Other sports

[northbank123]

Fair enough if someone is shooting their mouth off pretending to be a fountain of knowledge but in general terms I don't see the problem with people getting into big sporting spectacles like the Lions, Wimbledon, the Ryder Cup, the Ashes, Tour de France etc despite not being a massive follower of the sport. Also, the nature of those events is different to anything in club football. They're huge standalone events, not exactly like somebody who gets excited about two games out of a 38-game league season or even a cup final after ignoring the competition for the past 7 months.

Taking the Lions tour as an example, just how much rugby does somebody have to watch for the rest of the year to escape your scorn for cheering them on? Would following their country in the 6 Nations suffice? Or would they have to watch most/all of the other games in the 6 Nations too? Presumably they have to have club allegiances - how many domestic games do they have to watch? Are they obliged to watch Heineken Cup semi-finals and finals, regardless of who's playing? Do they actually have to attend games?

[g88ner]

Ok... I thought personal abuse was banned around here but I guess you're an exception?

Why do I "know full well" you don't have those views? Because you're so clever that you can't possibly be wrong about anything?

I'm sorry, I didn't realise that finding sporting merit in population sizes was such a mainstream view that to disagree with it is to be a WUM.

Oh my lord, are you even reading anything I'm writing before you chuck in these cheap shot relpies? Mate, you're completely misreading what I said and I'm unsure why, because it's all there in plain English and when I try and clear it up, it's like you're not even reading my posts before writing your next throw away remark

I even tried to clear my views up by saying..

What I'm saying is that England are a proud and successful rugby nation, with a history of rivalry with the Aussies that makes any encounter between the two a glorious occasion for the victor.
- now, for me, considering our rivalry and history with the Aussies, I'm not sure it's all that glorious that we recruit other nations help to attempt to beat them, that's all. It devalues the victory - not to the point that it's not worth acknowledging, but it is what it is. Then you look at the population stats, and it makes me feel a little more uneasy still.

and you respond with...

Sport must be really boring if you just compare populations - the lions aren't 3.043478260869565 times better then Australia . You certainly can't have enjoyed many Ashes series over the years

and even now you're still going with...

I'm sorry, I didn't realise that finding sporting merit in population sizes was such a mainstream view that to disagree with it is to be a WUM.

It's insane. I don't hold either of those views.. yet you plough on regardless

As the the abuse bit... really? ffs mate, how long have we both been on here? are you really going down that road? I have to admit I'm disappointed you're calling me out on such a trivial matter. That's the cheapest shot of the lot. If it really has offended you then by all means contact the other mods, but I sincerely hope they tell you to jog on as I'd have been embarrassed to even bring that up.

[g88ner]

Taking the Lions tour as an example, just how much rugby does somebody have to watch for the rest of the year to escape your scorn for cheering them on? Would following their country in the 6 Nations suffice? Or would they have to watch most/all of the other games in the 6 Nations too? Presumably they have to have club allegiances - how many domestic games do they have to watch? Are they obliged to watch Heineken Cup semi-finals and finals, regardless of who's playing? Do they actually have to attend games?

I don't think that's aimed at me, but I've been to watch the Lions in New Zealand. There's no scorn and no looking down my nose... I'm just not convinced, on a sporting level, that it's all that glorious to win it. Much bigger accomplishment for the Aussies and All Blacks to defeat the best of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Only my opinion though.

[Swifty]

The Lions tour is an excellent occasion - unlike cricket these days where supply is far outweighing demand - having to wait 12 years for a Lions tour to these shores is outstanding in its buildup and its ability to capture imagination. Now, given it is a current topic, how is it that you lot get to band together for the Olympics and the Lions but not for Football and Commonwealth games, amongst other things.

Surely the countries of Britain would prefer their own identity at the Olympics???

On the downside, the ashes are about to start and I have to say that the ridiculous amount of cricket played these days has just watered down the entire sport - ive never seen the interest so low.

[LDB]

and you respond with...

Sport must be really boring if you just compare populations - the lions aren't 3.043478260869565 times better then Australia . You certainly can't have enjoyed many Ashes series over the years

That was only a tiny part of my response which was meant to be tongue-in-cheek and certainly not intended to wind you up the way it clearly has. I stand by the point though that the population and size does not detract from the lions victory in any way

It's insane. I don't hold either of those views.. yet you plough on regardless

Yeah, but I still feel uneasy that a nation of 57 million (England) teams up with Scotland, Wales and Ireland (taking the population to around 70 million) to play Australia (23 million)... or worse, the All Blacks (4.5million!!! )

I'm just not sure there's much glory in that, to be honest

Is what you said and now I may be a bit simple but that reads to me that you put a fair amount of emphasis on population sizes, non? But whatever, you've added all sorts of caveats since then so I'll drop it.

As the the abuse bit... really? ffs mate, how long have we both been on here? are you really going down that road? I have to admit I'm disappointed you're calling me out on such a trivial matter. That's the cheapest shot of the lot. If it really has offended you then by all means contact the other mods, but I sincerely hope they tell you to jog on as I'd have been embarrassed to even bring that up.

I don't like being called a prick, sorry about that old bean. My fault.

[northbank123]

The Lions tour is an excellent occasion - unlike cricket these days where supply is far outweighing demand - having to wait 12 years for a Lions tour to these shores is outstanding in its buildup and its ability to capture imagination. Now, given it is a current topic, how is it that you lot get to band together for the Olympics and the Lions but not for Football and Commonwealth games, amongst other things.

Surely the countries of Britain would prefer their own identity at the Olympics???

On the downside, the ashes are about to start and I have to say that the ridiculous amount of cricket played these days has just watered down the entire sport - ive never seen the interest so low.

It's all about the history and sporting culture really. People are used to cheering on "GB" in the Olympics and since childhood will have seen replays of British successes in the past. Likewise with the LIons for those that are interested in rugby. Football doesn't have that history, and beyond that is far more tribal in terms of support than other sports. I have to admit that the idea of a British football team to me is absolutely abhorrent - I'm proud to be British but I don't feel represented at all by a Great British team singing God Save the Queen, and my answer would be the same whether there was 1 or 7 Welsh players in the team.

As for the Ashes, I agree with you. About bloody time the ICC Champions Trophy was scrapped for a start. Although it will yield some entertainment when it begins the quality in this Ashes series will be far far below past series. England have some good batsman and are a great bowling outfit, Australia are a good bowling team. But thinking back to 2005, an exciting England team beating the Australian team packed full of players that had dominated the sport for a decade was absolutely superb and revitalised cricket in this country far more than the advent of twenty20. I wouldn't quite characterise this series as two bald men fighting over a comb, and it will always be a good spectacle, but the best two teams in Test cricket they are not. Thought about getting a ticket for one day in the first Test but £80 was too steep for me.

g88ner - it was aimed at LDB/Dan's posts. Although if you went to NZ in 05 I guess it explains your Lions bitterness but on a serious note I understand what you're saying in general terms, but the reality is that the Southern Hemisphere sides - and NZ in particular - have been the pinnacle of world rugby for a long long time, and despite the Home Nations picking up the odd win against those sides 6 WCs out of 7 speaks for itself. It goes beyond that though, it's the sentimentality involved. It's the spectacle and the concept, not just about ganging up on smaller nations because we can't turn them over individually. I imagine that the Lions will evoke different memories and sources of pride for each of the Home Nations.

[Dan_85]

It's hard to explain but the reason I despise these kinda events is that, basically, it brings out all the tossers. These people, certainly the ones I know, look down their nose at football fans. I get shit off people throughout the year; football fans are scumbags, why do you follow football, it's not a proper sport, its full of money, overpaid, overpampered players etc etc. Despite the fact that i'll spend almost an entire weekend traipsing up to the far end of the country and back to watch us lose in the pissing rain.

Then these same wankers pipe up when Wimbledon or something rolls around, they post photos of themselves watching on a big screen, in a park in the sun, with a picnic and pimms and they're suddenly the biggest patriots, experts and sports fans going, despite investing no financial or emotional connection to the sport or team. "Come on Andy! Well done the lions! Now let's beat the windies in the cricket!" Fuck off, what do you know about being a supporter?

I would feel a fraud, fawning over Murray or the lions a couple of times a year when really i know nothing about the sport and don't invest anything in it for the remaining 51 weeks of the year. Don't latch onto the glory moments and self-appreciate on social media when you talk down to those who invest serious amounts of time and money to following a sport they love for an entire 9 month season.

[northbank123]

Right, so your gripe really lies with people being mean to you about football?

Football is unlike any other sport in the UK because of its tribal element. As a football fan to be worth your salt you essentially have to nail your colours to a team's mast and are obliged to hate several other teams. Everybody judges other football fans on how big a fan they are - how much time they devote, how much money they spend, their views etc.

You just have to accept that the same values don't exist in those other sports - they're not 'all or nothing' like being a football fan. Even a massive tennis enthusiast would baulk at the idea of staying up til stupid o'clock watching every Andy Murray in tinpot tournaments around the world and convincing themselves that Djokovic and his other rivals are complete wankers - even though that sort of commitment would be required by a football fan if he wanted to seem credible. Rugby is probably the most similar to football, especially international matches, but fans drink in the same pubs, sit in the same stand and aren't concerned with how many Aviva Premiership or ProDirect matches the person next to them has been to watch that year (unless they're a particularly clueless prick). I know plenty of massive cricket fans that missed most of England's glorious wins in Australia and India because they weren't prepared to live nocturnally for weeks - even though if it was football people would undoubtedly slate fans who weren't prepared to make those sacrifices given the sparsity of genuinely great Test series and England's form compared to previous decades.

[I Hate Hleb]

Right, so your gripe really lies with people being mean to you about football? ...

By the way, is it true that Murray is a gooner?

[Dan_85]

Right, so your gripe really lies with people being mean to you about football?

Yes. And I don't like posh people. Or hipsters. Or tennis fans. Or rugby fans. Ever been on a train with them when there's a game on at Twickenham on the same day as Arsenal? Fucking nightmare.

By the way, is it true that Murray is a gooner?

Fuck knows, but AFC were sucking up to him on Twitter last night. I heard they're gonna put Murray's title on the honours boards at AG, along with Mo Farah's Olympic golds...

[northbank123]

I'm glad it's not David Cameron's decision on who receives knighthoods. Could you imagine having to listen to the people on TV, radio etc referring to "Sir Andy Murray" all the time, especially around Wimbledon?

Don't get me wrong, I think his achievement is worthy of the honour and I can understand the rationale behind awarding it to him now rather then when he's 'pishing his last' in the twilight of his career getting knocked out by 19-year olds. I just don't like the thought of him essentially being awarded the highest honour he possibly can given that he will surely be hoping to net at least one more Wimbledon title and another 4+ Grand Slams generally.

[REB]

Right, so your gripe really lies with people being mean to you about football? ...

By the way, is it true that Murray is a gooner?

no he supports hibs but he has been to a few of our games and that's about it.

[DB10GOONER]

Right, so your gripe really lies with people being mean to you about football? ...

By the way, is it true that Murray is a gooner?

no he supports hibs but he has been to a few of our games and that's about it.

What??!!

He's not Engerlish??!!

[Top Londoner]

Right, so your gripe really lies with people being mean to you about football? ...

By the way, is it true that Murray is a gooner?

no he supports hibs but he has been to a few of our games and that's about it.

What??!!

He's not Engerlish??!!

fucking hate computers

[Top Londoner]

Right, so your gripe really lies with people being mean to you about football? ...

By the way, is it true that Murray is a gooner?

no he supports hibs but he has been to a few of our games and that's about it.

What??!!

He's not Engerlish??!!

The c.unt ain't even human.