A sign that Americans still have a ways to go
in [World Football]
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From: Jesper Lauridsen on 11 Jun 2010 06:41 On 2010-06-09, Jack Hollis <xsleeper(a)aol.com> wrote: > On Thu, 6 May 2010 02:20:28 -0700 (PDT), Insane Ranter ><logwyn(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >>If the US national team didn't tank it so often maybe Americans would >>care more. > > The US dominates Track & Field and your average US sports fan doesn't > care. Top of the medal table, yes, but dominates? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics#Medal_table
From: Jack Hollis on 12 Jun 2010 20:19 On Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:03:40 -0700 (PDT), "Mark V." <markvanderv1(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >I still doubt that parents are pushing ten year old kids to choose one >sport over the other on the basis of potential earnings. "No soccer >for you, young Norbert! Basketball is where the money is at!" It's usually around 12 or 13 that the pressure to give up soccer hits. It comes from not only parents (who see soccer as a sport for kids and girls)) but also Middle School and High School coaches. I had three nephew's go through the Long Island Junior Soccer league and it was the same old story again and again. Most of the best players on the team gave up playing to focus on one of the "major" sports.
From: Jellore on 12 Jun 2010 20:25 On Jun 13, 10:19 am, Jack Hollis <xslee...(a)aol.com> wrote: > On Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:03:40 -0700 (PDT), "Mark V." > > <markvande...(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > >I still doubt that parents are pushing ten year old kids to choose one > >sport over the other on the basis of potential earnings. "No soccer > >for you, young Norbert! Basketball is where the money is at!" > > It's usually around 12 or 13 that the pressure to give up soccer hits. > It comes from not only parents (who see soccer as a sport for kids and > girls)) but also Middle School and High School coaches. I had three > nephew's go through the Long Island Junior Soccer league and it was > the same old story again and again. Most of the best players on the > team gave up playing to focus on one of the "major" sports. To a lesser degree, especially in the sountry areas this also happens in Australia.
From: Jack Hollis on 12 Jun 2010 20:31 On Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:41:02 +0000 (UTC), Jesper Lauridsen <rorschak(a)sorrystofanet.dk> wrote: >On 2010-06-09, Jack Hollis <xsleeper(a)aol.com> wrote: >> On Thu, 6 May 2010 02:20:28 -0700 (PDT), Insane Ranter >><logwyn(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>>If the US national team didn't tank it so often maybe Americans would >>>care more. >> >> The US dominates Track & Field and your average US sports fan doesn't >> care. > >Top of the medal table, yes, but dominates? > >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics#Medal_table From 1983 to 1991 they held the IAF T&F World Championships every four years. Since then it's been held every other year. The US team has won the medal count every time. The US has an almost 2 to one advantage in overall medals and over a three to one advantage in gold medals. If you don't want to call that dominance, that's fine, but there's no doubt that the US is the best in the world. Despite that, T&F has virtually no major following in the US aside for a couple of weeks every four years during the Summer Olympics.
From: Chagney Hunt on 12 Jun 2010 20:50
On Jun 10, 11:03 pm, "Mark V." <markvande...(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > On Jun 10, 3:29 pm, Chagney Hunt <ess...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > On Jun 10, 6:06 pm, "Mark V." <markvande...(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > On Jun 10, 2:37 pm, Manx Gunner <goal(a)4thegunners!com> wrote: > > > > > I've explained this before but I shall be happy to do so again. > > > > > Let's consider a 10-year-old athlete, gifted with the talent to become > > > > world class at whatever sport he chooses to pursue. That athlete has > > > > grown up watching LeBron James (NBA, $100M+ by 21), Steven Strasburg > > > > (MLB, $20M+ by 21), Matthew Stafford (NFL, $50M+ by 21), and Freddy Adu > > > > (MLS, $3M+ by 21). Gee, which do you think he's going to pick? > > > > Ten year olds don't pay close attention to how much athletes make, and > > > even those that do don't make decisions on what sport to play based on > > > salaries. > > > They don't, but they are easily influenced by the parents. The pushy > > parents trend has been on the up. > > I still doubt that parents are pushing ten year old kids to choose one > sport over the other on the basis of potential earnings. "No soccer > for you, young Norbert! Basketball is where the money is at!" I don't think it's as naked as that :-) some parents can be a lot more imaginative in their manipulation :-) Anyway, ESPN did a piece on Clint Dempsey today, did you catch it? |