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Post by Gorflorg Orshforg on Aug 13, 2012 14:28:26 GMT -5
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Post by mikegarrison on Aug 13, 2012 14:37:19 GMT -5
Your own listed reference doesn't back you up. |
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Post by Gorflorg Orshforg on Aug 13, 2012 14:45:43 GMT -5
Your own listed reference doesn't back you up. That's actually not the link I meant to post. www.johann-sandra.com/popular.htmI meant to post this in response to panther's asking about my sources regarding the most played sport in the world. |
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Post by geddyleemarvin on Aug 13, 2012 14:46:58 GMT -5
The Olympics are what they are. There will always be plenty to hate or laugh at: crass commercialism, petty feuding between countries, doping, headscractchingly odd television coverage decisions, inane talking heads, and outrageously horrible judging decisions.
But one can also look past all that and see moment after moment of greatness and spirit. McKayla might not be impressed, but her perfect vault was amazing (and I don't care for gymnastics). An entire country erupting for their first medal ever (Grenada, the men's 400M). The same Grenadian, the best 400M runner on the planet, asking Oscar Pistorious for his bib after the semifinals. David Rudisha and the U.S. women 4x100 relay absolutely obliterating world records on the biggest and most pressure-packed stage. Andy Murray sending Great Britain into ecstasy by finally winning a big match. The great Chinese hurdler, Liu Xiang, once again suffering a terrible injury - but hopping on one leg to the finish line where all the other runners stayed to watch him and then carry Liu off the track. Watching a sport you've never really seen before, and realizing "this is actually very cool." The USA men's basketball team, a group of multi-millionaires with ego's through the roof, walking up to the gold medal podium as one with arms linked together - even those guys "get it."
And so on.
I've been there and done that, and can be as cynical as the next person, but I hope I never become so jaded that I cannot enjoy the Olympic Games.
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Post by mikegarrison on Aug 13, 2012 14:47:05 GMT -5
Your own listed reference doesn't back you up. That's actually not the link I meant to post. www.johann-sandra.com/popular.htmI meant to post this in response to panther's asking about my sources regarding the most played sport in the world. Ah, the link that in the reference you first posted they explicitly warn people is false and should not be trusted? However, having read their page I see that they are not actually claiming to have an answer. Instead, they are reporting what the international federations of the sport claim -- and they are suggesting that the claims are exaggerated. In fact, they specifically attack the claim from the FIVB that they also report. And this is what you are basing your argument on? Interesting. |
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Post by geddyleemarvin on Aug 13, 2012 14:54:45 GMT -5
The less popular sports in America, you mean. There's a big, wide world out there who think track & field, volleyball, gymnastics etc are a much bigger deal than, say, the NFL. Dude, I've been to France, been to Switzerland, etc. Most people I've met there are like "volleywhat?" I only know one French guy who admits to ever having watched a volleyball match, and he went to Penn State as a grad student. Ask them about soccer, though, and it's a completely different story. Or hockey. Or car racing. Dude, I lived in Europe for seven years and have spent significant time in every continent that does not have penguins. Volleyball is very popular in Europe and Asia, which would explain the proliferation of men's and women's professional leagues in both places. VB is not considered a minor sport - although soccer certainly dwarfs volleyball and everything else, including F1. I'd rate F1 ahead of volleyball in terms of popularity, to be sure, but volleyball and basketball are at about the same level in Europe. Track and field is also huge. |
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Post by mikegarrison on Aug 13, 2012 14:55:40 GMT -5
I've been there and done that, and can be as cynical as the next person Even if you are standing next to Over&Under? |
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Post by geddyleemarvin on Aug 13, 2012 14:56:38 GMT -5
I've been there and done that, and can be as cynical as the next person Even if you are standing next to Over&Under? Well, you got me there. |
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Post by mikegarrison on Aug 13, 2012 15:00:17 GMT -5
Dude, I've been to France, been to Switzerland, etc. Most people I've met there are like "volleywhat?" I only know one French guy who admits to ever having watched a volleyball match, and he went to Penn State as a grad student. Ask them about soccer, though, and it's a completely different story. Or hockey. Or car racing. Dude, I lived in Europe for seven years and have spent significant time in every continent that does not have penguins. Volleyball is very popular in Europe and Asia, which would explain the proliferation of men's and women's professional leagues in both places. VB is not considered a minor sport - although soccer certainly dwarfs volleyball and everything else, including F1. I haven't spent seven weeks there, so you are well up on me in that regard. But I haven't actually been disputing what you've been saying, as you probably realize. It's the overblown "volleyball is the number 2 sport in the world, and is as big in Europe as the NFL is in the US" kind of thing that I was calling BS on. Do you think volleyball is as big in Europe as the NFL is here? |
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Post by Gorflorg Orshforg on Aug 13, 2012 15:00:58 GMT -5
That's actually not the link I meant to post. www.johann-sandra.com/popular.htmI meant to post this in response to panther's asking about my sources regarding the most played sport in the world. Ah, the link that in the reference you first posted they explicitly warn people is false and should not be trusted? I looked more closely at the page, and they actually say that the numbers aren't reliable, they're from an FIVB survey, so fair enough. Questionable surveys aside here is a more in depth look at the most popular sports. www.topendsports.com/world/lists/popular-sport/index.htmThe meta study has a clear bias, because most of the studies are based on web hits in some form or another, and so skews the results towards sports more popular in wealthier, more technologically advanced countries, but it's still interesting. Most of the lists I found seem to have volleyball hovering around number five, usually behind cricket, tennis, field hockey and soccer, so it seems the truth lies somewhere between out two positions. It's probably more popular than (Ice) hockey, basketball, baseball and car racing, but it's also clearly below cricket and a few other very international sports. |
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Post by Gorflorg Orshforg on Aug 13, 2012 15:01:36 GMT -5
Dude, I lived in Europe for seven years and have spent significant time in every continent that does not have penguins. Volleyball is very popular in Europe and Asia, which would explain the proliferation of men's and women's professional leagues in both places. VB is not considered a minor sport - although soccer certainly dwarfs volleyball and everything else, including F1. I haven't spent seven weeks there, so you are well up on me in that regard. But I haven't actually been disputing what you've been saying, as you probably realize. It's the overblown "volleyball is the number 2 sport in the world, and is as big in Europe as the NFL is in the US" kind of thing that I was calling BS on. Do you think volleyball is as big in Europe as the NFL is here? The NFL is number one here, nobody said that. |
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Post by geddyleemarvin on Aug 13, 2012 15:04:26 GMT -5
Dude, I lived in Europe for seven years and have spent significant time in every continent that does not have penguins. Volleyball is very popular in Europe and Asia, which would explain the proliferation of men's and women's professional leagues in both places. VB is not considered a minor sport - although soccer certainly dwarfs volleyball and everything else, including F1. I haven't spent seven weeks there, so you are well up on me in that regard. But I haven't actually been disputing what you've been saying, as you probably realize. It's the overblown "volleyball is the number 2 sport in the world, and is as big in Europe as the NFL is in the US" kind of thing that I was calling BS on. Do you think volleyball is as big in Europe as the NFL is here? Oh God no - I was comparing the popularity of volleyball as a spectator sport in the USA vs. Europe/Asia. While it is quite popular in those places, I don't think I could reasonably say it was near the level of an NFL, NBA or MLB. |
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Post by mikegarrison on Aug 13, 2012 15:10:10 GMT -5
I haven't spent seven weeks there, so you are well up on me in that regard. But I haven't actually been disputing what you've been saying, as you probably realize. It's the overblown "volleyball is the number 2 sport in the world, and is as big in Europe as the NFL is in the US" kind of thing that I was calling BS on. Do you think volleyball is as big in Europe as the NFL is here? Oh God no - I was comparing the popularity of volleyball as a spectator sport in the USA vs. Europe/Asia. While it is quite popular in those places, I don't think I could reasonably say it was near the level of an NFL, NBA or MLB. Thanks, that was my impression too. Which goes back to my original comment. I think that except for people like us, who are big fans of a particular sport, most people only pay attention to most of the sports in the Olympics for a few hours every four years. And many of the sports which are exceptions to this are either not in the Olympics or do not consider the Olympics to be the height of their sport. No cricket. No rugby. No American football. No golf. No baseball or softball (anymore). Men's soccer is "U-23" in the Olympics. Basketball is considering going that way. I still say that for any sport where the Olympics are the greatest venue for that sport, it is a sign that the sport hasn't really broken through in popularity. Otherwise, like the Superbowl, like the World Cup, like the tennis and golf Grand Slams, it would have its own championships which would be more important than the Olympic championships. |
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Post by OverAndUnder on Aug 13, 2012 19:45:01 GMT -5
Even if you are standing next to Over&Under? Well, you got me there. QFT |
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Post by vbnerd on Aug 13, 2012 22:01:11 GMT -5
I wouldn't cry if the whole "playing for your country" aspect of it disappeared and they just let the top athletes from any country play for their own glory. But then most of the funding would dry up, which the IOC would never stand for! their own glory? So are you proposing team Microsoft, Team Coke, Team Samsung, etc? Or just let Lebron and friends pick a team, let Clay Stanley and friends pick a team, Bolt, Phelps, etc? Isn't that basically pro sports? We have those already. |
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