After years of the Baseball 'World-Series' being nothing of the sort ...

[Busyman]

I'm not a baseball fan so I'm kinda indifferent when they lose. I am a basketball fan and I was pissed when America lost in the Olympics. I can talk about how high our Olympic medal count is yet don't like all the events within it.

I bet it would different in the WBC if there was tons of prize money involved. You'd see all our best players going.

Oh and there is a difference between playing a game for nothing besides country pride and playing for your livlihood.

I'm surprised you can't grasp that.

I can't imagine our football being in the Olympics and all our best players being in it...for little money. In contrast, other countries send their very best players in basketball (and many other sports where there's a local market).

Of course there is a difference between playing purely for national pride and your livelihood. Your livelihood is what you do week in, week out and you represent your country a few times a year IF you're good enough.

You try just as hard for both, but when you represent your country, it's that little bit more special a) Because you don't do it that often and b) because all of your countrymen are behind you, wanting you to do well.

Why do you think I can't grasp it and what point are you trying to make

The bit about having to get paid a ton of money to represent your country is also very, very sad to read.

I'm not surprised America sucks at global team sports.

Me either, at least certain ones. Because of the money doohicky, we usually don't manage to send our best players. In baseball, we probably aren't the best even if we did send our best. For much of the world Latin demographic, baseball an soccer are their main competitions.

[JPaul]

I genuinely mean it. How culturally redundant do you need to be to argue that international competition is less important than domestic competitions, purely on the basis that there is less money involved.

Apparently, 'Americans think that the rest of the world doesn't matter'. This must be the reason.

In this instance it can be for one of two reasons, they're scared of getting beaten (like when England stopped playing soccer friendlies against the Welsh in the early 80s) or they think that there is no competition.

Obviously, the latter can't be true because they got beaten three times. For any American to say it now, must be sour grapes, surely.

Sadness upon sadness.

The rest of the World doesn't matter and everything is based on it's monetary value. If that weren't so pathetic it would be laughable.

That would be analagous to a spoiled 10 year old. I suppose that they are young, as nations go. Hopefully they will grow up before their adolescent behaviour causes irreparable damage to the rest of the World.

[JPaul]

Millions of dollars > Global competition. Fact

[manker]

Even sadder that he doesn't really mean it.

See the GO TEAM USA HOCKEY!!111 (I paraphrase) posts when the Winter Olympics were on.

I doubt they were getting paid a great deal. Certainly not as much as in the NHL, anyhow.

Sad that he feels he mustn't let us think that there is something better than the USA in the whole wide world.

Wanting your team to win based purely on that it's your country playing is an entirely different matter. Hell I wanted the US Curling Team to win and I think it's shit sport. I thinks darts is a shit parlour game but if there was a World Darts Championship, I'd want the US to win.

I'm more of a fan of individual sports than my country playing in sports.

Again, you still don't get that their is a difference between job and competition. America is THE biggest market for basketball, football, and baseball.

Millions of dollars > Global competition. Fact

You're more a fan of individual sports?

I don't believe you.

You go nuts over football and basketball and I cannot believe that golf/athletics/9-ball would send you into the same raptures.




As has been written. It's very sad that you think that money in domestic competition is more important than international competition.

You say it almost as if there being more money in domestic competition isn't true of anywhere else or other sports.

You're so insular that you're becoming a bit of a joke.

[Busyman]

Wanting your team to win based purely on that it's your country playing is an entirely different matter. Hell I wanted the US Curling Team to win and I think it's shit sport. I thinks darts is a shit parlour game but if there was a World Darts Championship, I'd want the US to win.

I'm more of a fan of individual sports than my country playing in sports.

Again, you still don't get that their is a difference between job and competition. America is THE biggest market for basketball, football, and baseball.

Millions of dollars > Global competition. Fact

You're more a fan of individual sports?

I don't believe you.

You go nuts over football and basketball and I cannot believe that golf/athletics/9-ball would send you into the same raptures.





As has been written. It's very sad that you think that money in domestic competition is more important than international competition.

You say it almost as if there being more money in domestic competition isn't true of anywhere else or other sports.

You're so insular that you're becoming a bit of a joke.

Certain individual sports, mank.

I'm not a joke. I'm a realist.

Here's a good one for any American. Let's apply it to the fan of that particular sport.....

Which are they more likely to watch....the WBC or the World Series?

The NBA Championship or the World Championship/Olympics?

Those (besides football) are our big three sports marketwise.

[JPaul]

You go nuts over football and basketball and I cannot believe that golf/athletics/9-ball would send you into the same raptures.

I have to take excepotion to that. The chap's posts re golf/ athletics/9-ball are legendary. He rarely mentions basketball or football, just look in Sports World.

Warning - Irony above.
@Chewie

[manker]

You're more a fan of individual sports?

I don't believe you.

You go nuts over football and basketball and I cannot believe that golf/athletics/9-ball would send you into the same raptures.





As has been written. It's very sad that you think that money in domestic competition is more important than international competition.

You say it almost as if there being more money in domestic competition isn't true of anywhere else or other sports.

You're so insular that you're becoming a bit of a joke.

Certain individual sports, mank.

I'm not a joke. I'm a realist.

Here's a good one for any American. Let's apply it to the fan of that particular sport.....

Which are they more likely to watch....the WBC or the World Series?

The NBA Championship or the World Championship/Olympics?

Those (besides football) are our big three sports marketwise.

You said that you were 'more a fan of individual sports' - I took that to mean that you were more a fan of individual sports. Not that you are more of a fan of some individual sports over, say, kabaddi or something.

You see how confusion can arise if you write down words that do not properly express what you want the reader to think you mean.

Maybe this is an American thing - since you're no good at team sports, perhaps domestic competitions in team sports (which pale into insignificance when compared with international competition for the rest of the world) mean more to you.

Perhaps earning vast amounts of money is more important than the acheivement of being able to say - 'we're the best team in the world'.

Then again, maybe it's just you.

[vidcc]

I think the whole thing is silly, if the sport is not bikini beach volleyball with hot women playing it's not worth watching..............IMO

I'd rather see this



than this


Can't imagine why

[Busyman]

Certain individual sports, mank.

I'm not a joke. I'm a realist.

Here's a good one for any American. Let's apply it to the fan of that particular sport.....

Which are they more likely to watch....the WBC or the World Series?

The NBA Championship or the World Championship/Olympics?

Those (besides football) are our big three sports marketwise.

You said that you were 'more a fan of individual sports' - I took that to mean that you were more a fan of individual sports. Not that you are more of a fan of some individual sports over, say, kabaddi or something.

You see how confusion can arise if you write down words that do not properly express what you want the reader to think you mean.

Cool glad it's cleared up.

Maybe this is an American thing - since you're no good at team sports, perhaps domestic competitions in team sports (which pale into insignificance when compared with international competition for the rest of the world) mean more to you.

Perhaps earning vast amounts of money is more important than the acheivement of being able to say - 'we're the best team in the world'.

Then again, maybe it's just you.

Nah, it's the real deal.

Global competition earns a pittance and even owners and manager's don't like it.

So an indvidual player would weigh that when deciding to play.

[manker]

You said that you were 'more a fan of individual sports' - I took that to mean that you were more a fan of individual sports. Not that you are more of a fan of some individual sports over, say, kabaddi or something.

You see how confusion can arise if you write down words that do not properly express what you want the reader to think you mean.

Cool glad it's cleared up.

Maybe this is an American thing - since you're no good at team sports, perhaps domestic competitions in team sports (which pale into insignificance when compared with international competition for the rest of the world) mean more to you.

Perhaps earning vast amounts of money is more important than the acheivement of being able to say - 'we're the best team in the world'.

Then again, maybe it's just you.

Nah, it's the real deal.

Global competition earns a pittance and even owners and manager's don't like it.

So an indvidual player would weigh that when deciding to play.

Only in America.

Elsewhere, players are particularly proud to represent their country and would do it for nothing. Fact.

Owners and managers don't like it, they don't much over here either because it doesn't make the owners any money and the managers might end up with injured players - especially the foreign owners and managers. However, it's the friendlies they take issue with, not competitions.

Anyway, they don't participate - the players that play and the public that watch absolutely love it.

Over here, that is.