Stanley Lombardi Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I'm an avid Bills fan, but I'm also a fan of international, Olympic-type sports. The other day at work a guy said that the only sport the USA is good at any more on the world stage is football. I said that's because football is not on the world stage... Our golfers get blown away in the Ryder Cup (or whatever it's called where we annually get taken apart by the Europeans). Our basketball 'dream teams" win internationally, but only in their dreams. Our baseball could not win an international tournament that began last year. Our soccer doesn't win Our hockey doesn't win. I don't know who our tennis players are anymore. Track still does well, but not great. Our "great" football athletes are competing against the fewest people in the world for their positions. If we started to open it up to international competition, our "world's greatest athletes" would be selling shoes, or crack, in Des Moines or Kansas City... "Impossible," we said about our basketball players, but now they are the world's B word. Half of Samoa seems to be playing nose tackle in the NFL, and they just heard about the sport yesterday. Think about this, provincial American slobs and wimps, when you diss soccer players, track athletes, et. al.-- if the entire world cared about football, our hero Nate Clemen$ (or Clement$ or Clement or however he wants it spelled/pronounced) would likely be playing semi-pro in Peoria. Big fish in a small pond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 You mean except for the fact that in almost every spot, the Americans are the guys or team to beat? The Ryder Cup is ALL of Europe. Our basketball teams would kill these teams if we used all our players and they played together as much as their competitors. Think if we use our best baseball players we might win a world competition against another country? Granted, it's okay if we're not the best in certain sports anymore. It's actually good, for everyone. And surely other countries are catching up in a lot of sports, and that's good, too. But it's still not even remotely close as to who has the most and best athletes overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Lombardi Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 You mean except for the fact that in almost every spot, the Americans are the guys or team to beat? You mean except for the fact that in almost every sport, the Americans are the guys who get beat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 You mean except for the fact that in almost every sport, the Americans are the guys who get beat? Yeah, you already said that, and are ignoring the point. Do you want to start listing the countries that offer better athletes than the states? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Lombardi Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 You mean except for the fact that in almost every spot, the Americans are the guys or team to beat? The Ryder Cup is ALL of Europe. Our basketball teams would kill these teams if we used all our players and they played together as much as their competitors. Think if we use our best baseball players we might win a world competition against another country? Granted, it's okay if we're not the best in certain sports anymore. It's actually good, for everyone. And surely other countries are catching up in a lot of sports, and that's good, too. But it's still not even remotely close as to who has the most and best athletes overall. Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Pollyanna. But we have taken our very best into these situations and have not only gotten beat, but hammered. Then we regrouped and got hammered again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikie2times Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Don't most European countries have national teams dedicated to the Olympics, or at least athletes much more involved with the Olympics training then America? I also see some of our athletes receive less fundamental training then our European counterparts. For an example of both worlds look no further then the NBA. We bring our NBA players from every team, but they have no clue how work together. I've always felt the NBA champions (excluding foreign players) would field a more competitive team because they're a team. To make matters worse we have NBA players receiving less fundamental training in younger years. Most these guys develop individual skills on the streets and the best players rarely finish 4 years threw college. The best Europeans go threw intense fundamental training in a team atmosphere specifically designed for international play. These players start in the systems before they're 10, and from that time on they've trained for this moment. They might be inferior individually but this isn't a sport meant for individuals. That is unless it’s the NBA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Pollyanna. But we have taken our very best into these situations and have not only gotten beat, but hammered. Then we regrouped and got hammered again. Do you want to start listing all of the countries who you feel have more top athletes overall than the United States? Last I looked, Europe isn't a country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 You can't be serious. Yeah, the US sucks ass: Gold metal history for modern summer olympic games. Notice how we've never finished lower than 3rd in the modern summer olympics? Gold metal history for modern winter olympic games. We're not quite as good at these games, finishing 8th at the lowest. Our overall average ranking for gold medals in the Olympics is 2.72. Yeah, the US sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Lombardi Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 Yeah, you already said that, and are ignoring the point. Do you want to start listing the countries that offer better athletes than the states? Oh, where did I put my world atlas? Can you make a list of the international competitions our "greats" have won? Don't you see that the rest of the world counts wins, while you are counting pipe dreams. Dream on. USA wins lately = zero. Kelly's excuses = (nobody but USA apologists care). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Oh, where did I put my world atlas? Can you make a list of the international competitions our "greats" have won? Don't you see that the rest of the world counts wins, while you are counting pipe dreams. Dream on. USA wins lately = zero. Kelly's excuses = (nobody but USA apologists care). So your answer is either no, you cannot name any other countries in the world with better athletes or else you cannot use an atlas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Summer_O...ics#Medal_count The simple fact is that the United States doesn't fair as well in these international competitions because we don't field and practice in national teams the way most all other countries do. And you're using the example of the Ryder Cup which is preposterous as I believe the European team chooses from 29 total member countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quester74 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Do you want to start listing all of the countries who you feel have more top athletes overall than the United States? Last I looked, Europe isn't a country. I think "crayonz" has a new handle.. heh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikie2times Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I think "crayonz" has a new handle.. heh Blue on Blue? More like Smurf Fugger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Lombardi Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 You can't be serious. Yeah, the US sucks ass: Gold metal history for modern summer olympic games. Notice how we've never finished lower than 3rd in the modern summer olympics? Gold metal history for modern winter olympic games. We're not quite as good at these games, finishing 8th at the lowest. Our overall average ranking for gold medals in the Olympics is 2.72. Yeah, the US sucks. If you had read my initial post, I was positive about our our international track teams. It was the big-$$ sports I was mocking. Welcome aboard. Before I leave, I would like to let you know (any friend would, to keep you from further public embarassment) that gold "medal" is spelled with a 'd.' We lead the world in over-hyped athletes--and in the least bang for the educational buck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartshan-83 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Gotta be a joke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Lombardi Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 Blue on Blue? More like Smurf Fugger You boys seem to enjoy being the world's B word! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikie2times Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 So your answer is either no, you cannot name any other countries in the world with better athletes or else you cannot use an atlas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Summer_O...ics#Medal_count The simple fact is that the United States doesn't fair as well in these international competitions because we don't field and practice in national teams the way most all other countries do. And you're using the example of the Ryder Cup which is preposterous as I believe the European team chooses from 29 total member countries. Exactly. This is the way I look at it. If you take everybody in the world and randomly select athletes no country will have better athletes over the long term. That's not say the Theory of Evolution doesn't play into some regions, and how they relate to certain skills, but the very best athletes from all nations are developed. Americans don't excel in the team sports because the lack of training they receive for international play with each other. When it comes to individual sports, which actually is a better indication of individual athleticism we dominate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikie2times Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 You boys seem to enjoy being the world's B word! My German Shepherds smarter then you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobillsinytown Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Why are you here? I believe that this is a board about Buffalo Bills football. I'm glad you're an "avid Bills fan", but I get the feeling you're more like an "avid troll". I think this discussion would be better placed in an off-topic category. Please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinandjokin Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Our golfers get blown away in the Ryder Cup (or whatever it's called where we annually get taken apart by the Europeans). Yawn. A bi-annual event that leaves out most of the best players in the world. Maybe if you considered the world golf rankings at the end of 2006, you'd see a vast array of countries, with the USA more than holding their own (including 3 of the top 4.) Our basketball 'dream teams" win internationally, but only in their dreams. They also took a game that was played seriously in one country on earth, this one, and made it a true world game. But you're right, Spain is better. I also enjoyed how you failed to mention that the rules are quite different from the rules our players have played with their entire lives. Our baseball could not win an international tournament that began last year. So...you're citing a one-and-done knockout tournament as evidence of American demise in a sport where the BEST teams only win 55% of their games? Sweet. Our soccer doesn't win When have they ever won? Interesting that USA doesn't quite have the athleticism of other world powers, and both football and soccer are fall sports in this country...I wouldn't mind seeing Reggie Bush if he played soccer 14 hours a day from the time he was 3 years old. The USA is a world power in Under-20 tournaments, but it hasn't translated into the men yet. Our hockey doesn't win. Canada, Czech Republic, Sweden, Russia, USA. Pick one. I guarantee they win the next major tournament or Olympics. I don't know who our tennis players are anymore. Again, if you would check the world rankings, the USA is one of two countries with two players in the world top-10. Andy Roddick is ranked 4th and James Blake is ranked 6th. The other country? Croatia, with players ranked #8 and #10. Although it could be argued that anybody not named Roger Federer sucks at tennis right now. He's unreal. Track still does well, but not great. Your grasping at straws with this one. Americans will be the favorites in every event under 800M, plus decathalon, heptathalon, pole vault, etc. while a smattering of opponents from dozens of other countries will be able to 'steal' a win in certain events every once in a while. Big deal. Does anybody even remember these people ten minutes after their event is over? That includes the Americans. Our "great" football athletes are competing against the fewest people in the world for their positions. If we started to open it up to international competition, our "world's greatest athletes" would be selling shoes, or crack, in Des Moines or Kansas City... I defy you to find a more pure athlete than an NFL running back. Or linebacker. Or wide receiver. Half of Samoa seems to be playing nose tackle in the NFL, and they just heard about the sport yesterday. Huh? Once again, I'm not afraid to post the evidence for you. Can you find five? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Lombardi Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 Why are you here? I believe that this is a board about Buffalo Bills football. I'm glad you're an "avid Bills fan", but I get the feeling you're more like an "avid troll". I think this discussion would be better placed in an off-topic category. Please? Thanks! The topic was meant to place our footbal heroes in a proper athletic perspective. When the American athlete goes against the world, he is shown to be mediocre. No one has refuted that premise in the replies so far. There has been bluster, chest-thumping, conjecture, and (most of all) excuses--but no refutation. I do think that we as football fans should understand the very small pool of talent that our "stars" compete against. It's akin to competing to be all-league in a talent market the size of Buffalo vs. a talent market the size of L.A. or New York. Questions like this interest me about sports and culture. If they don't interest you, then just beat your man-boobs like the rest of 'em! And go on to the next topic about the subtleties of the off-tackle slant! Or the ever-enduring fascination with whom we should select in the 4th round... I'm also here for fun--and I'm enjoying it as you twits bring forward one weak, pathetic reply after another! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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