Comments on: Comments on 8881

Post number 8881

Mocata — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 10:07:01 -0800

With Britain getting whipped on most sporting fronts, the BBC suggests we take a leaf out of the Americans' book. [More inside]

By: Mocata

Mocata — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 10:07:57 -0800

The relevant bit: "It's always embarrassing to be beaten at a game you've invented. Perhaps we should take a leaf out of the Americans' book. With American football and baseball, the US has games at which it can be a world beater, largely because the rest of the world can't fathom the rules or be bothered to spend a whole day playing by them. The English had a go with cricket, but made the fatal error of putting pitches everywhere they visited (or, more properly, colonised). The answer? Run the Cricket World Cup along the lines of baseball's World Series and keep almost every other half-decent country out."

By: moz

moz — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 10:18:59 -0800

well, this article was annoying. the only reason America is a "world beater" in baseball is because it draws upon a vast talent pool not only inside the nation but outside as well. as for football, i just think not many outside of the US play the sport early on (HS or college), therefore there is a perceived lack of talent outside of the nation. but asking for informed foreign commentary on american sports would be asking a bit much, even if it is the BBC.

By: holgate

holgate — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 10:20:44 -0800

Mocata: do we really want to revive snooker to its 1980s heights?

By: Mocata

Mocata — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 10:38:23 -0800

holgate: horrible thought I know - although Mart would feel strangely vindicated.

By: davidmsc

davidmsc — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 10:41:47 -0800

It's always embarrassing to be beaten at a game you've invented. Why? The simple fact that someone invented it doesn't mean that he/she is the *best* at it. This statement is meaningless. And the sport wasn't "invented" by anyone still living. So, in essence, what the writer means is that it is "embarrassing" for a nation that housed the creator of a sport to suffer a defeat in that same sport many decades (or even centuries!) later. Pffft.

By: owillis

owillis — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 11:01:56 -0800

Isn't Cuba as good as the USA at baseball? Didn't we routinely get our butts kicked at basketball until the creation of "The Dream Team"? Of course, I would love to see football in the Olympics...

By: jfuller

jfuller — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 11:24:58 -0800

Why, but how simple. Change the British national sport to croquet.

By: jpoulos

jpoulos — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 11:32:27 -0800

Isn't Cuba as good as the USA at baseball? Didn't we routinely get our butts kicked at basketball until the creation of "The Dream Team"? Judging the US at any sport based on the performance of its amateurs is hardly ideal. As far as baseball is concerned, the most talent per capita can probably be found in the Dominican Republic. Of course, I would love to see football in the Olympics... You and your football, owillis. I'll never understand it. :-) But to be honest, we recently experienced the eqivalent of Olympic-level football, and it was pretty poor.

By: owillis

owillis — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 11:52:28 -0800

I think Olympic football would be closer to Division I-AA NCAA or Canadian Football, which is still better than the XFL

By: riffola

riffola — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 14:21:31 -0800

David Coulthard is UK's biggest challenge to Formula 1's WDC in the past four or five years. As for Cricket, some of the best cricket pitches and players are outside England.

By: machaus

machaus — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 16:16:05 -0800

Ummm, I may just be a dumb American riffola, but Eddie Irvine is from Northern Ireland and might disagree with you. He came very close to beating Hakkinen in '99 after Schumacher broke his leg.

By: Kevs

Kevs — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 19:36:52 -0800

When I was in the DR, I visited a podunk town called San Pedro de Macoris. This must be the baseball capital of the world. Sammy Sosa, Andres Gallaragga and scores of other major leaguers came from this town which has about as many people as your average N. Virginia subdivision. As far as British Sport goes, they need to relax their immigration policies =).

By: davehat

davehat — Mon, 09 Jul 2001 21:17:01 -0800

Kevs: What and get loads of Canadians who might win something? It'd never happen, we're too good at coming second!

By: salmacis

salmacis — Tue, 10 Jul 2001 00:50:14 -0800

Hey, we might have had a crap weekend of sport over here, but it was only in the sports that don't matter. In England, there's only one sport that counts, and that's football, (or as you like to call it, saw-ker ). When we lose to Germany on September the first, then we'll start talking about a national sporting catastrophe! moz: You don't really believe that about American football do you? Nobody outside the USA plays the sport because nobody cares about it. Same reason why only Australians play Aussie Rules football.

By: riffola

riffola — Tue, 10 Jul 2001 13:54:55 -0800

machaus: My mistake, I thought Eddie used Ireland, not UK as his country.