CrypticVillain Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Frankly I think Americans have an unhealthy obsession with sports and entertainment. Before I throw in my two cents, I am going to +1 this. The reason I think that the US is the best Sports Nation in the world is because we can compete with anybody in almost any sport, maybe except for Cricket. Just take a look at our medal count in the Olympics, we are always high on that list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21cents Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Too bad we are pretty bad at the top 2 sports in the world Soccer and Cricket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Too bad we are pretty bad at the top 2 sports in the world Soccer and Cricket. Why is that too bad? We have different interests. That's okay. Those countries don't play much American football and I bet we'd stomp everyone in that sport. And that's okay too. No one is ever going to have the same interests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Too bad we are pretty bad at the top 2 sports in the world Soccer and Cricket. Cricket is one of the top two sports in the World? Dear lands the World is nuts. I blame those backward English with their unfathomable ideas. You could explain the rules of that game to me and I still wouldn't get it. If I stayed awake past your first word that is. Each to their own, and I'm all for diversity. But the bat and ball game is one of the top two sports in the World? There seriously is NO accounting for taste. Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Cricket is one of the top two sports in the World? Dear lands the World is nuts. I blame those backward English with their unfathomable ideas. You could explain the rules of that game to me and I still wouldn't get it. If I stayed awake past your first word that is.Each to their own, and I'm all for diversity. But the bat and ball game is one of the top two sports in the World? There seriously is NO accounting for taste. Hail. Steady, thats boardering on blasphemy! Love cricket, especially Test cricket. Though explaining to my US friends how you can have a drawn match after 5 days play is not easy .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Steady, thats boardering on blasphemy! Love cricket, especially Test cricket. Though explaining to my US friends how you can have a drawn match after 5 days play is not easy .... I'd rather pay to watch Everton (attempt) to play than sit through 5 minutes of a cricket game. And it just KILLS me to admit that, damn you. Lol. Sorry mate, I've never gotten the appeal. Hail. *Edit* Actually, that's not quite true. I get the appeal of being able to take copious amounts of ale into a ground and merrily drink your ass dry all day in the sun. The cricket reason for being there thing I'm still lost on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shk75 Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 Cricket is one of the top two sports in the World? Dear lands the World is nuts. I blame those backward English with their unfathomable ideas. You could explain the rules of that game to me and I still wouldn't get it. If I stayed awake past your first word that is.Each to their own, and I'm all for diversity. But the bat and ball game is one of the top two sports in the World? There seriously is NO accounting for taste. Hail. It is only number two because of India. If China decided to invent its own sport that would quickly become number 2 in the world too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkHog Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Go to Australia, they offer far more variety in sports. Not only do they follow all American sports and have produced many MLB and NBA players (also won a silver medal in baseball in the Olympics) but they also are dominant in world cricket, rugby union, rugby league, and have been excellent at golf and tennis and are getting better at soccer all the time. In Australia they follow and play all American sports and all commonwealth sports avidly. There is a much bigger variety of sports available there and they are good at almost all of them. They even have some of the best freestyle snow skiers in the world and of course great surfers. The variety of sports offered in the US is not even close to that in Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shk75 Posted July 3, 2011 Author Share Posted July 3, 2011 Go to Australia, they offer far more variety in sports. Not only do they follow all American sports and have produced many MLB and NBA players (also won a silver medal in baseball in the Olympics) but they also are dominant in world cricket, rugby union, rugby league, and have been excellent at golf and tennis and are getting better at soccer all the time. In Australia they follow and play all American sports and all commonwealth sports avidly. There is a much bigger variety of sports available there and they are good at almost all of them. They even have some of the best freestyle snow skiers in the world and of course great surfers. The variety of sports offered in the US is not even close to that in Australia. I highly doubt this. You are telling me in Australia they have high level lacrosse, football, ice hockey or any type of winter sport. I will give you rugby, aussie football, and cricket, other than that I cannot think of any sport where the Aussies are better than the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselPwr44 Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Too bad we are pretty bad at the top 2 sports in the world Soccer and Cricket. That's only because the only people that go out for soccer in this country are named Neil or Zack, weigh 150 at 5'8 and couldn't make the JV football team so they went out for soccer instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 I highly doubt this. You are telling me in Australia they have high level lacrosse, football, ice hockey or any type of winter sport. I will give you rugby, aussie football, and cricket, other than that I cannot think of any sport where the Aussies are better than the US. Swimming springs to mind, at least recently. The Aussies really do punch above their weight in world sports. By the way though the Aussies are on the downswing in Cricket after dominating the world game for about 20 years. England have just beaten them 3-1 in Aus after also beating them in England two years ago. The question though is not how Countries compare at elite level sports but what choice is available for mass participation/ spectating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21cents Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Why is that too bad? We have different interests. That's okay. Those countries don't play much American football and I bet we'd stomp everyone in that sport. And that's okay too. No one is ever going to have the same interests. 90% of the world seems to have similar interest. Making up your own sport and excelling in it doesnt really help the cause. American Football is awesome but throughout the world no one gives a crap about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullnelson9999 Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Sorry but you guys are way off. Many countries in the world are way better sports nations than we are in many ways. American sports fans are just so self absorbed and don't care about sports that aren't American. Many countries in the world offer and follow a far wider variety of sports than we do here and many countries are way better at sports than we are. Australia is easily a better sports country than we are. Honestly, the US should be way better when it comes to sports but part of the problem is that we are so closed minded to foreign sports or sports we suck at (case in point this thread). I've always thought that if a sport was popular enough to have millions of followers, it must be legitimate. Americans are definitely narrow minded when it comes to sports, but the rest of the world is just as bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trippster Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Of course we are. We haven't fallen for soccer like the rest of the world. Football is America's game. Bigger, stronger, faster is our MO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerPacker Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 But we have no football.You must be a big UFL fan I'll take our college players over the rest of the world's best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Football globally is irrelevant. Baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer have massive global followings. The NBA, MLB, and the NHL are the top leagues in the world for their respective sports. MLS is not even close. We don't have any rugby or cricket leagues of note. I think that easily puts the US at the top. What other nation can claim to house so many premier leagues over such a diverse sporting landscape? None. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RansomthePasserby Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 90% of the world seems to have similar interest. Making up your own sport and excelling in it doesnt really help the cause. American Football is awesome but throughout the world no one gives a crap about it. We also made up our own form of government. We're America, that's just how we roll. The world loves soccer because world paid homage to the British Empire. SCREW THAT!!! (No offense all you UKers out there, it's just the 4th of July talking.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Of course we are. We haven't fallen for soccer like the rest of the world. Football is America's game. Bigger, stronger, faster is our MO. Soccer and football have no relationship other than the fact that the rest of the world calls soccer football. Pretending it's because soccer players aren't big strong or fast enough is ridiculous. The US has a large golf following. Golf. The slowest most boring major sport imaginable not named cricket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Football globally is irrelevant. Baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer have massive global followings. The NBA, MLB, and the NHL are the top leagues in the world for their respective sports. MLS is not even close. We don't have any rugby or cricket leagues of note. I think that easily puts the US at the top. What other nation can claim to house so many premier leagues over such a diverse sporting landscape? None. Cricket and Rugby both have bigger global TV audiences than basketball, baseball and certainly ice hockey. Outside the US all of those 3 are minority sports as is football. Add in soccer as the dominant world game. Conversely soccer, cricket and rugby are minority sports in the US. The US is such a huge market in itself and tends to be inward looking because of it's size and wealth so you have developed your own distinct sports culture. Nothing wrong with that and all very logical. But then to declare the US the worlds top sports nation because you have the worlds top leagues in sports most of the world does not really care about is missing the point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkHog Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 I highly doubt this. You are telling me in Australia they have high level lacrosse, football, ice hockey or any type of winter sport. I will give you rugby, aussie football, and cricket, other than that I cannot think of any sport where the Aussies are better than the US. Yes, Australia has won gold medals in the winter Olympics in freestyle mogul skiing, snowboard half pipe, speed skating, and freestyle aerial skiing and they have no snow. They dominate at freestyle skiing in particular. They also play many sports that we don't like men's field hockey where they are the best in the world and reigning world cup winners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21cents Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Brazil and Austrilia can play about any sports they wanted and produce the best players in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 I think per capita, the Netherlands might produce the best athletes. Soccer is the main one. Winter sports they are pretty good. Swimming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointyfootball Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 I think per capita, the Netherlands might produce the best athletes. Soccer is the main one. Winter sports they are pretty good. Swimming. If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbear Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Are we still the best if our 2 most watched sports leagues are striking? If they don't play, I think we may be on the other end of the spectrum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 I don't know about the statement about not having good tennis players here. Look at Johnny Mac, Agassi, Connors, and you can't forget Pete Sampras But you are correct in saying that there are many more choices in the US then any other country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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