World Cup 2018/2022

Originally Posted by ibleedwhite

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The English cant catch a break. they can't win anything.

Yeah, except for the Olympics of course.

Originally Posted by embowafa

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The US ....................... is still the cultural center of the universe. That's not changing any time soon.
In your dreams

In 1940, the most popular American sports were boxing, horse racing, and baseball.

In 2010, they're NASCAR, football, and basketball.

In another 70 years, soccer will be in the top 3, if not #1. Especially since it's currently the most-played sport by young American children (more and more of whom are immigrants).

Originally Posted by clockwise

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Makes perfect sense.
+1
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Originally Posted by frenchy

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actually the british invented baseball,it was called rounders look it up.

Rounders is not baseball.

Originally Posted by frenchy

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still too soon,although they did do a good job with the last one

Twenty years? Really?

Originally Posted by frenchy

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it is,just russia itself still bigger,i live in canada by the way.took me 4 days to drive acoss once,so imagine how big russia is,and the USSR...mind boggling

Originally Posted by TheIdler

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WTF is Qatar going to do with all those stadiums in 2023?

Dismantle them. Seriously, they are going to re-build them in countries that need/could use them.

Originally Posted by frenchy

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actually the british invented baseball,it was called rounders look it up.
british soldiers also invented hockey,but they played it in canada.
speaking of canada they invented basketball...so you guys basically got nothing going for you

Totally irrelevant. The origin of baseball is not the question. The bottom line is that baseball took root in the US and is most commonly identified with the US, is ingrained in the culture of the US and will always be considered an American sport.

And yeah, there have been games for ages in various cultures involving an object sliding across the ice and being knocked around with sticks. However, the game of hockey as it exists today was essentially developed in Canada and anybody who knows hockey knows that it holds a special place in Canadian life, culture and psyche, more so than any other country.

Finally, LMAO at basketball being a Canadian sport... ARE YOU MENTAL? Roger Naismith was a Canadian citizen but the sport was invented in Massachusetts where he lived and worked at the Y there. Nobody, not even the most rabid Canadian, would lay claim on basketball as a product of Canada.

^^ Most Canadians do exactly that. Believe it or not, it is taught at a young age that basketball is a "Canadian" sport. The federal government even produced a public awareness campaign about it for television.

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Originally Posted by holymadness

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^^ Most Canadians do exactly that. Believe it or not, it is taught at a young age that basketball is a "Canadian" sport. The federal government even produced a public awareness campaign about it for television.


Wow.. I had no idea. A Canadian sport.. lol..

I guess I stand corrected. There is no limit to rabid nationalism, even it it violates every notion of common sense..

Canadian nationalism, such as it is, is generally limited to anti-Americanism. Since all the provinces mutually despise each other, there's not much else to cling to aside from hollow pageantry and symbolism (maple leafs, etc.).

Originally Posted by Scrumhalf

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Not quite sure I am following the logic here. Baseball is quintessentially American. What you are opining is a bit like saying that hockey is not Canadian because the Swedes and Finns have won WCs and Olympics and have a significant presence in the NHL.

you are follwoign it correctlu i woudl argue it was a us sport...but the demogrphic and culture of it has changed... i am going to use a more contreversial example using different categories basketball in i origins could have been called a white sport... but as it has developed it one can call it at least itn eh us a black sport correct? the same sort of transformation occured with baseball except usng different categories and other sports have gained massive popualrity in the us over baseball sucha basket ball and homoerotic football.

Originally Posted by holymadness

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Canadian nationalism, such as it is, is generally limited to anti-Americanism. Since all the provinces mutually despise each other, there's not much else to cling to aside from hollow pageantry and symbolism (maple leafs, etc.).
+1. Canadians are very good at making up national fairy tales: Golf is the most watched sport in Canada. The Grey Cup is watched more than the Stanley Cup. Soccer is the most-played sport.

Originally Posted by intent

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+1. Canadians are very good at making up national fairy tales:

Golf is the most watched sport in Canada. The Grey Cup is watched more than the Stanley Cup. Soccer is the most-played sport.

True, but that's because Montreal sucks and Toronto is awesum yall!!!11!!

Originally Posted by TheIdler

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WTF is Qatar going to do with all those stadiums in 2023?

As part of their bid, they said they would dismantle them and donate them to other countries... Weird, right?

Anyway, it is a **** decision, but not a surprising one. They really wanted to get to the Middle East and since they amended the rules to prohibit joint hosting, there would really be no way for another country to get it there. I anticipate that Qatar will suspend a lot of its drinking laws in a designated zone around the stadiums which will also have the benefit of keeping everything contained.

Although I tend to agree with the OP in principle, his lamentations are essentially derived from the same attitude that he is in fact lamenting, i.e., America should get the World Cup when it wants one because, well, it's America, and America is the best ... at everything ... all the time ... everywhere ... ever.

I think the U.S. makes a lot of sense for FIFA because it's the largest untapped market in the world for them. Not because we are so superior - but because to grow their brand, eventually they'll need us to care.

We are Soccer China.