Yeah yeah I know this...I just like to bitch once in a while. You blame me?
No. Everybody does it now and then.
Of course. But how about the MLS (if you even watch it)? They better not use @ there, otherwise I'd be pissed.
Over here it's @ for soccer too.
We have nicknames, but it's not part of the actual name of the sports team. Manchester United are nicknamed the "Red Devils" for example, but they're not called the Manchester "Red Devils".
So, they do just go by the city (or whatever)? And so what's the purpose of a nickname, if not to go by it? It's how it works over here.
Like I just mentioned the "United" is not a nickname. There are in fact two (major) teams in Manchester. The other one is called Manchester City, so we can't have two teams with the same name for obvious reasons. Manchester United means exactly what the name implies...The city of Manchester...united as one. etc. (when in truth it isn't. Like I said there are two teams, and they don't like each other very much).
We've got cities with more than one team of the same sport too. Chicago, New York, and LA being the main three. They have different nicknames to help tell them apart, and ours don't like each other either.
Yes, we have many "Rangers" and "Athletics" over here. But the "Rangers" and "Athletics" aren't nicknames. It's like this throughout Europe too (with their own versions of names of course).
Well, if they're not nicknames, what are they? It may be more of a semantic thing, but over here, 'United,' 'Rangers,' and 'Athletics' would be the team's nickname, beyond just the city, state, or county in which the team resides.
Again, most of the names mentioned are in Rugby. 'Uniteds', 'Rovers' and 'Rangers' aren't nicknames. Weird maybe, but we have many football teams in the same city (some times even up to something like twenty...like we do in London). So I guess theres got be some way of differentiating them. Besides even though there are many of these names they are rarely ever mentioned when pronouncing the team name apart from Manchester United.
Wow, you've got possibly 20 teams in London? Back to the names, while you maybe right, it seams like I heard those names for soccer teams, but I could be miss remembering.
For example if it's Manchester "United" vs Blackburn "Rovers" everyone would say Man U vs Blackburn (notice 'Rovers' isn't mentioned).
Well, sometimes we'll leave off the nicknames if there's a very clear understanding of who's who, but I guess that's just we're us, and you guys are you guys.
Sorta like British people say "Catch me/us up," we'd think the me/us is the subject in need of being caught up. (I have no idea how you'd say "Catch me/us up" in the way we understand it) We'd say "Catch up" and mean the same thing, but we're separated by a common language I guess.
I don't think you yanks will ever understand...there's a movie called "Green Street" with Elijah Wood you can watch if you want to understand. Those people who riot aren't really "rioting" over football. They're just causing trouble for the sake of it. They're part of gangs.
Well, apparently some of us understand, because it's growing in popularity over here. The people causing trouble just for the sake of it sure look like people rioting after a game over here on our news. But, that may be part of bad reporting. I don't know.
Imagine watching a movie where characters kept dying throughout. When the hero or villain eventually dies it's hardly climatic isn't it?
Not really. If you've got an action movie, say 'Die Hard,' you expect people to die throughout it, and they do. It wouldn't really work to have just the main villain die at the end, and that be it. There's all his minions running around, and the rest of the movie would be boring.
However if the three points (when you win a match you get three points) is vital to both teams and the match has been 0-0 for over 90 minutes and then someone scores in the last tens seconds just imagine the emotions.
In other words when no one has scored it causes great tension for both teams...is my team gonna score or aren't they? Are they gonna win? Also there are matches where teams score lots of goals...the best teams almost ALWAYS score...Just google goals with Barcelona or Manchester United.
So, you use a point system to determine how good a team is, instead of win/loss records? Points for a win are arbitrary, and could be 1 to 100, and a win means just as much either way. You need wins to get to the whatever at the end of the season, and the teams with the most wins get there.
Occasionally, we will have football games that have no score (or a very tight, back and forth game) right down to the final minutes, or even into overtime, and they're exciting for both sides in a very nerve wrecking sort of way. Also, I guess part of it is we're used to lots of offense, and we see all these soccer scores of 3-2 or less, and think, "Well, not much happened."
Just try telling that to most of the whole world!!
Well, depending on how many people read this, I may have.
Besides not everyone chases the ball and don't they run up and down a field in NFL? No, actually they're just standing there half the time and watching advertisements :tongue:.
I know the goalies stay put, but the rest of the players do run up and down the field after the ball, trying to score, or take the ball from the other team. Perhaps I should've been clearer in saying they run up and down in field in what looks like an unorganized manner in soccer, while our football has plays designed to trick the defense and disrupt the offense. And they go one way, team scores or is denied, turn around and go the other way over a course of several minutes. Unless there's a turnover, there's not two teams scrambling up and down the field in pursuit of the other and the ball. As to the just standing there watching ads, you guys don't have commercial breaks? And while there is a commercial break, typically it's either the teams are switching ends of the field or a time out, either called on the field or by the TV carrier, during witch the teams have a chance to rehydrate. They're not just standing there.
What? Football on ice? Is this an American phenomenon? :dunno:
That would be football as in soccer, and it's actually a Canadian invention (I think) called hockey. Looks an awful lot like soccer on ice to me.
Defenders can tackle and intercept in our Football as well...they can even score too.
So can ours. And isn't it more of the same players play offense and defense, basically at the same time?
My turn again.
Why do players in the NFL wear this big padded stuff and helmets. Are they afraid to get hurt?
Okay. I wouldn't say 'afraid,' as they get hurt with the pads and helmets too, being 250lb+ running full speed. You're getting run over by a truck, and it's gonna hurt either way.
It's one of those things like with boxing. Lots of people will tell you that the padded gloves actually made it more dangerous because you're not afraid you'll hurt your hand, so you swing harder and for the head, and do more brain damage. But the other way, bare skin, is more bloody, but actually less damage is done. While the football pads and helmets are meant to protect from incidental injuries, it means they can hit harder and do more damage when they do hit. And boy will they hit. My analogy about the truck isn't far off. They'll get leveled, up ended, or you'll have a defender and receiver after a ball, not watching what's around them, and pow. Head long into each other. Sometimes in the air too, jumping up for passes.
Why are there so many breaks in American sports?...If we did that here it would just kill off the momentum. Imagine if one team is playing really well...then bam! It's a break again.
Well, part of it is as I explained earlier, they'll take breaks during the uninteresting parts of the game, like swapping ends of the field, or time outs on the field, or in baseball, as the teams switch from hitting to fielding. It takes time, and if you were at the game, you'd use it to go to the bathroom or get something to eat or drink, just like those watching at home. Also, it depends very much on the carrier. ESPN is very bad about it. I was watching a game over the weekend, and it's like no sooner than they get back, "Well, let's go to commercial break." They've gotta pay the bills to carry the games, and they do it with commercials. ESPN just takes it to the extreme. I think they also think by delaying action, they're artificially inducing tension and excitement. Many people cuss at the TVs when they go to break like that.
And why are there quarters instead of halves? Stamina issues?
There are halves in football, which are then divided into halves themselves. At the start of the game, there's a coin toss to see who will receive the ball. Whoever picks right can then decide if they want the ball and a chance to score first there at the beginning, or as many do, take the ball at the beginning of the second half for a chance for a comeback if down. The quarters are so the teams can swap ends of the field, so in the case of wind or bad angle on the sun, both teams are more equally affected by it.
Why does a team ALWAYS have to win all the time?
They don't
have to win all the time, but in football, because they only play one game a week, they have a short season, number of games. So, if you lose a game or two, you might be out of it, unlike say baseball, where they'll play 162 games, and can get by with only 90 wins.
Is the Superbowl just one match? Is it like the finals of the play-offs?
Something like that.
I watch the NFL sometimes...even though it comes on really late for me. But it lacks intensity because the play stops and starts too much.
Is that because of the commercials, the penalties, timeouts, or the setting up for a new play, either as in deciding what to do or for the officials to get the markers in place?
Why aren't there NFL-type international matches? Or is it because no one else wants to play?
Actually, I think there are. I seem to remember some other country having teams that some of our teams played. That, or I'm remembering an old episode of 'The A-Team.'
(I'm not being serious here...I have nothing against American sports. This is all just friendly banter). :sarcasm:
Mmm. Okay.
