Could baseball have become the "world" sport?

Marius

sendô said:
Actually the point about cricket at the moment (certainly test cricket) is that no-one can beat us, certainly not the Aussies who have recently been spanked convincingly on home soil.

Besides, most of the worldwide popularity with cricket comes because Indians are all obsessed with it (I'm sure it is the only sport anyone in that country ever plays or watches). Without them, it's a marginal sport that's only played in Commonwealth countries.

Even so, it is far, far, far more interesting than baseball which needs the world's most annoying music and copious amounts of beer to make it even bearable.

Basketball has a better chance of being the world's top sport.
Click to expand...

We did...

Filler
 

edvader

Every time I see or hear of cricket I'd want to puke.Can't however, because I would fall asleep from boredom.:D
 

Sior

Banned
Kevin Renner said:
Just as the imperialist can not understand the nuances of Baseball. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Oh I have watched the more agressive version known as rounders played by the girls when I was in school!
The only thing going for it was short skirts and heaving bosoms (no sports bras back then;)).
 

Catmo

Sior said:
Oh I have watched the more agressive version known as rounders played by the girls when I was in school!
The only thing going for it was short skirts and heaving bosoms (no sports bras back then;)).
Click to expand...

So, rounders is the UK equivalent of field hockey in the US. I used to love watching the rich girls in short skirts playing field hockey at the private school down the road as a youngster.

An online diplomacy buddy assures me that field hockey is commonly played by men in Australia. Is this true?
 

Custard Cream Monster

Yes, men's field hockey does exist and is about a similar prominence IIRC, both are Olympic events. The only sport I can think of (softball/baseball aside) that is only played by women and girls is netball (the entire sport is a Commonwealth bizarrity - think early basketball, but with no dribbling - the ball has to be continually passed. It actually was based one someone misreading a diagram on the rules of basketball and the positions, one of the key things in netball is that players can only stay in certain areas).
 

Dr. Strangelove

Banned
Custard Cream Monster said:
A mate of mine who normally wears glasses plays rugby, he just uses contacts while playing.
Click to expand...

A group of friends and me actually played rugby during recess in high school. Except we did it clandestinely because we were banned from playing it, we had to use a football ball, we were playing a strange mixture of union and league because we had found the rules in the back of a cereal box and were filling the gaps with what we could remember from american football in the movies, and decided that kicks in the nuts were a valid form of tackle. :D
 

PW MAX

I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but...

I dunno if it would have helped baseball become a more prevalent world sport or not, but what if baseball wasn't quite as 'boring' as some people say?

What I mean is...

From what I've heard the old negro leagues were loaded to the gills with energy and passion, and most importantly of all, fun. If that were somehow able to bleed over into the primary leagues of the era, perhaps it would've helped the game become more popular internationally?

I don't know that it would, I just thought that it might.

:eek:
 

Screvier20

Maybe american soldiers playing baseball during the world wars have more of lasting effect on Europe making at baseball as popular as Lacrosse or area football is in America.
 

Dr. Strangelove

Banned

Kingp

On the topic of soccer's ability to be played almost anywhere with anything at hand, the same is more or less true of american football. I mean, you can get a street football game going with nothing more than a open dirt or grass space, a ball, and three t-shirts or trees/posts to mark the respective endzones and the 50 yard line. As well, a rough version of baseball doesn't require anything more than a bat, a ball, and 4 pieces of cloth/ t shirts for bases.

EDIT: basketball is also fairly easy provided there's a hoop around somewhere and you have a ball.
 

Kevin R.

Kingp said:
As well, a rough version of baseball doesn't require anything more than a bat, a ball, and 4 pieces of cloth/ t shirts for bases.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Just ask all the working-class New York youth who grew up playing stickball. You don't even need a bat, just Mom's broom. There's a reason why, for so long, baseball was the sport of immigrants in America.
 

Constantinople

Banned
Dr. Strangelove said:
George Best would like to have a word with you.
Click to expand...

True enough. Though he wasn't on acid during a game or two I suspect. Plus, I mean Dock Ellis *intentionally* beaned an entire team because of a dis from two years before. I think he also beaned Reggie Jackson in the head during a 70s all star game because he'd gotten baseballs longer homerun off him the previous inning.
 

Constantinople

Banned
Kingp said:
On the topic of soccer's ability to be played almost anywhere with anything at hand, the same is more or less true of american football. I mean, you can get a street football game going with nothing more than a open dirt or grass space, a ball, and three t-shirts or trees/posts to mark the respective endzones and the 50 yard line. As well, a rough version of baseball doesn't require anything more than a bat, a ball, and 4 pieces of cloth/ t shirts for bases.

EDIT: basketball is also fairly easy provided there's a hoop around somewhere and you have a ball.
Click to expand...

This is exactly true. The most common "Association Football is the best" factoid is how anyone can play it anywhere, which is more or less exactly the same for baseball and football. Basketball...not as much, though its not a particularly complicated set up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top