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International basketball leagues are becoming bigger year by year, it will not be too long before they start stealing talent from the NBA. Professional basketball will actually decrease in popularity rather than gain.
It will never happen because the money is in the NBA and Europe's best players will always come here first and the Europeans still watch the NBA
No, because little kids in South America and Africa who walk around with no shoes on and kick 50 year old used soccer balls can't afford football equipment let alone the coaching staff to teach them.
The fact of the matter is the sports the U.S. kids play require money for the most part with the exception of basketball but even then you need a couple of goals as opposed to soccer in which you can kick around a can an open field in the middle of nowhere. Soccer is a poor man's sport which is why its the most popular sport in the world. Furthermore, the U.S. sports can exist within a microcosm. Europe is so small they need to compete with their neighboring countries which would be like states here.
Wrong! To play competitive soccer one would need: soccer cleats (150 bucks can get you a fairly decent pair, 400 bucks will get you a good high end pair), a ball (anywhere from 20-200 bucks), shin guards (20-100 bucks), socks (15-20 bucks), 2 goals (around 3,000 bucks), not to mention a supporter, and a jersey. Not so 3rd world, huh?
I have played many two-hand touch and tackle American football games with a 10 dollar football from target in an open field in the middle of nowhere. I've played basketball in a barn with one of those peach basket things and a 20 dollar basketball. I've played baseball with a 10 dollar ball, 30 doallar bat and no mit. Does that mean these sports are cheap and 3rd world too?
Also, basketball and baseball are extremely popular in some 2nd and 3rd world countries.
Last edited by Interpol76; 06-15-2010 at 02:03 AM..
No, because little kids in South America and Africa who walk around with no shoes on and kick 50 year old used soccer balls can't afford football equipment let alone the coaching staff to teach them.
The fact of the matter is the sports the U.S. kids play require money for the most part with the exception of basketball but even then you need a couple of goals as opposed to soccer in which you can kick around a can an open field in the middle of nowhere. Soccer is a poor man's sport which is why its the most popular sport in the world. Furthermore, the U.S. sports can exist within a microcosm. Europe is so small they need to compete with their neighboring countries which would be like states here.
Little kids in South America walk around with no shoes???
You need to travel. South American countries are middle and high-middle income economies (gdp).
Football (FiFa) is the most popular sport worldwide. More than 5.5 billion people like to play/watch it. (you are jealous)
NFL "HandOvoid" is only a tv show played by a bunch of fat obese people.
that would never happen to Australian Rules Football or Fifa football players because they are constantly running and burn the fat. No 60+ minutes Ads/commercials. NFL isn't a sport.
Football (FiFa) is the most popular sport worldwide. More than 5.5 billion people like to play/watch it. (you are jealous)
I'll assume you are pulling that figure somewhere and just not citing it, I would like to see the link to whatever company vomited out that number. It's total stat manipulation, maybe of the 6+ billion people on this earth, at some point 5.5 BILLION of them have kicked something resembling a ball with there foot as thats a pretty natural motion, but to lump in the word "watch" along with 5.5 billion is insanely, and transparently, false.
The World Cup was first televised in 1954 and is now the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games. The cumulative audience of all matches of the 2006 World Cup is estimated to be 26.29 billion. 715.1 million individuals watched the final match of this tournament (a ninth of the entire population of the planet). The 2006 World Cup draw, which decided the distribution of teams into groups, was watched by 300 million viewers.
The World Cup was first televised in 1954 and is now the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games. The cumulative audience of all matches of the 2006 World Cup is estimated to be 26.29 billion. 715.1 million individuals watched the final match of this tournament (a ninth of the entire population of the planet). The 2006 World Cup draw, which decided the distribution of teams into groups, was watched by 300 million viewers.
That is no way tells me that 5.5 billion out of the 6+billion people on earth enjoy playing or watching it. Cumulative audience doesn't go very far in showing that. I'm all for saying its a huge event world wide, but that doesn not change my view that 5.5 billion is a overstated, grossly, figure. 715.1 million watched it, that leaves 4.75 billion people that must have been out playing I guess
It will never happen because the money is in the NBA and Europe's best players will always come here first and the Europeans still watch the NBA
You better check that. Some of those owners in Greece are prepared to pay millions a year per player. There are also some middle eastern oil sheiks getting into the business of owning basketball teams and are prepared to throw money around as well. They dont have a salary cap either and that money comes tax free. You better believe that talent will start to go overseas in the next few years. There are already American players playing over there.
that would never happen to Australian Rules Football or Fifa football players because they are constantly running and burn the fat. No 60+ minutes Ads/commercials. NFL isn't a sport.
That is no way tells me that 5.5 billion out of the 6+billion people on earth enjoy playing or watching it. Cumulative audience doesn't go very far in showing that. I'm all for saying its a huge event world wide, but that doesn not change my view that 5.5 billion is a overstated, grossly, figure. 715.1 million watched it, that leaves 4.75 billion people that must have been out playing I guess
Whatever dude! Soccer is still the number 1 sport in the world. Get over it!
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