10. Some of these countries include France, Spain, England, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and India. I have seen first hand the athletic systems of these nations. For example in England, most high schools do not offer close to the variety of sports seen in US high schools. Now that is not to say there are not exceptions. I did not see all high schools and was only in the London area so I am by no means saying I am an expert on this matter. All I am saying is that for the average student in the US they will have much more choice than the average student in other nations.http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2011/04/club_sports_is_king_in_europe.html I'm a Governor of a High School in the UK (think US Board of Management of a High School) and I can promise you that the vast majority of High Schools in the UK offer access to the range of sports I mentioned in my previous post. The level of coaching in them is very very variable though and there are some regional variations to be sure. I would agree if you look at other European countries the range narrows a bit but not greatly. I don't think there is much point comapring particpation rates in the US, Europe and Australia say with those in developing nations - kids in most bits of Africa have more pressing concerns than lack of facilities for tennis. ---------- Post added July-1st-2011 at 12:16 PM ---------- That actually is a little more strenuous than the winner.Bowling....soon to be replaced by twittering. Its probably Wii Bowling now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_Edwards_Fan Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 This is always a fun trivia question: In terms of participation' date=' what is the number one sport among adults in the US?[/quote']Swimming? Maybe softball? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Interesting you should say that pf. Particularly when it comes to the World game, soccer; which is usually credited as being too low scoring to capture the average American's interest. All of which is made even more bizarre with soccer being the biggest participation sport in the Country.A real, real shame many don't share your views. North America is the last great continent left for soccer to conquer. And if you could, you'd have a cash cow on your hands on an epic scale. Nobody's quite come up with the answer though sadly to market and sell the game to the general US populous. Hail. I wouldn't worry too much about not having a great league here. Many other countries have pretty rudimentary basketball, baseball, hockey leagues. People in those countries don't sweat it, if they're fans of the NBA/NHL/MLB regardless... just like most American fans tune in to watch EPL on weekends. There's no way to measure P2P viewing of soccer matches in the US but I wouldn't sleep on it. Nothing is static in the sports landscape... there was a time in America where horseracing, boxing, and baseball were the dominant sports. There was a time when the NFL and NBA were gimmick leagues. Coincidentally, NFL and NBA were TV friendly sports. Soccer is an internet streaming friendly sport, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Coincidentally, NFL and NBA were TV friendly sports. Soccer is an internet streaming friendly sport, IMO. I think this is a key to the sports which really dominate the US sports market, TV. Revenue from TV dwarfs the revenue from direct attendance although merchandising and sponsorship is still very important so those sports which can be best packaged for TV thrive. The NFL is probably the perfect TV sport with nice convenient breaks you can put ads in plus the NFL have done a great job in promoting and packaging their sport for this vehicle. Soccer is not as TV friendly at least in the US context.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mike Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 I was just thinking about this when watching Wimbledon and the lack of American success. The truth is when you think about all the sports we are exposed to growing up, all the sports you can play in high school (football, basketball, tennis, hockey, soccer, baseball. softball, field hockey, lacrosse, track and field, swimming, volleyball, etc.) it really is amazing. I played a lot of these sports in high school and in no other nation do you have such diversity. While we may not have the best soccer players, or tennis players, or rugby players, we have so many sports to chose that we are easily the best sports nation in the world.On top of this, you have channels like ESPN, which no other country has, and sports on pretty much all the time on channels like abc, fox, cbs, and nbc. If you love sports like I do there is no better country to live in than this one. Frankly I think Americans have an unhealthy obsession with sports and entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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