retired_vika

it would just be something else for everyone to expect beyond our capabilities and we would then inevitably fail etc...

DebSchiff

Yeah cos seeing each team score almost 100 points each game running down a 20 yard court doing the exact same play and with the only stopping being from some person getting touched or a fans rioting in the crowd. :thup:

My mistake real exciting stuff.. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Sounds exactly like how sports writers here describe football.

Minus the scoring, ofc. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Is there a sport you can't make sound laughably simplistic in this way? One guy runs in and bowls a ball at some sticks, another guy tries to hit the ball with a bat to stop the ball hitting said sticks. Another 10 people stand around doing very little. All are wearing white.

22 heavily padded up men run at each other while a ball is thrown over them.

8 men on steroids run 100m really fast.

Two people hit a ball over a net.

Etc etc.

The difference between Ali and Jordan is that pretty much everyone knows the Ali folklore. Refusing to go to Vietnam, Nation of Islam, Rumble in the Jungle, Thriller in Manilla etc etc. What most people, in the UK at least, know about Michael Jordan starts and ends with "he's a basketball player" and some stuff about Nike.

retired_nini59

don't forget Space Jam.

Yukimara

Depends what format.

Internationally

Cricket &gt; Rugby

Domestically

Rugby &gt; Cricket </BLOCKQUOTE>

Errr I would say internationally Rugby = Cricket. Twickenham is awesome and is allways packed thats 80,000 people. Tours are huge as well. One thing you can't take away from us English we will follow our teams where ever. we out sang the aussies in the world cup final in their own back yard :cool:

DebSchiff

Oh aye. More people in the UK would have seen him in Space Jam than ever saw him actually play basketball.

hanouda

http://www.johann-sandra.com/popular.htm

There's a list of sports by participation there, which takes official estimates from national federations. However, that data isn't that reliable due to the blatant self promotion of sports as the guy highlights. Claiming 1 in 6 of the world's population (including infants, senior citizens and people with any kind of physical impediment) play Volleyball :/ Don't think so guys.

However even participation isn't that good a barometer when you consider how popular motorsport is compared to how many people actually compete.

retired_justin05

Difficult for any new sport to gain a foothold due to England's cultural dominance.

retired_sera

The difference between Ali and Jordan is that pretty much everyone knows the Ali folklore. Refusing to go to Vietnam, Nation of Islam, Rumble in the Jungle, Thriller in Manilla etc etc. What most people, in the UK at least, know about Michael Jordan starts and ends with "he's a basketball player" and some stuff about Nike. </BLOCKQUOTE>

I'd argue that while people know of the 'Thriller in Manila' and the 'Rumble in the Jungle', many wouldn't know who he fought, or how the fights actually went. They'd probably guess Ali won, but wouldn't know the circumstances. I think the level of actual sporting knowledge would be comparable to Jordan. Everyone knows he played for the Bulls. Everyone knows he was 23. They know he won titles. They know he left for baseball for a while and then made a comeback.

What people know more about Ali than Jordan is his personality and character. They know his legend. From a pure sporting perspective, though, I don't think they really know any more about their achievements than each other. It would just extend to "they were both the best".

Like I said, however, I agree with your original point, so I don't know why I'm still typing.

retired_derek

Love this bit from Hectors link:

retired_hautemarley

Bbasketball is awesome. Not quite as awesome as football but awesome all the same. Plus England would also be rubbish at it anyways.