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Erinnn

A Question About American Sports

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In the US, we're pretty different with our sports, American football and baseball to name two of the most popular. What I wanted to know is what kind of following do these sports have in other countries? Do you even get TV coverage of any kind internationally? Do you watch the games? Do people you know watch the games? If the popularity is low, which I'd expect, why don't you individually enjoy these sports? It's kind of a dumb question, but I just want to know why our sports don't catch on elsewhere, and I guess the same for why F1 and soccer aren't popular in the US.

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For the last 2 or 3 years ,there has been considerable coverage given to the American Football Finals.(Is it called the Rose Bowl?) here in "The Times of India". Plenty was written about how the finals is an event. I think the most recent winner was Indianapolis Colts (Peyton Manning?).

ESPN India does show baseball matches & the American football finals.

As for me not enjoying these sports, well, I don't know the rules about American Football,but do know of a few names like Manning,Brady. About baseball, well, sometimes I do watch (Do not know much about rules.Just the basics learnt via videogames). But I haven't sat through an entire match. Is Bonds's record fuelled by steroids?

If golf can be considered an American sport or near American sport ,then yes I'm a fan of golf. A recent convert.

Erinn,you've correctly guessed that these sports have no takers in my country.

Why don't these sports catch up? 1) Lack of aggressive marketing 2) Poor knowledge of the game's rules 3) Maybe people find these sports too "elitist" in the sense that it's a first world sport.

No one I know has any interest in American sports.

Hasty clarification : If my utterances sounded anti-American, I apologi(s/z)e profusely.

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First time I've ever seen an Amerrican person asking themselves this. It is a very interesting question.

Except for some countries that have been heavily under US influence, baseball and american football have an almost non-existent base of fans abroad. Neither do most of the racingh series. Down here, at least, the only american sport that has some kind of (small) fan base here. And that mostly because there are a couple of argentinian players doing very well at the NBA (Manu Ginobili and no idea who else, as I don't care about the NBA)

Personally, I watch the SuperBowl with a friend almost every year (and when we tell someone else that we watch it, most people have no idea what we are talking about).

Tried to watch some Indy and some NASCAR, but just never got into it. I

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For the last 2 or 3 years ,there has been considerable coverage given to the American Football Finals.(Is it called the Rose Bowl?) here in "The Times of India". Plenty was written about how the finals is an event. I think the most recent winner was Indianapolis Colts (Peyton Manning?).

ESPN India does show baseball matches & the American football finals.

As for me not enjoying these sports, well, I don't know the rules about American Football,but do know of a few names like Manning,Brady. About baseball, well, sometimes I do watch (Do not know much about rules.Just the basics learnt via videogames). But I haven't sat through an entire match. Is Bonds's record fuelled by steroids?

If golf can be considered an American sport or near American sport ,then yes I'm a fan of golf. A recent convert.

Erinn,you've correctly guessed that these sports have no takers in my country.

Why don't these sports catch up? 1) Lack of aggressive marketing 2) Poor knowledge of the game's rules 3) Maybe people find these sports too "elitist" in the sense that it's a first world sport.

No one I know has any interest in American sports.

Hasty clarification : If my utterances sounded anti-American, I apologi(s/z)e profusely.

Thanks for such a long post!

1: It is called the Super Bowl, but the Rose Bowl is a college football game. The Colts did win the last one, and their quarterback is Peyton Manning.

2: There is a lot of talk about the Barry Bonds steroid scandal, but he did take steroids at a time when steroids were "legal" (they weren't legal, but there was no testing against them, so essentially they were not illegal). However, their effects do last into times when steroids are illegal.

3: I'm not sure if it is due to lack of aggressive marketing, but perhaps it is. David Beckham coming to the US was hyped up and advertised all over the place, but it still hasn't boosted interest in soccer here. Perhaps lack of understanding has a big part in it. I guess the big thing is just not having a home team or local player to support. It would be really hard to live in India and get excited over, say, a New York team, I suppose.

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First time I've ever seen an Amerrican person asking themselves this. It is a very interesting question.

Except for some countries that have been heavily under US influence, baseball and american football have an almost non-existent base of fans abroad. Neither do most of the racingh series. Down here, at least, the only american sport that has some kind of (small) fan base here. And that mostly because there are a couple of argentinian players doing very well at the NBA (Manu Ginobili and no idea who else, as I don't care about the NBA)

Personally, I watch the SuperBowl with a friend almost every year (and when we tell someone else that we watch it, most people have no idea what we are talking about).

Tried to watch some Indy and some NASCAR, but just never got into it. I

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I am enjoying this!!! :clap3:

Let's see:

As Lab said, ignorance of the rules plays a huge part in determining what do you like. Baseball and American football have too many complex rules. So there is no real incentive to learn a lot of illogical rules (every rule of a sport you don't know is illogical, take tennis point's system, for example) just to watch a lot of american teams. Why would I care if Indiana beats West Virginia?

Which brings us to the second point: does nationalism play a part? Without a doubt. F1 in Argentina would not have the fan base it has if it weren't for guys like Fangio, Reutemann, Froilan Gonzalez, etc. But, despite not having a succesful argentinian F1 driver for the past 25 years, there is still an important fan base. So having a countryman participating is not decisive.

Nationalism is always a double edged weapon. It is great when is the driving force for making a better country. It is destructive when it becomes the refuge for chauvinism, and fear of the foreign.

About the World Cup, I don't think that americans don't like it because they are not succesful. I just think that they are not succesful because they don't care. Andx they don't care because they prefer local sports above foreign sports. Just a cultural thing.

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This has turned into a superb thread, IMHO.

I find soccer/football to be interesting, but I really only follow the MLS (local) and the World Cup, but don't support anyone in the World Cup, I just watch it to enjoy the sport. However, I do find it to be a lot more fun to watch a sporting even with a team to cheer on, and I think that has a lot do with international popularity of our home-grown sports.

The lack of promotion makes sense, a lot of the companies are really aiming at the US market, and that's really all that they want to aim at, so they don't see a need to build an international fanbase, because then it will run a lot of current sponsors out, and with all the money involved in American football, baseball, and NASCAR, they really don't NEED an international fanbase, because it might end up losing them money.

The part I find most interesting is when you bring up nationalism. Honestly, I'm not sure how to answer that. It is a little of both, I suppose. Sometimes I've wondered if maybe sports should be different, and have teams not be based by city, and have people pick teams by the players and the skill displayed during gameplay. I am an avid fan of the New England Patriots NFL team, and it is good to have something to talk about with people in the area and be all supportive, but does it really matter if your city/state/region is the best? The players aren't even from the area (the majority, at least), so there isn't much to really be all nationalistic about. I never understood the involvement of geographic locations in sports. It just never made any sense to me.

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About the World Cup, I don't think that americans don't like it because they are not succesful. I just think that they are not succesful because they don't care. Andx they don't care because they prefer local sports above foreign sports. Just a cultural thing.

I agree. I think this has to do with our local sports being socially accepted, and being what people want to try because they want to be like their heros Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez, etc. Very few want to be David Beckham or Ronaldinho. I think it does have a bit to do with what you are exposed to as a child.

I think there is a lot of pressure here to enjoy American football and baseball, because it is what all the guys talk about and obsess over, and if you are growing up a soccer fan or an F1 fan, you really have no one to communicate with about what you are passionate about, so I think a lot if it is manipulation in the teen years. I was never really interested in sports other than motor racing when I was a kid, but eventually I decided that I needed to watch it to "be cool," and I found out that I really liked American football more than any other sport ever. It was just bad since this was before the age of the Internet and I really only had my dad to talk to about the thing I enjoyed most.

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Here in Oz, the only coverage of U.S sports is on pay-tv. If you have it, you can watch just about all American sports when in season. Australia(like the U.S) is dominated by our own domestic sports . I find American football and baseball too slow and boring but thats just me.

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Im not sure about other sports but nationalism plays a HUGE part in nascar. I have seen afew races and watching the American national anthem is really really really cringe worthy. They have have 6 branches of the military there all saluting the flag while everyone is expected to stand up and take of their hats and they do this for every race. I dont know about other countries but in Australia we only play the national anthem at either international sporting events or very special occasions (like the ANZAC test in the AFL) and other than the ANZAC test we never have the military their saluting the flag.

I can certainly understand countries having their own sports. In Australia our most popular form of football is called AFL (Australian Football League) and other than afew small leagues in most developed countries around the world it really isnt played except for in Australia. That doesnt deminish my enjoyment of the sport and even though im hoping it will gain popularity in other countries it isnt something i will lose sleep over.

I occasionally watch sportscenter which airs in Australia on foxtel (pay tv) and it doesnt make any sence to me. A couple of weeks ago they were talking about "most popular sportsmen in the world." The first one they came up with i could sort of understand (Tiger Woods) but the 2nd one was someone named A-Rod and i had never heard of him. How can the 2nd most popular sportsman in the world be someone ive never heard off and id be interested to know if any non American forum members have heard of him either.

As for my enjoyment of American sports well i dont enjoy American football as it is far to slow for me, i used to play abit of baseball in school and it is a moderiating popular participation sport but as for watching it nobody does. Its the same with basketball, alot of people play it as a young age but once they leave high school nobody really plays it and nobody watches either the NBA or NBL. As for Nascar i know viewing numbers have increased since Marcos Ambrose joined but im not certain by how much but for the most part oval racing isnt really popular in any countries other than America.

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Im not sure about other sports but nationalism plays a HUGE part in nascar. I have seen afew races and watching the American national anthem is really really really cringe worthy. They have have 6 branches of the military there all saluting the flag while everyone is expected to stand up and take of their hats and they do this for every race. I dont know about other countries but in Australia we only play the national anthem at either international sporting events or very special occasions (like the ANZAC test in the AFL) and other than the ANZAC test we never have the military their saluting the flag.

I can certainly understand countries having their own sports. In Australia our most popular form of football is called AFL (Australian Football League) and other than afew small leagues in most developed countries around the world it really isnt played except for in Australia. That doesnt deminish my enjoyment of the sport and even though im hoping it will gain popularity in other countries it isnt something i will lose sleep over.

I occasionally watch sportscenter which airs in Australia on foxtel (pay tv) and it doesnt make any sence to me. A couple of weeks ago they were talking about "most popular sportsmen in the world." The first one they came up with i could sort of understand (Tiger Woods) but the 2nd one was someone named A-Rod and i had never heard of him. How can the 2nd most popular sportsman in the world be someone ive never heard off and id be interested to know if any non American forum members have heard of him either.

As for my enjoyment of American sports well i dont enjoy American football as it is far to slow for me, i used to play abit of baseball in school and it is a moderiating popular participation sport but as for watching it nobody does. Its the same with basketball, alot of people play it as a young age but once they leave high school nobody really plays it and nobody watches either the NBA or NBL. As for Nascar i know viewing numbers have increased since Marcos Ambrose joined but im not certain by how much but for the most part oval racing isnt really popular in any countries other than America.

Heard of a V-Rod, but not an A-Rod..... :)

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Take it a step further. What does it say about people in general? Is it that if we aren't exposed to something at an early age, we'll never take interest in it? Or is it due to nationalism? If it is due to nationalism, is this seen as constructive or destructive nationalism? Is it wrong to not take interest in foreigners representing foreign cities playing in foreign countires? Or is it right to support your own country's sports because it supports your country's economy and brings your people together?

I don't know about others,but I don't give a rat's arse about nationalism. For me ,genius is to be appreciated without any regards to boundaries. I like to celebrate the individual's achievements more than a team's.

Supporting a national team is meaningful only if it's doing well. Else no point in trying to shore up losers.

Yes,by & large ,the early exposures tend to hold sway. But that held true only in the past. Now ,in this age of cable TV with 1000 channels & the internet ,it's possible to be passionate about sports that are played in some faraway country.

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A-rod is Andy Rodd#ck. It's his nickname. Sadly,he's past his best.

Never heard him called that before. :eusa_think:

Oh well learn something everyday.......... :rolleyes:

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We do get American football, baseball and basketball shown on TV here but usually at unsociable hours and for a very small audience. Basketball and baseball, at least here in the UK, have connotations of school days: netball and rounders which were regarded as girly sports. As for American football, we have rugby.

Andres put it very well when he said that your sports are aimed at the domestic fan, and aren't that concerned with global exposure. And there's nowt wrong with that.

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Is F1 the "peak of motorsports"? Nope. They have not the best drivers, nor the fastest cars, nor the best tracks. But it was conceived as a world championship. Ditto for the World Cup ("The" World Cup, means football, of course :P No, not American football, the real one!).

The american sports philosophy seems to say "We are making the best sport on earth because we can. Come here and watch it". Sports like F1 say "let's all get together and find who is the best of us all".

I'm sorry but who has the fastest cars, best drivers and best tracks ?!

I hope you're not impling the WRC (sorry WRC fans, but the Group B days are over; so much electronics that those cars almost drive themselves and make F1 cars look primitive), IRL, Champ Car or some other other non-sense.

Americans make the best sport on Earth ?!

How are they best if they usually don't have foreigners/non-american opposition to be judged by ?!

The american sports philosophy is "bugger off this our turf, let's pretend we're the best".

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We get NFL on pay tv, and some baseball, in Australia.

I only really watch the super bowl, and even than half of it I'm barely paying attention. Your sports seem to be made for commercials, they all take ridiculously long and have ads galore. Baseball in general just feels really slow and boring, the kind of thing I'd watch to go to sleep.

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A-rod is Andy Rodd#ck. It's his nickname. Sadly,he's past his best.
:lol: A-Rod is Alex Rodriguiez plays 3rd base for the Yankee's

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Time difference plays a large part of it. Exposure to live events going both ways is during sleep time. Sleep is important. Probably accounts for 80% of the lack of interest going both ways.

There is only so much leisure time in a day and Europe offers their population something to do, as do the America's. Simple as that really.

Canadians stand up and sing for every sporting event. It is how we honor our country, and show respect for those who died fighting to perserve its freedom. Nothing wrong with it IMHO, its the least we can do. Freedom doesn't come cheap and it sends a clear signal to the politicians every week, that they better not c#ck it up too bad, because deep down all of us love our way of life no matter what our political stripe.

In my opinion there is no American arrogance involved in this. They know what they like, and like what they know, and simply can't be bothered with other things. There is no malice towards other sports, they are just not interested. No offense, but if I wasn't interested in the politics of F1 the show itself is pretty boring. Only a couple of cars even have a hope of winning, and 80% of time you can predict the winner after the first five laps. Why get up at 5.AM to watch that. That is why you will find most North Americans think there is something wrong with F1. The actual racing is not worth watching, when on the other channel you have highly entertaining races with leader changes every other lap it seems. I don't need to follow F1 on T.V. I can follow it just by watching the highlight reel at the end of the day, because chances are nothing really happened out on the track.

IF F1 were to offer thrilling on track performances, then maybe it would be worth getting up for. Maybe

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I'm sorry but who has the fastest cars, best drivers and best tracks ?!

I hope you're not impling the WRC (sorry WRC fans, but the Group B days are over; so much electronics that those cars almost drive themselves and make F1 cars look primitive), IRL, Champ Car or some other other non-sense.

Americans make the best sport on Earth ?!

How are they best if they usually don't have foreigners/non-american opposition to be judged by ?!

The american sports philosophy is "bugger off this our turf, let's pretend we're the best".

- F1 cars are not the fastest.

- It is impossible to know if the F1 drivers are the best drivers (well, except Ralf, he obviously is not)

- I think F1 has the best tracks, but so does GP2, for example.

F1 being the pinnacle of motorsport is mostly a matter of tradition, conception, prestige and worldwide popularity. That is no demerit, mind you, but to say that F1 has the fastest cars, drivers and best tracks would be at least inaccurate.

And no, no other motorsport discipline comes even close. WRC is the only other one, but is a totally different conecption.

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Time difference plays a large part of it. Exposure to live events going both ways is during sleep time. Sleep is important. Probably accounts for 80% of the lack of interest going both ways.

There is only so much leisure time in a day and Europe offers their population something to do, as do the America's. Simple as that really.

Canadians stand up and sing for every sporting event. It is how we honor our country, and show respect for those who died fighting to perserve its freedom. Nothing wrong with it IMHO, its the least we can do. Freedom doesn't come cheap and it sends a clear signal to the politicians every week, that they better not c#ck it up too bad, because deep down all of us love our way of life know matter what our political stripe.

In my opinion there is no American arrogance involved in this. They know what they like, and like what they know, and simply can't be bothered with other things. The is no malice towards other sports, they are just not interested. No offense, but if I wasn't interested in the politics of F1 the show itself is pretty boring. Only a couple of cars even have a hope of winning, and 80% of time you can predict the winner after the first five laps. Why get up a 5.AM to watch that. That is why you will find most North Americans think there is something wrong with F1. The actual racing is not worth watching, when on the other channel you have highly entertaining races with leader changes every other lap it seems. I don't need to follow F1 on T.V. I can follow it just by watching the highlight reel at the end of the day, because chances are nothing really happened out on the track.

IF F1 were to offer thrilling on track perfromances, then maybe it would be worth getting up for. Maybe

Good post........................

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I'm sorry but who has the fastest cars, best drivers and best tracks ?!

I hope you're not impling the WRC (sorry WRC fans, but the Group B days are over; so much electronics that those cars almost drive themselves and make F1 cars look primitive), IRL, Champ Car or some other other non-sense.

Americans make the best sport on Earth ?!

How are they best if they usually don't have foreigners/non-american opposition to be judged by ?!

The american sports philosophy is "bugger off this our turf, let's pretend we're the best".

I know Andr

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