Sports

[Sinatra]

We need a good thread about sports! I love watching all kinds of sports, but my personal favorite are The Olympics (9 days!!!). As for others, I'm a true Wisconsin sports fan: Packers (Discount Double Check), Badgers (On Wisconsin!), Brewers (Good Pitching Please?) (and also for baseball the Boston Red Sox), etc.

I'll stir the pot and start a discussion about a sport that is not as recognized in the US: futbol. What do you think of stoppage time? I think the referees should be able to just stop the clock and not have to estimate when half-time and full-time come.

[kport]

Is 'futball' proper football? That is, AsSOCiation Football? Soccer? The number one spectator and player team sport in the world?

The answer to your question: Yes.

The US has quite a vibrant Association Football presence in the US; the US has not yet fully awakened to its excitement and prefers 'grid-iron' football. Which, in fact, is more like Rugby Football than Association Football. To me (here comes the attacks) it is a game invented for the purposes of providing commercial breaks.

Go on. I can take it!

[rob_hanson1979]

I don't really watch a lot of mainstream sports. As a Canadian, I'm one of the few that could care less about hockey. Same can be said for football, soccer, etc. I can't watch baseball on TV but it's fun to go to a game.
I am very much into the extreme sports though. Skateboarding, snowboarding, Motocross, surfing, etc. Its so thrilling and exciting.
I do enjoy the Olympics and I think it's bound to be an amazing time in London!

[Sinatra]

Oh absolutely and I can only imagine the Billy Elliot fans in London who also happen to be sports fans dying and going to heaven out of pure joy. Living in the US, I have to root for the Olympic Team, but just seeing the general friendship and cooperation that goes on between people of different nationalities and backgrounds just gives me the chills every time. Plus, you actually have "world championships" unlike the Super Bowl which only proclaims the winning football team "World Champions". If I were in the Olympics, I would work hard to get the gold, but even if I got the bronze it would be something. 3rd in the world at... I'd take that in a heartbeat.

[Octopoid]

I was kinda like the Billy Elliot in reverse in that as a child I gave up dance and drama so I could spend more time playing sport, in particular football ( soccer ) and Rugby. I dont really regret it, I probably kicked a ball better than I tapped but I often wonder how my life would have been different had I continued with a more artistic path.

[Todd]

The National Football League (American football) has been playing a game in London at Wembley Arena each of the past few years with the hopes of spreading interest in American football to the U.K., much like the English football (soccer) leagues have increased in popularity in recent years among American sports audiences. My question for the British members of the Forum is: do you think this annual game has succeeded in generating interest there in the U.K. for American football ? It seems like they usually have a pretty big crowd for the games there. But I've always wondered if it's mostly American tourists or Americans working in London who make up a big chunk of the ticket-buyers, or if it's something that has indeed caught the fancy of British sports fans.