cricket vs rugby vs baseball vs others...

[LA ICE-E]

what's with the "all" blacks whites etc? is cricket the only summer sport?

 

[Smudge]

The New Zealand rugby union side were nicknamed the All Blacks on their tour of Britain in 1905 (there's conjecture over whether it was a typo by a newspaper worker when it was supposed to be describing the team as "all backs", but never mind...), and in the last 20-30 years, every other national sporting team has tried to get on the bandwagon in some way, shape or form, culminating in the worst one of all (although tongue-in-cheek) - the Black ****s badminton team.

Other teams include:
Wheel Blacks - New Zealand wheelchair rugby (or basketball) team
Silver Ferns - NZ netball team
Black Ferns - NZ women's rugby team
Ice Blacks - NZ ice hockey team
Tall Blacks - NZ men's basketball team
Tall Ferns - NZ women's basketball team
All Whites - NZ men's soccer/football team (because they wear white)

And so on...

It's getting beyond a joke.


Cricket is still the major summer sport, but touch rugby and softball have big participation numbers, while lawn bowls and tennis are also popular among the older members of society.

 

[LA ICE-E]

if softball is popular why isn't baseball?

 

[quytst0rm]

The New Zealand rugby union side were nicknamed the All Blacks on their tour of Britain in 1905 (there's conjecture over whether it was a typo by a newspaper worker when it was supposed to be describing the team as "all backs", but never mind...), and in the last 20-30 years, every other national sporting team has tried to get on the bandwagon in some way, shape or form, culminating in the worst one of all (although tongue-in-cheek) - the Black ****s badminton team.

Other teams include:
Wheel Blacks - New Zealand wheelchair rugby (or basketball) team
Silver Ferns - NZ netball team
Black Ferns - NZ women's rugby team
Ice Blacks - NZ ice hockey team
Tall Blacks - NZ men's basketball team
Tall Ferns - NZ women's basketball team
All Whites - NZ men's soccer/football team (because they wear white)

And so on...

It's getting beyond a joke.


Cricket is still the major summer sport, but touch rugby and softball have big participation numbers, while lawn bowls and tennis are also popular among the older members of society.

I am sorry.

 

[The_Bunny]

but i have a question for the aussies and europeans and etc, how big is baseball over there? because i know we have been recently trying to spread out games out and with a lot more cash than the icc has. also we been trying with american football in europe, are those anything there yet?

Almost everyone knows what baseball is, and a lot know some of the basic rules ect.

But most people just dont like the sport... The reason is most likely that its an american sport, but I have met very few people who ever watch it and I have never seen a baseball ground...

 

[LA ICE-E]

Almost everyone knows what baseball is, and a lot know some of the basic rules ect.

But most people just dont like the sport... The reason is most likely that its an american sport, but I have met very few people who ever watch it and I have never seen a baseball ground...

is there like anti american thing there too? i though it was just the middle east...

 

[BoyBrumby]

but i have a question for the aussies and europeans and etc, how big is baseball over there? because i know we have been recently trying to spread out games out and with a lot more cash than the icc has. also we been trying with american football in europe, are those anything there yet?

It barely registers over here. Even amongst American sports I'd say American "football" & basketball have more of a following in the UK, it may even be behind ice hockey too.

Only time it ever gets reported seriously of late are articles about Barry Bonds approaching Marins's all-time home-run record which usually mention he's under investigation for alleged doping irregularities.

 

[The_Bunny]

is there like anti american thing there too? i though it was just the middle east...

Not really... more anti american sports....

 

[Stefano]

soccer its world cup and not world championship so it got confusing.

In Soccer, World Cup and World Championship are the very same thing. Sometimes the competition is called World Cup, some other times World Championship.

but i have a question for the aussies and europeans and etc, how big is baseball over there? because i know we have been recently trying to spread out games out and with a lot more cash than the icc has. also we been trying with american football in europe, are those anything there yet?

In Europe, Baseball is rather weak. The only country where you can find decent baseball is the Netherlands. Baseball in the Netherlands is rather popular and they have produced several good players: some of them played professional baseball in US.

After the Netherlands, there is Italy. In the past, we were a better team than now. However, MLB is trying to spread baseball here (even because several baseball greats have italian roots). I think (not sure) there is an MLB academy in Italy. However, here in Italy baseball is not very popular. If you prepare a ranking of the most popular sports, you wont find baseball in the highest positions.

Beside the Netherlands and Italy? Nothing more. I know that Russia is trying to spread baseball, but that game is not that popular. So, continental Europe is more interested in baseball than cricket, but both games are rather unpopular.

Where can you find good baseball? The whole American continent: Canada, but above all Mexico and the Latin America, so Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic and also Colombia and Venezuela. And of course the Far East countries: Japan is a huge baseball nation, but the game is very popular also in South Korea.

American Football? The NFL might have some fans in Europe, especially in Germany. But the domestic competitions are rather bad. We can say that outside US, American Football does not exist.

 

[Perm]

The New Zealand rugby union side were nicknamed the All Blacks on their tour of Britain in 1905 (there's conjecture over whether it was a typo by a newspaper worker when it was supposed to be describing the team as "all backs", but never mind...), and in the last 20-30 years, every other national sporting team has tried to get on the bandwagon in some way, shape or form, culminating in the worst one of all (although tongue-in-cheek) - the Black ****s badminton team.

Other teams include:
Wheel Blacks - New Zealand wheelchair rugby (or basketball) team
Silver Ferns - NZ netball team
Black Ferns - NZ women's rugby team
Ice Blacks - NZ ice hockey team
Tall Blacks - NZ men's basketball team
Tall Ferns - NZ women's basketball team
All Whites - NZ men's soccer/football team (because they wear white)

And so on...

It's getting beyond a joke.


Cricket is still the major summer sport, but touch rugby and softball have big participation numbers, while lawn bowls and tennis are also popular among the older members of society.

By the time you add the Black Sox. Black Caps and Black Beauty as well as a number of other nicknames for our sports teams it does get beyond a joke. I still don't see why we need to "name" all of our national teams, I know it's easier referring to them as the Black Caps but surely it's not that difficult to call them the cricketers or something similar.

 

[Burgey]

Basketball has a strong following in New Zealand, originally as a result of the NBA but now due to our own team's exploits. The best atmosphere I've ever experienced at a pub was when the Tall Blacks were trying to beat Puerto Rico to get into the FIFA world championship semi-finals in 2002.

Basketball is reasonably popular here - but it's lost a lot of its appeal re the domestic comp - in the late 80s/ early 90s it was getting really popular but then it seemed to really taper off badly - it coincided with the retirment of MJ in the NBA but I don't know if that was the cause or was a coincidence.

 

[LA ICE-E]

In Soccer, World Cup and World Championship are the very same thing. Sometimes the competition is called World Cup, some other times World Championship.

I know it's the same thing but just different names.

In Europe, Baseball is rather weak. The only country where you can find decent baseball is the Netherlands. Baseball in the Netherlands is rather popular and they have produced several good players: some of them played professional baseball in US.

After the Netherlands, there is Italy. In the past, we were a better team than now. However, MLB is trying to spread baseball here (even because several baseball greats have italian roots). I think (not sure) there is an MLB academy in Italy. However, here in Italy baseball is not very popular. If you prepare a ranking of the most popular sports, you wont find baseball in the highest positions.

Beside the Netherlands and Italy? Nothing more. I know that Russia is trying to spread baseball, but that game is not that popular. So, continental Europe is more interested in baseball than cricket, but both games are rather unpopular.

Where can you find good baseball? The whole American continent: Canada, but above all Mexico and the Latin America, so Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic and also Colombia and Venezuela. And of course the Far East countries: Japan is a huge baseball nation, but the game is very popular also in South Korea.

American Football? The NFL might have some fans in Europe, especially in Germany. But the domestic competitions are rather bad. We can say that outside US, American Football does not exist.

I didn't know baseball was more popular in europe than cricket.....Oh i know where baseball's popular at and stuff i it and watched the world classic(so bar some teams there the others were popular)...but just didn't know it was more popular in europe.

 

[Stefano]

I didn't know baseball was more popular in europe than cricket.....

Maybe you should say: baseball is less unpopular than cricket. Along with Russia, also France is trying to do something with baseball, but the overall popularity is really low.

Cricket in Europe is played in areas where you can find Indians, Pakistanis or Sri Lankans. For example: a friend of mine who lives in Verona has told me that you can find many Pakistanis / Indians / Sri Lankans who meet in parks and play cricket. Even in the national teams you can find players from the subcontinent.

I would ask to the Australians and the South Africans some info about baseball in their countries.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I would ask to the Australians and the South Africans some info about baseball in their countries.

Obviously I'm not Australian, but I read that baseball used to be quite big over there when it was played in the winter. Quite a lot of cricketers played it out of season. Since it moved to the summer I think its popularity has waned a bit. Obviously there's still a bit of interest tho as their team was good enough for a silver (IIRC) in Athens.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

In Europe, Baseball is rather weak.

Baseball is one of the national sports of Finland. It's just played with completely different rules.

To argue that cricket is the second most popular sport in the world based on the population of the sub-continent is ludicrous. You might as well say table tennis is up there, too.

 

[Dasa]

^Well why wouldn't it be, if enough people are playing it?

 

[ohtani's jacket]

So, does China with 1.31 billion people make table tennis one of the most popular sports in the world? Hell, table tennis has more of a claim than cricket since it's played all over the world. Really, the population of the sub-continent doesn't reflect the popularity of cricket as a global sport. Sports like football, tennis, basketball, track and field or swimming may or may not be national sports, but they're played in different age groups in far more countries than cricket.

 

[Dasa]

Strictly speaking, if 1 billion+ Chinese do indeed play table tennis, then it would be among the most popular sports around. What you're talking about is what would be the most widely played in terms of countries/regions it's played in rather than the most popular sport in terms of pure numbers.

 

[PrincePeiterson]

I'm a baseball addict. Watch the MLB as much as possible. Shame to say baseball doesn't rate at all here in England. I've never even heard of an organised competition in or outside of schools for it.

As for baseball in Australia, I've tried to talk to alot of Australians about it, but most of them have only ever seen baseball on the movies. Amazing to think Australians know more about Ice hockey than baseball

 

[LA ICE-E]

Baseball is one of the national sports of Finland. It's just played with completely different rules.

To argue that cricket is the second most popular sport in the world based on the population of the sub-continent is ludicrous. You might as well say table tennis is up there, too.

that's different though, it's called finish baseball or something...it's like saying all football codes are the same.