For you baseball fans...

[martin-w 3,252]

2 hours ago, Matthew Kane said:

But it is far from being mainstream. When Team USA comes to New Zealand to play Rugby everyone always beats them, Canada too as Canada has a much better Rugby program. USA Rugby is still a good 10 years or more away from becoming an international player, but not likely to happen because if you were an American and have some promise in Rugby you would likely trade that for American Football due to a much higher salary. the NFL will always scout that talent away because of better funded sports programs, also the reason why a lot of Pacific Islanders end up swapping Rugby for Football as a career, players like Troy Polamalu etc

 

Oh yes. Certainly isn't mainstream. We need to send some Rugby and Cricket missionaries over the pond. But then Soccer (football to us) wasn't mainstream either at one time, so who knows, maybe in the future it will be more widely adopted. 

[birdguy 3,946]

Many years ago I gave up being a sports fan.  When I lived in Denver I was an avid Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders fan.  Sundays were always football days.

But then the National Football League players went on strike for more pay.  Ya know, a salary ten times or more the salary of an average fan isn't enough.  The substitute players (scabs) were playing on Sundays.  One Sunday just before the game the leader of the Bronco's union (I've forgotten his name) was standing in front of Mile High Stadium.  A young boy came up and asked for his autograph.  They player gave it to him and asked what he was doing there.  The boy told him his father was taking him to the game.  The player asked for the autograph back.  The boy gave it back to him and the player tore it up.  A reporter for ne of the Denver newspapers was there and reported the story.

I haven't watched any sports games on television since except Ninja Warrior.  I care less who wins the Super Bowl or the World Series or the Masters or the Stanley Cup or the World Cup or Wimbledon or whatever the basketball championship is named.

I remember the Sunday my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter came over to watch the Denver Broncos play in the Super Bowl.  The Broncos lost and my son-in-law was so upset he went into the bathroom and threw up and couldn't eat a bite of the roast beef dinner I had prepared.  Not as bad as some of the soccer riots I've watched on TV but is living vicariously with a sports team worth all that?

My favorite sports these days is watching old movies on television while easing back in my recliner with a cup of hot chocolate and some Oreos or flying from Tacoma to Spokane in my Kodiak on my computer or coming here to see who's hanging out on Hangar Chat and seeing what you guys are talking about.

Noel

 

[martin-w 3,252]

56 minutes ago, birdguy said:

The Broncos lost and my son-in-law was so upset he went into the bathroom and threw up and couldn't eat a bite of the roast beef dinner I had prepared

 

Yeah its weird Noel. Related to our tribal nature perhaps. I don't get it to be honest, how you can be so obsessed with a mere sports team you throw up and can't eat if they lose. Crazy stuff.

Our football violence is a thing of the past I believe but was bonkers some time ago. At least I think so, I don't follow it.