If American Football wasn't called "football", would it be more popular...

[QUOTE=johndeeregreen]It just blows my mind how butthurt and defensive Euros get the second anyone says "NFL has crazy athletes and is insanely violent." It's like saying that is an immediate challenge to their manhood and they go crazy trying to make it sound like NFL is like Nerf rugby. Get a f*cking clue guys, nobody's saying you don't have to be a great athlete to play soccer/rugby/aussie rules, whatever. This isn't a personal challenge to you. Take a breath and get a grip.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. That's the only thing that gets me. They tend to refuse to acknowledge the talent and athleticism of NFL players just because of the padding, and love to compare american football to rugby even though the two sports are quite different. All of the professional athletes from these sports are great athletes in their own right.

The padding HELPS the players be more violent. If they didn't have pads, it would be more like rugby/aussie rules fb. You simply can't generate as much force without pads. If you put a metal cage, an unbreakable helmet, and shoulder pads on theses savage Polynesians in rugby, you would get way crazier hits.

Americans dont care what the rest of the world thinks about it's sports...

We are practically oblivious to the rest of the world.

I think this p*sses off Euros

We play against ourselves for the world championship :oldlol: dont even consider the rest of the world...

Someone mentioned earlier that football is by far the most popular sport in America, and its true..

we couldnt care less what the rest of the world thinks either. I think that bothers people who arent from here..

Football is incredibly violent but also full of strategy.. almost like chess. its a great combination of violence and strategy

plus there are only 16 games (So every play and every game is very important) and a week between each game to properly build the hype

[QUOTE=Maksimilian]Cool what are the other facets of athleticism?

And why would NFL players automatically be faster? Is it because African-Americans (And Carabean Africans) dominate running events at the olympics so it means African Americans in the NFL could do it too? Isnt that stereotyping?

By that logic Soccer players should automaticaly be stronger than NFL players because white Europeans dominate the world in weight lifting, Crossfit Judo, and wrestling etc?

[B]Right????[/B][/QUOTE]
:facepalm :facepalm

because they have this thing called the NFL COMBINE that measure a ton of data from athletic tests....wtf is wrong with people here?

you can't really run the 40 much faster than top tier nfl players

[QUOTE=johndeeregreen]It just blows my mind how butthurt and defensive Euros get the second anyone says "NFL has crazy athletes and is insanely violent." It's like saying that is an immediate challenge to their manhood and they go crazy trying to make it sound like NFL is like Nerf rugby. Get a f*cking clue guys, nobody's saying you don't have to be a great athlete to play soccer/rugby/aussie rules, whatever. This isn't a personal challenge to you. Take a breath and get a grip.[/QUOTE]

Yup.

Someone saying that a small sport drawing from a very small pool of talent might not have the best athletic talent in the world = "getting very defensive"

It's just facts and common sense here. Scale matters. If you have a sport that is practiced by 50000 people and compare it to a sport that is practiced by 50 million people, the latter will have superior athletes. No reason to get butt hurt over that.

[QUOTE=LJJ]Yup.

Someone saying that a small sport drawing from a very small pool of talent might not have the best athletic talent in the world = "getting very defensive"

It's just facts and common sense here. Scale matters. If you have a sport that is practiced by 50000 people and compare it to a sport that is practiced by 50 million people, the latter will have superior athletes. No reason to get butt hurt over that.[/QUOTE]
:wtf:

[QUOTE=LJJ]Yup.

Someone saying that a small sport drawing from a very small pool of talent might not have the best athletic talent in the world = "getting very defensive"

It's just facts and common sense here. Scale matters. If you have a sport that is practiced by 50000 people and compare it to a sport that is practiced by 50 million people, the latter will have superior athletes. No reason to get butt hurt over that.[/QUOTE]




these players are bred and hand picked specifically for the elite telent and skills they have

the pool is so small precisely because the skill set needed to qualify is incredibly specific..

Only the fastest, strongest, and most agile players can even qualify to get a look at an NFL combine

[QUOTE=Rasheed1]these players are bred and hand picked specifically for the elite telent and skills they have

the pool is so small precisely because the skill set needed to qualify is incredibly specific..

Only the fastest, strongest, and most agile players can even qualify to get a look at an NFL combine[/QUOTE]

The pool is small because it's played in one country, not for any other reason.

To understand how the rest of the world looks at American Football, you only need to look at Sumo. The Japanese think of these Sumo athletes as the greatest in the world also, but nobody in America really takes it seriously and people see it as an insignificant, marginal novelty. That's[I] exactly [/I]how everybody outside of the US views American Football, and with good reason because that's is basically what it is.

lolwut

[QUOTE=LJJ]The pool is small because it's played in one country, not for any other reason.

To understand how the rest of the world looks at American Football, you only need to look at Sumo. The Japanese think of these Sumo athletes as the greatest in the world also, but nobody in America really takes it seriously and people see it as an insignificant, marginal novelty. That's[I] exactly [/I]how everybody outside of the US views American Football, and with good reason because that's is basically what it is.[/QUOTE]

lol, i'm from outside america and definitely don't view american football as an insignificant, marginal activity.

you're trying to portray your obvious misguided opinion on the sport as a global consensus

[QUOTE=LJJ]The pool is small because it's played in one country, not for any other reason.

To understand how the rest of the world looks at American Football, you only need to look at Sumo. The Japanese think of these Sumo athletes as the greatest in the world also, but nobody in America really takes it seriously and people see it as an insignificant, marginal novelty. That's[I] exactly [/I]how everybody outside of the US views American Football, and with good reason because that's is basically what it is.[/QUOTE]

Definitely one of the dumbest things I've read on ISH.

[QUOTE=LJJ]The pool is small because it's played in one country, not for any other reason.[/quote]


the pool is so small because most people do not qualify...



[quote]
To understand how the rest of the world looks at American Football, you only need to look at Sumo. The Japanese think of these Sumo athletes as the greatest in the world also, but nobody in America really takes it seriously and people see it as an insignificant, marginal novelty. That's[I] exactly [/I]how everybody outside of the US views American Football, and with good reason because that's is basically what it is.[/QUOTE]


^thats poor logic..

if you really wanna be taken seriously by anybody in this thread? you need to use logic that shows you actually know something about the sport you are talking about.. you cant judge the NFL by comparing it sumo wrestling :oldlol: thats dumb..


players are bred from pop warner through high school and college, and then? only the biggest fastest and strongest make the league

you are making a fool of yourself right now pal.. :oldlol: stop trollin

[QUOTE=Andrew Wiggins]lol, i'm from outside america and definitely don't view american football as an insignificant, marginal activity.

you're trying to portray your obvious misguided opinion on the sport as a global consensus[/QUOTE]

And you don't think you are an outlier? Unlike some people I'm definitely open to other perspectives.

Do you have any indication besides your personal anecdotes that American Football is more than a very marginal sport anywhere outside of North America?

[QUOTE=Rasheed1]the pool is so small because most people do not qualify...






^thats poor logic..

if you really wanna be taken seriously by anybody in this thread? you need to use logic that shows you actually know something about the sport you are talking about.. you cant judge the NFL by comparing it sumo wrestling :oldlol: thats dumb..


players are bred from pop warner through high school and college, and then? only the biggest fastest and strongest make the league

you are making a fool of yourself in this mang.. :oldlol: stop trollin[/QUOTE]

Everything you say here applies to Sumo. Why don't you take Sumo seriously? Greatest athletes in the world, they say.

[QUOTE=LJJ]And you don't think you are an outlier? Unlike some people I'm definitely open to other perspectives.

Do you have any indication besides your personal anecdotes that American Football is more than a very marginal sport anywhere outside of North America?[/QUOTE]

what do you think qualifies you to state "how everybody outside of the US views American Football" ?

my word, what a global denizen you are

LJJ just stop :oldlol:

its not workin..

[QUOTE=LJJ]
Do you have any indication besides your personal anecdotes that American Football is more than a very marginal sport anywhere outside of North America?[/QUOTE]

And soccer is widely regarded as a boring p[COLOR="Black"]u[/COLOR]ssy sport here in America that doesn't require nearly as much strength, toughness, and strategy as football. Agree or not, that's what a lot of Americans say about soccer.

[QUOTE=Andrew Wiggins]what do you think qualifies you to state "how everybody outside of the US views American Football" ?

my word, what a global denizen you are[/QUOTE]

That's not really an argument. What qualifies you to say I'm wrong? We are talking on a messageboard, not comparing CV's. "You are no expert" "Nooo, you are no expert" "Noooo, you are no expert". Nobody here is an expert on anything.


One only needs to look at the level of professionalism and competition in the sport outside of North America to identify it as a marginal sport, really.

LJJ is a retard.

How you going to have 13,000+ post on a sports forum when you barely know anything about sports?

:biggums:

[QUOTE=Rasheed1]LJJ just stop :oldlol:

its not workin..[/QUOTE]

He, at least I back up my arguments with data and valid comparisons.

None of you guys are really bringing anything here except: "This is America here, we are number 1. Deal with it!"

I'm not even trying to change anyone's mind. I like reading what other people think even if I disagree with them, but so far I haven't been able to provoke anyone into posting quality other than Thorpe.

[QUOTE=LJJ]That's not really an argument. What qualifies you to say I'm wrong? We are talking on a messageboard, not comparing CV's. "You are no expert" "Nooo, you are no expert" "Noooo, you are no expert". Nobody here is an expert on anything.


One only needs to look at the level of professionalism and competition in the sport outside of North America to identify it as a marginal sport, really.[/QUOTE]

So which sport do you think has the best athletes?

[QUOTE=ItsMillerTime]LJJ is a retard.

How you going to have 13,000+ post on a sports forum when you barely know anything about sports?

:biggums:[/QUOTE]


:roll: he's using arguments that have nothing to do at all with the sport itself.

what people in Japan think of the NFL has no bearing at all on the actual quality of the athletes in the NFL

its a hilarious argument

[QUOTE=LJJ]He, at least I back up my arguments with data and valid comparisons.

None of you guys are really bringing anything here except: "This is America here, we are number 1. Deal with it!"

I'm not even trying to change anyone's mind. I like reading what other people think even if I disagree with them, but so far I haven't been able to provoke anyone into posting quality other than Thorpe.[/QUOTE]

So which sport do you think has the best athletes?

[QUOTE=lefthook00]So which sport do you think has the best athletes?[/QUOTE]

It kind of depends what type of athletics you value more.

In general though, I figure the sport with the most high level competitors reaches the highest level of competition.

[QUOTE=LJJ]He, at least I back up my arguments with data and valid comparisons.

None of you guys are really bringing anything here except: "This is America here, we are number 1. Deal with it!"

I'm not even trying to change anyone's mind. I like reading what other people think even if I disagree with them, but so far I haven't been able to provoke anyone into posting quality other than Thorpe.[/QUOTE]

you haven't backed up shit. first you said that it was a sport with marginal athletes but your so called valid data and comparisons are on the precedent that the sport has a relatively low number of participants relative to more popular sports. then you proceed to argue why american football is insignificant in the global landscape.

what you fail to take into account is that your definition of what constitutes a good or great athlete is simply your opinion. some may define a great athlete as someone who thrives in a certain sport but others may define one as an individual with the best measurable statistics among various physical tests like a sprint time, vertical leap, endurance test, and so on.

i consider adrian peterson and killian jornet amazing athletes but they could not be any more different

It's easy to explain I think.

Football is, in a basic form, a variation of an already established popular worldwide sport.

Whereas basketball was a novel, truly original sport.

[QUOTE=LJJ]It kind of depends what type of athletics you value more.

In general though, I figure the sport with the most high level competitors reaches the highest level of competition.[/QUOTE]


do you actually follow any sports? :oldlol:

[QUOTE=Andrew Wiggins]you haven't backed up shit. first you said that it was a sport with marginal athletes but your so called valid data and comparisons are on the precedent that the sport has a relatively low number of participants relative to more popular sports. then you proceed to argue why american football is insignificant in the global landscape.

what you fail to take into account is that your definition of what constitutes a good or great athlete is simply your opinion. some may define a great athlete as someone who thrives in a certain sport but others may define one as an individual with the best measurable statistics among various physical tests like a sprint time, vertical leap, endurance test, and so on.

i consider adrian peterson and killian jornet amazing athletes but they could not be any more different[/QUOTE]

Every opinion I give is my opinion indeed, I don't see why that's relevant? "That's just your opinion". "You're not really any expert". Yes, yes. That really goes without saying.

Are you really saying that my argument that American Football has a very low global participation level is not verifiable and untrue? I think that is a solid, verifiable assertion. I also think that stating that because of this fact American Football lacks some of the scale benefits other sports enjoy is a logical conclusion.

[QUOTE=LJJ]Every opinion I give is my opinion indeed, I don't see why that's relevant? "That's just your opinion". "You're not really any expert". Yes, yes. That really goes without saying.

Are you really saying that my argument that American Football has a very low global participation level is not verifiable and untrue? I think that is a solid, verifiable assertion. I also think that stating that because of this fact American Football lacks some of the scale benefits other sports enjoy is a logical conclusion.[/QUOTE]


what is your favorite sport?

[QUOTE=Rasheed1]what is your favorite sport?[/QUOTE]

Make a guess Sherlock Holmes.

[QUOTE=LJJ]Make a guess Sherlock Holmes.[/QUOTE]


you dont follow sports do you? :roll:

[QUOTE=ProfessorMurder]That's how it is with almost every sport.

The pool is proportional to the amount of people trying. There would be a lot more football players in the world if it was a global sport.[/QUOTE]


I dont deny that... there definitely would be more players if there were more teams across the globe, but the level in the talent pool would also be watered down and not necessarily better..



it also doesnt mean that it makes the sport "marginal" and "insignificant"

soccer is for gay fa[COLOR="Black"]gs[/COLOR], they just run around and pass and sometime they shoot.

[QUOTE=ProfessorMurder]Agreed, but the best talent will almost always land in the best league (i.e. NBA).[/QUOTE]


yup... Im sure there are some guys across the globe who be spectacular talents in the NFL if they had a league or something similar in their country like basketball does, where they could show their talent and draw attention to themselves

[QUOTE=LJJ]Every opinion I give is my opinion indeed, I don't see why that's relevant? "That's just your opinion". "You're not really any expert". Yes, yes. That really goes without saying.

Are you really saying that my argument that American Football has a very low global participation level is not verifiable and untrue? I think that is a solid, verifiable assertion. I also think that stating that because of this fact American Football lacks some of the scale benefits other sports enjoy is a logical conclusion.[/QUOTE]

once again you're missing the point.

no one's disputing the sport having a low participation level. but that doesn't necessarily equate to NFL players being "marginal athletes". the way people in this thread, americans i assume, are defining athleticism is by some of measurable abilities i mentioned earlier. if you define how good of an athlete someone is by those measurables, then many nfl players would likely be top notch "athletes"

It'd be more popular if it were a better sport, and not just athletes with no skill to speak of running into each other in between commercial breaks.

Most boring sport in the face of the planet, nothing happens, played on 10 seconds spurts followed by minutes of nothingness. No skill required whatsoever, absolutely no skill.

Last time i watched someone kicked the ball forward, someone from the other team picked it up, and i was like "wow amazing, about the pass the 10 seconds mark", the guy then kneels, ref whistle, game stops. that was it for me, never watching that crap again.


looking how popular baseball and football is i don't understand how watching paint dry isn't a national hobby in the US.


[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWgg20IqibM[/url]


and as someone that watched rugby as a kid rugby >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> american crap football

[QUOTE=blablabla]It'd be more popular if it were a better sport, and not just athletes with no skill to speak of running into each other in between commercial breaks.[/QUOTE]

Wow. Another moron who has no knowledge of the sport spouting off.

Shit is boring as fvck. Nothing but fvcking commercials.

Basketball & Soccer >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>