[Optimus Prime]

Ok...so to fill you guys in Brood and I have been debating this for a while now over IM and I want your opinion.

Brood claims that Football (Soccer in US) is the only Global Sport.

I argue that Basketball is the other global sport....he disagrees.

Now..I am by no way arguing that Basketball is as popular across the world...but that FIBA does have 212 members...and this...among other things...makes Basketball the second global sport AFTER Football.

Thoughts?

[caladanbrood]

Football is the only global sport. The only one.

[Cougar]

I'm afraid that there is no way I can agree with you, Association Football (it isn't called soccer and never will be) is the only truly global sport (I assume we aren't counting Athletics as a sport?). I don't think that one can look at the number of members a world organisation has as evidence of i being a global sport, since sports like roller hockey have many world members and no one is arguing that roller hockey is a global sport.

The only criteria I can suggest is to assess the global appeal of a sport is the number of high quality, competitive members the world body has, the level at which the TV rights are exported around the world and the number of high quality leagues and competitions that are played.

1st criteria: well we all can see football, there are any number of nations capable of winning the world cup, countries on every continent have reached the quarter and semi finals of the world cup, and the continental competitions are also very competitive. Compare this to basketball at the Olympics where only a few nations are capable of winning and lets be honest, if the USA could be bothered sending a team that were even half motivated or made any effort or even featured the best players they would piss the olympics.

2nd and 3rd criteria: whilst basketball is popular in a lot of countries, for many their own league is very poor and the people would rather watch the NBA (this is the case in the UK) than their own league. There are relatively few, quality basketball leagues, although I believe these are growing. Compared to football, this is no contest, 3 mega leagues (England, Spain and Italy) with a number of other high quality leagues (France, Germany, Holland, Argentina, Japanese J League, Brazil, Portugal, USA/MLS arguably some of the North African and Arab Leagues, Belgium, Greece, Scandanavia, Scotland, Mexico) plus there are a number of rapidly developing other leagues, which are begining to produce beter international teams. The biggest leagues are viewed all over the world. Plus there are huge highly competitive continental club tournaments like the European Champions League, Copa Libertadores, African Champions League. The only place where football is not played to a decent level is the Indian subcontinent and they've got no chance cos they love cricket too much.

I think both have similar appeal for people of all social stratas because they are so easy to play, football = jumpers for goalposts and a ball made of rags, basket ball you just need a ball and a couple of hoops, and there are plenty of municipal basketball courts.

They only impediment I see to basketballs mass appeal is the fact that being tall is such an advantage, in football you have all sizes and shapes and a whole variety of skills from slow and skillfull (Sheringham) to fast and stupid (Danny Cadamateri anyone?)

[Zanth13]

Not fond of soccer myself at all, it is teh suk....

But it is definitely a global sport, every where i have been it has been there also... Basketball not so much, but it is getting there....



~dodge ball should be the worlds only recognized international sport though

[Sir Thursday]

See I would include Athletics/Running in this at least. It's something that is most definitely as sport and is practiced pretty much everywhere. While I guess it isn't followed quite as much as football is, because running requires no equipment at all, it is easy to do and pretty much everyone does it to some degree. And you can't tell me people don't watch the track events at the Olympics less than the football.


Sir Thursday

[caladanbrood]

I don't know why, but I've never really thought of athletics as a sport, exactly... it's just... athletics;)

[Thelomen Toblerone]

Athletics is seriously lame. Besides, people always say "do you fancy going to the park toplay some footy/cricket/tennis etc", but no-one ever says "come on, let's go for a spot of shotput/800m/110m hurdles/triathlon."

It's too varied to be one sport anyway, most of the events are hardly related. And it's another of those things always on TV that most people hate. Well, I hate it anyway. Damn healthy, fit bastards who can lift things and run more than a kilometre without dying. It's not natural.

Football is the only global sport. Basketball was given less attention than (to name a few) field hockey, cricket, rugby league, rugby union, badminton, table tennis, tennis, aussie rules football, athletics, and even Sumo wrestling (in my last year) in P.E at school. Which says it all really.

[Sir Bob]

tennis is quite global as well (not a patch on footie or anything) but you have the french usa ausie opens plus wimbledon and all the little comps or what about motor racing? that gets every where, payed lots of money to drive fast cars, grrrrrrr

[Optimus Prime]

Just because Basketball isn't popular where a few of you guys grew up does not make it non-global.

Soccer is not very popular in the US, in comparison with American Football, yet this does not diminish the fact that Soccer is a Global sport.

Basketball is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY bigger than soccer in China...the largest country in the world. All the South American Countries are fanatic about it. Much of Europe plays it and has leagues......am I taking crazy pills here?

Or are you guys all soccer nuts like Brood...that silly wanker

[Cougar]

Xander;248956 said:

Just because Basketball isn't popular where a few of you guys grew up does not make it non-global.

Well actually it does, since we are asking if it a truly global sport, if we could get some more opinions from other countries we could work this out.

Xander;248956 said:

Soccer is not very popular in the US, in comparison with American Football, yet this does not diminish the fact that Soccer is a Global sport.

Yes I agree, and the USA are still a quality team, or have been recently

Xander;248956 said:

Basketball is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY bigger than soccer in China...the largest country in the world.

China = one country and they still have a decent and improving national side which has made it to the world cup and performed creditably, anyhow, I don't think we were arguing about which was bigger in individual countries, just how well developed it was on a global scale.

Xander;248956 said:

All the South American Countries are fanatic about it. Much of Europe plays it and has leagues......am I taking crazy pills here?

Yes but to apply the China argument above, South/Central America is crackers about football, I think El Salvador and maybe Panama once had a war started by a game of footy, there were sucides after Brazil lost to Uraguay in the 1950 World Cup. Brazil and Argentina are football superpowers an the (main) Buenos Aires derby (River v Boca) is as big a game of sport as you will find anywhere in the world. In the big European Basketball leagues the football equivalent is still more popular, both Barcelona and Real Madrid have basketball teams which are totally overshadowed by their football clubs. I'd have to say that I'm sure in Croatia and Serbia basketball is very big, but I'm unsure how this would compare to their love of football, they still have very good national sides, multiple star players in the big leagues and competitive main club sides.

Xander;248956 said:

Or are you guys all soccer nuts like Brood...that silly wanker

Having met Brood I wouldn't say he's a soccer nut, anymore than the average European, a great number of people in Europe love football and could talk at length and with passion about it, having been to south america the same is true there, I've never been but I'm lead to belive that football also has a tremendous following in East Asia, and Africa bloody loves it.

He is a bit of a wanker though:p

[Optimus Prime]

I'm just saying Basketball is a global sport...though not as big as Soccer...not comparing it to Soccer

[Thelomen Toblerone]

We're all forgetting one huge sport, actually. Played everywhere, donkeys years old, requires much skill and endurance.

Yes, that's right. Chess.

[caladanbrood]

Tiddleywinks!

[Dancer+]

Hopscotch! Don't tell me you never played hopscotch to impress the girls when you were younger, noone hasn't done it.

I'd like to further the opinions of Brood and Cougar, Soccer is the most global sport. I'm considering if any others are but I haven't had any luck yet, apart from hopscotch.

[Optimus Prime]

I'd say the Global Sports go like this

Soccer

Big Gap


Basketball
Tennis
Midget Tossing

[Illuyankas]

Xander;249323 said:

Soccer

Big Gap

Midget Tossing

Heightist!

[Optimus Prime]

LOL.

I'm sorry....

damn you chicken!

[Coco with marshmallows]

you know, i'd be tempted to put golf up there too.

just on the basis of number of courses worldwide, there are damn few countries that don't have one somewhere.

[Optimus Prime]

I agree...Golf is a global sport.

Look, I'm in no way saying any of these are as big as Soccer worldwide...but Soccer isn't the only global sport.

[caladanbrood]

Generally only the more developed countries you'll find golf though, I would have thought.