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Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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*with a few exceptions, Japan and Korea for baseball and maybe Canada to an extent for football.
For over a century now American culture has 'gone global.' One area where this hasn't been apparently is sports. Of the three biggest American sports only Basketball (invented by a Canadian) has really reached global popularity. I think the other two have not, primarily for two reasons:
1. Cricket is popular in the Commonwealth nations...it's the 'bat and ball' sport of England and it's past and present colonies. Baseball enjoys very minor popularity here, mainly among American ex-pats, but cricket is a national obsession. Indians are hugely obsessed with cricket. Despite being in the Americas cricket not baseball is played in the West Indies.
2. There are so many other codes of football...obviously soccer - called football by all but Americans, Australians and Kiwis - is the 'world game' and by far the no. 1 sport in the world, but it's of course very different to gridiron. It's their 'foot and ball' sport though and major spectator team sport. In areas where soccer isn't as dominant, we have forms of football that are outwardly similar to your American football (oval ball, hands are used, goal-posts)...clearly Rugby - league and Union, another British thing, is most similar to Gridiron. Aussie rules is another sport, as is Gaelic football. Aussie rules has a lot less rules and is more free flowing than American football which is very stop-start.
3. Baseball and Football are so closely linked with American culture...people probably see them as 'American' things. It might amaze many Americans to know most people wouldn't even know when the Superbowl is on. Most don't care, obviously. People have heard of the Yankees or Babe Ruth, but they are just names to us.
4. I think basketball has suceeded because it has filled a niche which no other sport occupies. It's also easy to play, doesn't take up much room and can be played indoors easily. Basketball seems especially huge in China and Eastern Europe.
Because in this country at least most who would follow NFL already follow rugby, and most who would follow baseball already follow cricket. Our own sports are already too entrenched in our culture for similar, foreign ones to take root. Another reason why US sports haven't taken off here is that we don't have any connection to any of the teams, plus they're generally on in the middle of the night our time.
because foreigner types aren't very good at what one would call "manly" sports
Yeah, because rugby isnt "manly" or soccer where players get stitches and staples in their body and return to the pitch within a couple of minutes isnt manly.
1) As already mentioned, rugby and cricket are counterparts to baseball and football and they are already established.
2) There is far too much downtime in those sports. Both sports have very little play time over a 3 hour period. An average football game only has 12 minutes of actual game play and I think baseball has like 30 minutes. Those just arent things people are use too when soccer is free flowing as is rugby.
1) As already mentioned, rugby and cricket are counterparts to baseball and football and they are already established.
2) There is far too much downtime in those sports. Both sports have very little play time over a 3 hour period. An average football game only has 12 minutes of actual game play and I think baseball has like 30 minutes. Those just arent things people are use too when soccer is free flowing as is rugby.
Yeah, I have heard other countries say that football is too slow. You run a play and then you huddle...I have heard that bores them to tears with the whole start and stop thing.
Yeah, I have heard other countries say that football is too slow. You run a play and then you huddle...I have heard that bores them to tears with the whole start and stop thing.
Yeah, I have a few friends who moved here from Europe and other places and they cannot stand it. I do have a couple who have grown to love football but they cannot stand baseball. I dont blame them, I use to love it but as I have grown older, it bores me to tears.
In Europe, they show NFL games as capsules where they show the games play after play without commercials and they can show the game, every play with highlights of the big plays in 30 minutes.
baseball is extremely popular in japan and in some parts of latin america.
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