6Nations begins (Americans look away)

[xauss]

So i've tuned into Grandstand to get the prematch hype, and then the Italy v's France game followed by England v's Scotland later, and im not moving from this spot for the next 5 hours or so

the greatest annual international tournament has begun...

[Gunther TheBlack]

The main reason why america turned rugby into american football, cricket into baseball and despise real football is because they broke of with their colonial past and wanted to create their own sports and not be affiliated with their former masters again.

Until today they keep doing this, altho football is getting a foothold in the USA lately, it still has a loooooooooooooong way to go tho.

Another big factor for the USA not getting into football or rugby is because there are not enough breaks in those sports so the networks can't put advertisement in it, thus the networks also get less profit from showing such sports and thus don't really bother with showing it.

Those are the real reasons. It has nothing to do with a sport being better or not. But with television air-time, money and the past.


Anyway, I hope Scotland wins.

[Falokis]

The main reason why america turned rugby into american football, cricket into baseball and despise real football is because they broke of with their colonial past and wanted to create their own sports and not be affiliated with their former masters again.

Until today they keep doing this, altho football is getting a foothold in the USA lately, it still has a loooooooooooooong way to go tho.

Another big factor for the USA not getting into football or rugby is because there are not enough breaks in those sports so the networks can't put advertisement in it, thus the networks also get less profit from showing such sports and thus don't really bother with showing it.

Those are the real reasons. It has nothing to do with a sport being better or not. But with television air-time, money and the past.


Anyway, I hope Scotland wins.There is alot of rugby in college sport, but you are right. It doesn't get much air time and probably for the reason you stated. Rugby is a great game and I hope it catches on more. I personally hope soccer never gets big here. It's a rather lame game.

[rKos]

There is alot of rugby in college sport, but you are right. It doesn't get much air time and probably for the reason you stated. Rugby is a great game and I hope it catches on more. I personally hope football never gets big here. It's a rather lame game.

Fixt.

[Surly]

Fagball has a surge of minor popularity here in the US in cycles, like... I see one fagball match (that's what you call it over there right? a match?) every 10 years on TV. I don't personally know any fagball fans, but there are some around ... somewhere. All in all, midget tossing has a better chance of being a regular sport here than fagball.

Fagball is less popular here than (american) football is in Europe, by a ton.

[Gunther TheBlack]

There is alot of rugby in college sport, but you are right. It doesn't get much air time and probably for the reason you stated. Rugby is a great game and I hope it catches on more. I personally hope soccer never gets big here. It's a rather lame game.

Football lacks the spectacle that the american sports have. You can have a very entertaining match but in a sport were a 0-0 can be pretty common i can understand that americans don't like it. Add to the fact that the worldcup final in 1994 in the USA(which was the shittiest final ever) ended in 0-0 between the 2 best teams of the world really gave football a bad rep in the USA.

[Gunther TheBlack]

Fagball has a surge of minor popularity here in the US in cycles, like... I see one fagball match (that's what you call it over there right? a match?) every 10 years on TV. I don't personally know any fagball fans, but there are some around ... somewhere. All in all, midget tossing has a better chance of being a regular sport here than fagball.

Fagball is less popular here than (american) football is in Europe, by a ton.

American football is fagball. Compare american football to rugby, not to football, football is played with your feet, not your arms like american fagball is.

American fagball is practically unplayed here, why should we pick up american fagball while you can have rugby? There are plenty of rugby teams all over europe.

[Surly]

American football is fagball. Compare american football to rugby, not to football, football is played with your feet, not your arms like american fagball is.

American fagball is practically unplayed here, why should we pick up american fagball while you can have rugby? There are plenty of rugby teams all over europe.
Everyone knows what fagball is Gunther. You saying it's "American" football doesn't change anything. Rugby can be our common ground. Everyone seems to like it here, generally, but it isn't very popular or organized for some reason..

[xauss]

Fagball has a surge of minor popularity here in the US in cycles, like... I see one fagball match (that's what you call it over there right? a match?) every 10 years on TV. I don't personally know any fagball fans, but there are some around ... somewhere. All in all, midget tossing has a better chance of being a regular sport here than fagball.

Fagball is less popular here than (american) football is in Europe, by a ton.

i presume you are referring to football - the biggest and most popular sport in the world as opposed to rugby

but american football (fagball to us) is way unpopular in europe

[xauss]

maybe our american posters can tell us whether the MLS champions will be called "World Champions"?

[Daarco]

How come American football have world championsships??
They are the only one doing it?? Or?

[xauss]

How come American football have world championsships??
They are the only one doing it?? Or?

a freind told me that baseball got the name "World series" because it was sponsered by a newspaper called "The World" or somesuch crap

now it seems any domestic competition in US can be crowned "World Champions"

[Aragoni]

(the real) football is the best sport ever, at least when it's the world championship :)

[xauss]

Italy 3 - 22 France HT

Ugh! Italy started the better - but unable to kick their penalties and France's know-how is telling

Italy for the wooden spoon... as always

[Matriel]

http://www.nfleurope.com/

It's just a matter of time. First McDonalds, then Starbucks, and soon Football.

[xauss]

http://www.nfleurope.com/

It's just a matter of time. First McDonalds, then Starbucks, and soon Football.

LMAO
if it wasnt bankrolled - this crap for US players not good enough for the NFL would fold in an instant

it has zero TV coverage and tiny gate receipts - no one here wants it

[Gunther TheBlack]

http://www.nfleurope.com/

It's just a matter of time. First McDonalds, then Starbucks, and soon Football.

NFL europe exists for a while now and it's failing miserably.

A lot of teams started and quit already. NFL europe is mostly american players being tested in europe to see if they are good enough.


On the other hand, http://web.mlsnet.com/index.jsp
Is getting a foothold for sure in the USA. Football will become more and more popular in the USA and if it isn't getting popular among the regular americasn i'm pretty sure the hispanics will bring a lot of football into the USA :p


Omg, love the names of some US clubs.

Deportiva Chivas, Real Salt Lake, the New York Red Bulls.

HAHAHAHA

[Matriel]

None of you wanted McDonalds either, but not your obesity rates are catching ours. How's the cultural domination feel bitches?

[Aragoni]

http://www.nfleurope.com/

It's just a matter of time. First McDonalds, then Starbucks, and soon Football.

It's a saaaaad day for Europe

[Gunther TheBlack]

None of you wanted McDonalds either, but not your obesity rates are catching ours. How's the cultural domination feel bitches?

I like McDonalds, but Quick(belgian fastfood chain) is a bigger fast food chain in belgium and McDonald is only making losses in Belgium hehe ;)
I never saw a starbucks in Belgium so far.

Lol at the stadium name of F.C. Dallas
It's called "Pizza Hut park" HAHAHA

Lol another one is called "The Home Depot Center" hahahaha


Btw for the first time since it's founding, MLS has made profit last year.
Soccer/football is gonna take over the USA slowly on. Don't forget that football only exists in the USA for a good 11 years.

[xauss]

None of you wanted McDonalds either, but not your obesity rates are catching ours. How's the cultural domination feel bitches?

hehe - you guys speak english - indeed these forums are in english... feel the cultural dominion - america is just another badly behaved and childish ex-colony

[Gunther TheBlack]

hehe - you guys speak english - indeed these forums are in english... feel the cultural dominion - america is just another badly behaved and childish ex-colony

Just blame it on the other europeans that colonized it.

[Matriel]

hehe - you guys speak english - indeed these forums are in english... feel the cultural dominion - america is just another badly behaved and childish ex-colony

Yes, we all speak English because of England and not the US winning the cold war and being the only superpower. :)

[Matriel]

I like McDonalds, but Quick(belgian fastfood chain) is a bigger fast food chain in belgium and McDonald is only making losses in Belgium hehe ;)
I never saw a starbucks in Belgium so far.

Lol at the stadium name of F.C. Dallas
It's called "Pizza Hut park" HAHAHA

Lol another one is called "The Home Depot Center" hahahaha


Btw for the first time since it's founding, MLS has made profit last year.
Soccer/football is gonna take over the USA slowly on. Don't forget that football only exists in the USA for a good 11 years.

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/mcdonalds-4q-profit-more-than-doubles/n20070124110709990008?cid=1216

Owned motherfucker. :)

[Gunther TheBlack]

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/mcdonalds-4q-profit-more-than-doubles/n20070124110709990008?cid=1216

Owned motherfucker. :)

Actually McDOnalds closed a lot of places in Belgium, we had 2 McDonalds nearby and they all closed the last years. The nearest McDonald for me is a 40 minute drive away, While i live near 4 cities less than 30 minutes away.

[Aragoni]

Actually McDOnalds closed a lot of places in Belgium, we had 2 McDonalds nearby and they all closed the last years. The nearest McDonald for me is a 40 minute drive away, While i live near 4 cities less than 30 minutes away.

Same shit here. Max and Sunes is waaaaay bigger here in Sweden than McDonalds.

[Matriel]

Just admit you like Big Macs you fags. The profits don't lie!

[Gunther TheBlack]

Just admit you like Big Macs you fags. The profits don't lie!


I actually prefer the royal cheese (quarter pounder) and the McBacon.



*drools*

[xauss]

meh ITA 3 - 39 FRA
a bit of a disappointment

next the 114th Calcutta cup (played annually between ENG and SCO since 1879 cept for a few years where pesky wars got in the way)

with world champions (actually winning the 4-yearly tournament featuring many nations - for the yanks who cant understand the concept) ENG at an all-time nadir, and SCO improving year on year of late - it should be a better game

[Daikos]

Watching sports if for fat people.

Get off the couch and play one you tub of crap.

[Stax]

Go Italy!!!!

[Surly]

Oh yeah, lol... they call the quarter-pounder a Royale in europe. So yes, they do indeed love them some big macs.

lol Gunther you fat fuck. Drinking your belgian beer, claiming Belgium is immune to The Fattening that's en route via McDonalds, and now drooling over a ROYALE WIFTH CHAYSE!!! haha. Sometimes I think you're too much for even yourself. Nonetheless, I bet Belgians have a lower fatality rate from McDonalds than most because their livers are too busy processing alcohol to absorb saturated fat.

[rKos]

Uh, why the hell is McDonalds so popular? All the MTV watching teenagers go there all the time and the food there comes in small portions and tastes bad. Kebab/pizzerias by the turks all the way!


Yes, we all speak English because of England and not the US winning the cold war and being the only superpower.

English was a useful and popular language even when the Soviet Union existed, but yes, its popular and useful because of the US not England.

[Gunther TheBlack]

Oh yeah, lol... they call the quarter-pounder a Royale in europe. So yes, they do indeed love them some big macs.

lol Gunther you fat fuck. Drinking your belgian beer, claiming Belgium is immune to The Fattening that's en route via McDonalds, and now drooling over a ROYALE WIFTH CHAYSE!!! haha. Sometimes I think you're too much for even yourself. Nonetheless, I bet Belgians have a lower fatality rate from McDonalds than most because their livers are too busy processing alcohol to absorb saturated fat.


You know I/me/Gunther/crazybelgian got Np with stuff from america. I just stated teh fact that McDonalds isn't making as much profits in Belgium as they would have liked, this is mainly because of the many restaurants and taverns we have in Belgium and the fact that there is "Quick" a belgian fastfood chain which is a bit more "stylish", after we belgians are all Style! But most of all, Belgians go to "fritkotten" Which is the origin of fastfood.

Btw, you know I ain't fat :D
Europeans are getting fatter, I agree on that, I blame it on ignorance, stubbornness, lameness and complete and utter stupidity of many Europeans.

[Gunther TheBlack]

Uh, why the hell is McDonalds so popular? All the MTV watching teenagers go there all the time and the food there comes in small portions and tastes bad. Kebab/pizzerias by the turks all the way!


I despise Kebaps (turkish restaurants)
I'm still stuck to the chauvinistic Belgian "fritkot".

[rKos]

I despise Kebaps (turkish restaurants)
I'm still stuck to the chauvinistic Belgian "fritkot".

Well local grills/kiosks are usually good too.

[Rotten_Pieces]

Football (soccer) is popular in Europe...American Football is popular in America, end of story. Stop argueing like little special people.

[Darkmatter]

I'd play Hockey or American Football if it was popular here and easy to find someone to play with, it isn't. I'm stuck with football, which in my opinion is a great sport - easy to play, hard to master, a world sport no doubt.

[MrShine]

As much as I enjoy watching American Football, Soccer (or football I guess) is a waaaaaaaaay more globally popular sport. That said, I find it frightening how seriously people take it :ohno:

McDonalds sucks, but 6 chicken nuggets for A DOLLER?????? How can you NOT buy that up??!? A shame the deal expired last week :(

[Aragoni]

That said, I find it frightening how seriously people take it :ohno:

Italian huligans FTW! (especially yesterday)

[TiraX]

Are americans actually proud of mcdonalds? rofl

personally

football > american football
cricket < baseball

[Gunther TheBlack]

Are americans actually proud of mcdonalds? rofl

personally

football > american football
cricket < baseball


I don't think we should compare american football with football.
Completely different sports.


I like both of them actually :p
Anyway, I like the american sport culture. People are a lot more into sport in the USA than us europeans.

The name system is also nice, giving each team a nickname is cool, altho during my youth i played for a football team called "KFC Springsun" roughly translated :p

Also I don't think you got a lot of hooliganism either, unlike europe and south america were there are tons of hooligans and fights because of them.

[Fylraen]

I love American football. I also love soccer.

Soccer's the #1 kids sport in the USA, btw.

[Slypieguy]

Soccer is only fun if you are playing it. Football is fun to watch and play. That's why football wins.

[Brilliant]

I love American football. I also love soccer.

Soccer's the #1 kids sport in the USA, btw.

Yeah, I was gonna say, kids love soccer here. Its possible that in another generation it will be a much bigger market.

[Joao Magalhaes]

http://www.nfleurope.com/

It's just a matter of time. First McDonalds, then Starbucks, and soon Football.

Roid sports dont have a chance here :s

[Slypieguy]

Yeah, I was gonna say, kids love soccer here. Its possible that in another generation it will be a much bigger market.

It's been that way for a while actually. I think my generation was the first generation of "soccer kids." Right around the '94 world cup it got huge here. I played for about 10 years and have an actual appreciation of the game, but I still to this day can't watch a match on tv due to boredom.

[Gunther TheBlack]

It's been that way for a while actually. I think my generation was the first generation of "soccer kids." Right around the '94 world cup it got huge here. I played for about 10 years and have an actual appreciation of the game, but I still to this day can't watch a match on tv due to boredom.

Yeh it's odd, i'm a football fan myself, i played it for years, but i also get bored to death by matches unless it's a match of my national team. Or international games for the european cup or the worldcup and champions league matches.




Btw the Italian football competition has stopped today for god knows how long because someone died during a hooligan war between the fans of Palermo and another Sicillian club.

[Mungad]

Don't forget that football only exists in the USA for a good 11 years.

It's hardly new in the USA. We've even had a few football leagues go broke in the past actually.

http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/overview.html

[Vanno]

How come American football have world championsships??
They are the only one doing it?? Or?

Well, we don't exactly have stiff competition from the rest of the world, so it is probably safe to assuem we have the best football teams out there (not Soccer, but pads and pigskin football).

[pronkyou2]

International Football is exactly that. International. Every country except for America loves International Football. Even Asia. I hate Americans. America is all well and good, but Americans are...

[MrShine]

I hate Americans. America is all well and good, but Americans are...

Aw...you hurt my feelings :(

If I wasn't so morbidly obese, opinionated, arrogant, lazy, and stupid, I would make you take that comment back! Probably with guns.

[Moonshield]

Oh my god. Too much hating here. It looks like some people want another world war. Gosh!

:ohno:

[Jyibe]

Rugby > football.

Rugby athletes are more skilled on the whole. Football athletes are more "athletic"-stronger and faster--on the whole.

[Leric]

How come American football have world championsships??
They are the only one doing it?? Or?

Our only competition are the fucking canadians.

[Leric]

LMAO


it has zero TV coverage and tiny gate receipts - no one here wants it

Same for soccer here.


That's right, I called it soccer.

[Malhavok]

The main reason why america turned rugby into american football, cricket into baseball and despise real football is because they broke of with their colonial past and wanted to create their own sports and not be affiliated with their former masters again.

Until today they keep doing this, altho football is getting a foothold in the USA lately, it still has a loooooooooooooong way to go tho.

Another big factor for the USA not getting into football or rugby is because there are not enough breaks in those sports so the networks can't put advertisement in it, thus the networks also get less profit from showing such sports and thus don't really bother with showing it.

Those are the real reasons. It has nothing to do with a sport being better or not. But with television air-time, money and the past.


Anyway, I hope Scotland wins.

I like how the way to popularize soccer in America is to pay someone 250 million. God bless Capitalism.

[pronkyou2]

Aw...you hurt my feelings :(

If I wasn't so morbidly obese, opinionated, arrogant, lazy, and stupid, I would make you take that comment back! Probably with guns.
lol, doesn't that speak for so many. I respect Americans that actually value honour, but most Americans are as you say... at least to some extent. I've met a few good people, but they are just that, people. They could have been from any country and been the good people they are. Too bad there aren't more.

[Dragonfly]

i thought i would correct some of the statements in here.

there are european football players. even australians. Philly brought in a 2nd punter from Australia.

One of the New Jersey teams has an Australian too I think.

NFLs team are given an extra slot for european players during camp.

The Eagles have a big German dude and some other teams have Euro guys too.

Sebastion Janikowski is from Poland.

Thomas Tapeh, eagles starting fb, is from Liberia.

Christian Okoye in K.C. was from Nigeria.

the nfl had a preseason game in osaka japan and it was huge. here is a nice article about american football in japan. its a dated article, but i read one recently about japanese players i just couldnt find it. http://www.nfl.com/ce/feature/0,3783,5573579,00.html

mexico had a preseason game and it sold out the football stadium. more than 80k ppl if i recall. and for a preseason game. theres alot of mexican americans so i guess i understand that. theres even been talk of a regular season game being held in a foreign country.

i could go on and on and explain to the nubs why they wear pads (theyre bigger and faster than futbol and rugby players) but i wont. (the Eagles average offensive lineman weighs 340 lbs at 6 foot 5-6 inches.

futbol will never be as big as football in america. we love seeing shit like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axtcDLC_qdo

i smile everytime i see the hit on crumpler (4:05)

p.s. Beckham won't help futbol in America. They tried the same shit with an even better player (pele) in the 70's and the league still flopped.

p.s.s. my favorite sports movie is about futbol (Victory) Rocky Balboa plays the goalie. cant get better than that

[Matriel]

Are americans actually proud of mcdonalds? rofl



Nah, just find it amusing that it's dominating Europe. :) Go to Maynard James Keenan's blog on MySpace and look at the picture of him in Starbucks in Paris. Laughing about it's cultural uniqueness. :)

[Matriel]

lol, doesn't that speak for so many. I respect Americans that actually value honour, but most Americans are as you say... at least to some extent. I've met a few good people, but they are just that, people. They could have been from any country and been the good people they are. Too bad there aren't more.

I'd say you're pretty much basing Americans off of a stereotype. Most Americans are very nice people. Especially when compared to Europeans. Ask some of the Euros here that have traveled.

Our problem is that we're probably too nationalistic at times. And most Americans don't handle foreign criticism well. Better that than being a pompous ass like the shitheads in Paris, France.

[pronkyou2]

I'd say you're pretty much basing Americans off of a stereotype. Most Americans are very nice people. Especially when compared to Europeans. Ask some of the Euros here that have traveled.

Our problem is that we're probably too nationalistic at times. And most Americans don't handle foreign criticism well. Better that than being a pompous ass like the shitheads in Paris, France.
I'm American, mate. I know as well as any other how shitty the people are. In fact, I would likely say the same thing about any country, assuming that I had lived there for awhile. People are selfish by nature, afterall, so only 3 of every 1000 are actually worth the shit. Everyone else is just wandering through life on what they find is the path of least resistance.

[Moonshield]

I'd say you're pretty much basing Americans off of a stereotype. Most Americans are very nice people. Especially when compared to Europeans. Ask some of the Euros here that have traveled.

Ze Germanz are not vvery neiz, zats right.

[Komako]

I laugh at the moron that claims real Football will never be popular in the USA.

Football is the number #1 sport for American children. New leagues and clubs for U8-U18 players are being established every season all across the USA.

Although, if Football never gains popularity, it'll be do to the lack of referees. Reffing just takes way too much effort. As a referee I have to say that not much is worse than calling a penalty kick on a hispanic dominated team. So many new referees realize that every game somebody is going to hate their guts and give them shit and usually quit reffing soon afterwards. In fact, there are so few referees, you can pretty much call a game however you like and you won't get your license revoked ;P

[Dragonfly]

Football is the number #1 sport for American children. New leagues and clubs for U8-U18 players are being established every season all across the USA.

thats right. and it was like that when i was a kid.

but you know what?

we werent allowed to play football at school and alot of parents dont let their kids play tackle football outside of school until they are older.

In my school, you werent allowed to play until 7th grade.

so you know what sports kids played before then? or sometimes after when they werent tough enough to play football or their parents still wouldnt let them?

you guessed it, baseball and soccer.

look euros, football is a violent sport, futbol is not. america loves violence. look at tv and hollywood. we eat it up.

add some punching or spiked clubs to futbol and im sure america will eat it up.

until then....i ll be watching the superbowl tommorow. and so will most of america

[Leric]

^ Agreed, even nascar has higher ratings than soccer. And deep down inside nascar fans want to see a wreck.

If not then why the hell are they watching people make a continuous left turn for 3 hours?

[Matriel]

I'm American, mate. I know as well as any other how shitty the people are. In fact, I would likely say the same thing about any country, assuming that I had lived there for awhile. People are selfish by nature, afterall, so only 3 of every 1000 are actually worth the shit. Everyone else is just wandering through life on what they find is the path of least resistance.

So, what's it like going through life jaded and upset?

[Nadir]

Uh, why the hell is McDonalds so popular? All the MTV watching teenagers go there all the time and the food there comes in small portions and tastes bad. Kebab/pizzerias by the turks all the way!


English was a useful and popular language even when the Soviet Union existed, but yes, its popular and useful because of the US not England.

(y)

[Dreadknought]

i presume you are referring to football - the biggest and most popular sport in the world as opposed to rugby

but american football (fagball to us) is way unpopular in europe

Actually baseball is way more popular. All the asians love baseball.

[Titus Ultor]

Lol, kids have played soccer for over a generation now -- it's just the sport concerned moms think their kids can play without getting challenged or hurt. And for once, they're completely right about it.

What happens is that the girls stop playing and watching sports altogether, and the boys switch to real sports such as basketball or football. My high school had the state's best soccer team for most of the time I was there and the stadium was still half-empty. Our football team lost just about every game but still filled the stands much more fully.

[Bawlin]

I hate reading through a thread, thinking why are all the links a year old or broken, only to realize its a FUCKING YEAR OLD! FUCKING NECROERS!

[Hackapell]

I hate reading through a thread, thinking why are all the links a year old or broken, only to realize its a FUCKING YEAR OLD! FUCKING NECROERS!
Yes.