Etienne Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > mo34 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Just wasted two perfectly good hours watching > > Arsenal crash out of the UEFA Champions League > and > > now I’m too angry at the ref that I can’t focus > !! > > > > > > Proof that watching soccer is a total waste of > > time !! > > > After the two decisions, this week and last, I > have been left with an irrational hatred of > Liverpool. The football club, the fans and the > city. Hopefully it settles down. We’re now left with Chelsea-Liverpool for the third time, two of the most boring clubs to watch. I’m predicting two 0-0 ties this year… At least I’ll be able to focus more on studying now.
Etienne Wrote: --------------------------------------------------- > > It’s interesting that football (american), ice > hockey, baseball, and basketball are hardly played > by anyone outside the US. > > The first and third of those are deemed just too > slow by most Europeans. That was by far the stupidest statement I’ve read in a while. Baseball is huge in Japan and South America and Central America. It’s also got a strong presence in South Korea and other Asian countries. Hockey is big in pretty much every cold weather country – Russia, Canada, Eastern Eurupe, Scandanavia. Basketball has a solid presence the world over – played a lot in China, Korea, some South American countries Africa, and all over Europe, especially Eastern Europe. If you turn on the “American” pro sports leagues – MLB, NBA, and NHL – you will see teams full of Non-US citizens.
But Joe Montana was an ‘All-American’ haha…but yeah the statement ‘hardly played’ is definitely an overstatement.
For the record, football is incredibly fun to play.
which Football? American or European? 
the one that isn’t played by millions of little girls. American!
joemontana Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Etienne Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > - > > > > It’s interesting that football (american), ice > > hockey, baseball, and basketball are hardly > played > > by anyone outside the US. > > > > The first and third of those are deemed just > too > > slow by most Europeans. > > > That was by far the stupidest statement I’ve read > in a while. > > Baseball is huge in Japan and South America and > Central America. It’s also got a strong presence > in South Korea and other Asian countries. > > Hockey is big in pretty much every cold weather > country – Russia, Canada, Eastern Eurupe, > Scandanavia. > > Basketball has a solid presence the world over – > played a lot in China, Korea, some South American > countries Africa, and all over Europe, especially > Eastern Europe. > > If you turn on the “American” pro sports leagues – > MLB, NBA, and NHL – you will see teams full of > Non-US citizens. Dude, numerically, as a percent of the ex-US population, “hardly played” is fairly accurate. Baseball doesn’t touch Europe. I know one guy that took it up in his late teens and made the UK team (since debanded, I’m sure)… He’s not an athlete! Baseball in China? in India? I think not (not substantial). Russia? no. UK/France/Germany? No, no, no. It’s not “huge” in Argentina or Brazil, it’s pretty small compared to soccer. Hockey. Widely played in Canada, sure. People are familiar with it in those other countries, but it not often played. I have yet to (knowingly) meet a hockey-playing Russian and I have some experience of that country. NBA is widely recognised and basketball is well-liked as a sport. “Hardly played” is again accurate. Certainly for Europe. In the UK, for example, many people (the majority) have never played basketball. Soccer, rugby and cricket are the sports played in school. NHL is not worth commenting on. And let’s not forget the 700m people in Africa. If you think through the numbers, I think you find they reconcile with “hardly played”, which you can take to mean a small minority. Anyway, I am wasting too much time on this site.