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FS and Sports Causing Passions Nationwide

Crystallize

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Better that than the situation with Joe Paterno 's football program at Penn State, where because he turned a blind eye to his assistant Jerry Sandudky, assaulting young boys, they took down his statue.

http://m.espn.go.com/ncf/story?storyId=10828351&src=desktop


And now they are putting up a $300k replacement Paterno statue.

Ugh. I really have no words to adequately describe how disgusting I find the lengths to which people will go to cover up and make excuses for sexual abuse in order to protect the sanctity of football. And, of course, people worship Paterno as if he were God. :disapp:
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
There was huge story in the American press in the last week about the high number of kids getting concussions from sports. I'm sure that the final study will point the finger at certain sports like American football. Having said that, I still expect the "powers that be" to decide that the ends justify the means so they will continue to protect the sanctity of football!
 

Anna K.

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Latvia
To most of relief of many of you, Brazil 2014 has started exactly in the mood that shows where the concept “home field advantage” comes from: soccer! Ref’s using his whistle in favor of the home field quite shamelessly and plus this year’s team Brazil are the worst theatrical soccer acts ever! I don’t have any favorites yet so I think I’ll relish watching how refs will push-and-pull this band of clowns the whole way to the final.
OMG that’s something, they’re serious competitors to figure skating! Marcelo only lacked Swan Lake theme and a tunica! :rofl:

God help me not to get banned from GS during this crazy month because of – ehm – showing too much of worldwide sports passion :p
 

Meoima

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
To most of relief of many of you, Brazil 2014 has started exactly in the mood that shows where the concept “home field advantage” comes from: soccer! Ref’s using his whistle in favor of the home field quite shamelessly and plus this year’s team Brazil are the worst theatrical soccer acts ever! I don’t have any favorites yet so I think I’ll relish watching how refs will push-and-pull this band of clowns the whole way to the final.
OMG that’s something, they’re serious competitors to figure skating! Marcelo only lacked Swan Lake theme and a tunica! :rofl:
God help me not to get banned from GS during this crazy month because of – ehm – showing too much of worldwide sports passion :p
I am no fan of Croatia but I had to turn off the tivi early. :disapp:
 

skatedreamer

Medalist
Joined
Feb 18, 2014
Country
United-States
That does it. I'm going to have to start following soccer (oops, football) to keep up here! :laugh: Even my doctor's office has a Brazilian flag in the flower arrangement in their reception area.
 

Alba

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
Can you imagine the home team, 5 times world champions, losing the first opening game to Croatia, being left in 10 (as they should've been) by sending out their best player (Neymar) that everybody was waiting for? :sarcasm:
The mass suicide would've began earlier this time, right after the match, not like in 1950 when they lost the final to Uruguay. :popcorn:
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
One of the many reasons soccer was not taken seriously as an A-grade sport in Australia for many years was the prevalent diving and acting and theatrics. Our sports of cricket, rugby league and AFL didn't have those things; they just got out there and got on with it.

Now the A-league attracts the most crowds of any football code in Australia and diving is becoming more of a problem in league and AFL. Go figure.
 

Alba

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
One of the many reasons soccer was not taken seriously as an A-grade sport in Australia for many years was the prevalent diving and acting and theatrics. Our sports of cricket, rugby league and AFL didn't have those things; they just got out there and got on with it.

I think it does have to do more with culture and traditions. Football was never your game, your tradition, so no matter what it will never be your no. 1 sport. Never say never but....traditions do count, IMO.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
I think it does have to do more with culture and traditions. Football was never your game, your tradition, so no matter what it will never be your no. 1 sport. Never say never but....traditions do count, IMO.

I hope so. The A-league's crowds are huge and the rugby league and AFL crowds are beginning to struggle, even the marquee clubs. The horrible mob mentality that the English/European soccer fans have is starting to pervade our soccer crowds too. Marches down main streets before derby games. Flares and riots in the crowds. Assaults post-match. And the soccer fans scream blue murder if anyone tries to point out that they're becoming soccer hooligans.
 

Alba

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
I hope so. The A-league's crowds are huge and the rugby league and AFL crowds are beginning to struggle, even the marquee clubs. The horrible mob mentality that the English/European soccer fans have is starting to pervade our soccer crowds too. Marches down main streets before derby games. Flares and riots in the crowds. Assaults post-match. And the soccer fans scream blue murder if anyone tries to point out that they're becoming soccer hooligans.

That's interesting. Why is that in your opinion, maybe immigration from other countries have an influence?
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
That's interesting. Why is that in your opinion, maybe immigration from other countries have an influence?

I'm not sure. It could be a number of factors. Soccer itself got a huge boost when the Socceroos made it to the round of 16 in 2006. That we qualified for three world cups in a row has probably helped. Alessandro del Piero was huge for soccer in Australia because for once the A-league hadn't bought a star that came down here for a holiday and was conveniently "injured" most of the time. There's more soccer on TV now and more people have pay TV to watch it. I don't really know.

Add this in with more PR disasters for rugby league - stars out drinking and assaulting people and groping women and then problems on the field, like the fighting rules and then Alex McKinnon having his neck broken in a spear tackle this year - and parents probably think it's better for young Timmy to play soccer than rugby league. (My brother played league when he was a kid, and it was terrifying to watch him - he was such a little guy with limbs like twigs.) And yeah, it's a controversial thing to say, but the growing numbers of Pacific Islander kids flocking to rugby league is probably not helping - even as kids they're invariably bigger and heavier than other kids their age, and so the smaller kids get injured or scared. I know they were trialling weight divisions in Sydney under-age league for this very reason.
 

Anna K.

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Latvia
Add this in with more PR disasters for rugby league - stars out drinking and assaulting people and groping women and then problems on the field, like the fighting rules and then Alex McKinnon having his neck broken in a spear tackle this year - and parents probably think it's better for young Timmy to play soccer than rugby league. (My brother played league when he was a kid, and it was terrifying to watch him - he was such a little guy with limbs like twigs.) And yeah, it's a controversial thing to say, but the growing numbers of Pacific Islander kids flocking to rugby league is probably not helping - even as kids they're invariably bigger and heavier than other kids their age, and so the smaller kids get injured or scared. I know they were trialling weight divisions in Sydney under-age league for this very reason.

Not like I’m against soccer in Australia – it was nice goal from Cahill yesterday! – but I hope that rugby league will sort it out. I love rugby – once we discuss it on GS, it really is the very opposite to figure skating, start with team spirit and honesty, end with bodily contact and force applied – it is always fascinating to watch and Australia and Pacific Islands are great contributors. I hope they will sort out those weight matters because it’s very important for kids from small island countries to come to Australia to play and progress and in a game like rugby the actual weight and size of the kid are certainly more important than DOB.
 

Winnie_20

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
I don't think words can describe what kind of impression last night's soccer match Spain - Holland has made in the Netherlands. The fact is, soccer is our nr. 1 national passion (speed skating is nr. 2, I guess), BUT, ever since the lost Worlds final in 2010 (against Spain, duh), general consensus has been that the Orange team rather, well... sucks.

Enter last night, which was generally assumed to be another Spain-trashes-its-opponent match, and madness has overtaken the country. I bet commercialism is sky-rocketing today, suddenly everybody wants to have orange goodies again. ;-)
 

Alba

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
I'm not sure. It could be a number of factors. Soccer itself got a huge boost when the Socceroos made it to the round of 16 in 2006. That we qualified for three world cups in a row has probably helped. Alessandro del Piero was huge for soccer in Australia because for once the A-league hadn't bought a star that came down here for a holiday and was conveniently "injured" most of the time. There's more soccer on TV now and more people have pay TV to watch it. I don't really know.

Add this in with more PR disasters for rugby league - stars out drinking and assaulting people and groping women and then problems on the field, like the fighting rules and then Alex McKinnon having his neck broken in a spear tackle this year - and parents probably think it's better for young Timmy to play soccer than rugby league. (My brother played league when he was a kid, and it was terrifying to watch him - he was such a little guy with limbs like twigs.) And yeah, it's a controversial thing to say, but the growing numbers of Pacific Islander kids flocking to rugby league is probably not helping - even as kids they're invariably bigger and heavier than other kids their age, and so the smaller kids get injured or scared. I know they were trialling weight divisions in Sydney under-age league for this very reason.

I'm sorry to hear that. I think rugby is a beautiful game and from what I've seen your national team looks very good.
Your football team last night played very well I must say, and I'm sorry because the result in the end don't reflect the game. It could've ended in a draw at least.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
Not like I’m against soccer in Australia – it was nice goal from Cahill yesterday! – but I hope that rugby league will sort it out. I love rugby – once we discuss it on GS, it really is the very opposite to figure skating, start with team spirit and honesty, end with bodily contact and force applied – it is always fascinating to watch and Australia and Pacific Islands are great contributors. I hope they will sort out those weight matters because it’s very important for kids from small island countries to come to Australia to play and progress and in a game like rugby the actual weight and size of the kid are certainly more important than DOB.

I agree. Unfortunately some don't. There was a big hue and cry when weight divisions were first suggested: I remember watching a story on a news program at the time about a mother complaining because teams were actually forfeiting games so they didn't have to play against her son. These kids were under-10s; her son could have easily passed for sixteen in size. I certainly didn't blame the coaches of the other teams.

I'm sorry to hear that. I think rugby is a beautiful game and from what I've seen your national team looks very good.
Your football team last night played very well I must say, and I'm sorry because the result in the end don't reflect the game. It could've ended in a draw at least.

Hmph. Well what we saw from the union team tonight wasn't very good. But I can proudly (and I think safely) say there is not a team in the world to match our rugby league team - the Kiwis on a good day, but no-one else. Our State of Origin can be more fiercely contested than some test matches!

Sadly the writing was on the wall for the Socceroos at this World Cup as soon as the group was drawn - the Group of Death it's called here. We're no chance against Spain and the Netherlands. Sigh. Oh well. On we go - and we better find someone else to start scoring goals because I doubt Cahill will go round again.
 

Alba

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
Sadly the writing was on the wall for the Socceroos at this World Cup as soon as the group was drawn - the Group of Death it's called here. We're no chance against Spain and the Netherlands. Sigh. Oh well. On we go - and we better find someone else to start scoring goals because I doubt Cahill will go round again.

Indeed you are in the most difficult group of this WC.
 

Anna K.

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Latvia
Well, teams of South Korea and Russia that meet tonight are also in a difficult group in this WC ;)
 

Alba

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
Well, teams of South Korea and Russia that meet tonight are also in a difficult group in this WC ;)

Not one of the most difficult groups no. On paper Belgium is the strongest in Russia's group, but they are young team so we'll see how it goes. They're the best though.
Australia is with Holland, Spain and Chile, and despite their first match disaster Spain is still the reigning World champion and they have plenty of brilliant players. Chile is a strong team and have some very good players, idem Holland.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
Australia has the Group of Death. :no:
 
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