In 2003 England won the Rugby World Cup. In 2023 the professional game in England appears to be disintegrating. Doesn’t that interest you as a sports journalist?
Because there simply isn't enough money in the game to sustain 12 or 13 fully professional clubs, with top players being paid £500,000+ per season.
Many Premiership clubs run at a loss, and are propped up by wealthy owners, who pump money in to cover the losses. Similar to football, except that the TV money for Rugby is significantly less than for PL football.
London Irish are another club facing expulsion from the top tier, unless they can complete the takeover by new American owners by the end of this month. If they fail do do so, Brentford FC will probably no longer want them as tenants.
The average wages, and attendances, are roughly on a par with L1 football. Rugby now needs to cut its coat according to its cloth.
The fact that you can win again of Rugby, without even scoring a try increases the farce of this pastime.
It's like us not been good enough to score a goal, but still win the game because we managed to gain more corners than the opposition ( used in 5 aside festivals in the 70's and 80's)
Time for the egg chasers to return to its amateur roots. The hoorah Henry's can pull up their landrovers alongside a roped off pitch and get there quails eggs and dom pom out.
Time for the egg chasers to return to its amateur roots. The hoorah Henry's can pull up their landrovers alongside a roped off pitch and get there quails eggs and dom pom out.
Whereas you, no doubt, will be driving down to the fish shop in a clapped out old Nissan Micra, and getting a bag of chips and a can of Irn Bru, so that you can have a balanced diet - a chip on each shoulder.
I don't watch NFL or rugby much at all, just not sure how they do not qualify as sport? They have running, throwing, catching, and a ball. If we exclude that combination, we would exclude a lot of other sports.
@crabbie, I think... Following up on a comment from further up the thread, there was a nice tribute programme to the late Terry Hall on Radio 4 yesterday. I'm guessing it'll be available on BBC Sounds. Loved hearing how much of a football fan Terry was.
It's not a ball, it's an egg shape object that when it rolls or bounces, it becomes an absolute lottery, what happens next.
Bingo is more of a sport, than those two, as it needs an element of concentration, quick finger skills and loads of pre planning, to make sure you are not at the bar, when the housey housey man starts calling out the numbers.
That's an interesting response, and I appreciate you answering seriously. Ironically, I don't tend to watch much of those sports because they don't seem like enough of a lottery - in other words, they can be too predictable as to who will win - basketball is the worst for this of all team sports, as an aside. I love the balance of football as far as the better team should win, but there are so many vagaries that you get the kind of madness we saw last night.
I think the reasoning of an odd shaped ball is an interesting take, but as both sports are based on it ideally not rolling or bouncing but rather being thrown and caught, that would mitigate some of it.
Don't start me on Basketball, the most tedious of all sports.
Beyond me how anybody can get excited about 6 ft 10 giants bending over to drop a ball through a hole.
But I don't understand Americans at all, how could they tolerate James Corden for so long. But never take to their busom the genius of Paul Weller and the Jam.
I was so bored on a recent flight back to the UK I watched Moneyball, the movie about signing players that nobody else wants which I suppose is how 'moneyball' Brentford ended up with a compulsive gambler they can't play anymore.
What I learnt from watching Moneyball. 1) The team that invented it didn't, like Brentford, actually win anything. 2) Baseball is a load of wank. Though, in fairness, I only know the basic rules and nothing about the teams, players or history which made it a bit confusing at times. It must have been like the Couhigs first few months at Wycombe.
I went to see the New York yankees and quite enjoyed the baseballing...though as I have recounted before, we seemed to be the only ones actually watching the game take place rather than eating or drinking.
Basketball has some incredible athletes, but some fundamental problems, especially at the pro level:
The size of the scoring zone is barely bigger than the scoring object. This severely limits the variety of how scores are made. It quickly becomes a point where you have seen every type of shot under the sun, whereas in sports with a larger scoring zone, you have more variety. Very few goals look like each other in football, which is one of the many reasons it is my favourite sport.
Because the teams are small and stars have such a huge influence, it is usually very easy to predict who will win the championship at the start of the season (at least in the pros, not so much in college). I don't think this has been the case as much recently, but there was a point at which you could pencil in the two finalists before the season even started. Mind you, Man City are doing that to football.
Two much scoring - each individual basket means less, and is harder to frame within the context of the wider game. How to you celebrate going 55-53 up as opposed to 62-61?
The endings of close games are tedious, as the trailing team commits intentional fouls to stop the clock. I once timed the last couple of minutes of a game at seventeen actual minutes!
#4 is actually the strength of ice hockey, as the trailing team pulls the goalie for an extra attacker, and there is a tremendously wild finish where the overloaded team try to equalize before the leading team can score an empty-netter.
Comments
Because it's not a real sport
is there a not sport section? Filing it in with darts and other pub games? 😂
Rugby played in a pub I might watch, to be fair.
In 2003 England won the Rugby World Cup. In 2023 the professional game in England appears to be disintegrating. Doesn’t that interest you as a sports journalist?
I am a little lost on the reasoning behind rugby not being a sport. It seems like posh people eat eggs, therefore eggs are not food, or something?
Because there simply isn't enough money in the game to sustain 12 or 13 fully professional clubs, with top players being paid £500,000+ per season.
Many Premiership clubs run at a loss, and are propped up by wealthy owners, who pump money in to cover the losses. Similar to football, except that the TV money for Rugby is significantly less than for PL football.
London Irish are another club facing expulsion from the top tier, unless they can complete the takeover by new American owners by the end of this month. If they fail do do so, Brentford FC will probably no longer want them as tenants.
The average wages, and attendances, are roughly on a par with L1 football. Rugby now needs to cut its coat according to its cloth.
The fact that you can win again of Rugby, without even scoring a try increases the farce of this pastime.
It's like us not been good enough to score a goal, but still win the game because we managed to gain more corners than the opposition ( used in 5 aside festivals in the 70's and 80's)
Time for the egg chasers to return to its amateur roots. The hoorah Henry's can pull up their landrovers alongside a roped off pitch and get there quails eggs and dom pom out.
Something about The White Horse and balls and tackles. I haven't thought this one through.
No, because I don't like rugby.
Fair enough.
Time for the egg chasers to return to its amateur roots. The hoorah Henry's can pull up their landrovers alongside a roped off pitch and get there quails eggs and dom pom out.
Whereas you, no doubt, will be driving down to the fish shop in a clapped out old Nissan Micra, and getting a bag of chips and a can of Irn Bru, so that you can have a balanced diet - a chip on each shoulder.
Are you spying on me from the small tesco car park, as I enter the excellent Tummy Fillers down the Marsh ?
At least you had a try.
I hate to break it to you @Shev but American football is also not sport.
Agreed Mr Congo
Just a vehicle and side show to the real contest, which is mass gluttony.
Quite the thread, this
I don't watch NFL or rugby much at all, just not sure how they do not qualify as sport? They have running, throwing, catching, and a ball. If we exclude that combination, we would exclude a lot of other sports.
Nick Freeman
@crabbie, I think... Following up on a comment from further up the thread, there was a nice tribute programme to the late Terry Hall on Radio 4 yesterday. I'm guessing it'll be available on BBC Sounds. Loved hearing how much of a football fan Terry was.
It's not a ball, it's an egg shape object that when it rolls or bounces, it becomes an absolute lottery, what happens next.
Bingo is more of a sport, than those two, as it needs an element of concentration, quick finger skills and loads of pre planning, to make sure you are not at the bar, when the housey housey man starts calling out the numbers.
I had something about 'hookers' but was worried they might sue.
Include rugby you include hacky sack
That's an interesting response, and I appreciate you answering seriously. Ironically, I don't tend to watch much of those sports because they don't seem like enough of a lottery - in other words, they can be too predictable as to who will win - basketball is the worst for this of all team sports, as an aside. I love the balance of football as far as the better team should win, but there are so many vagaries that you get the kind of madness we saw last night.
I think the reasoning of an odd shaped ball is an interesting take, but as both sports are based on it ideally not rolling or bouncing but rather being thrown and caught, that would mitigate some of it.
As people in the know know football is great, hockey is physically more demanding but you can’t televise hockey .
btw @Shev I’ve been a goal judge and run the penalty box in junior hockey here in the UK.
Totally agree. Interesting about your experiences as a goal judge too!
Don't start me on Basketball, the most tedious of all sports.
Beyond me how anybody can get excited about 6 ft 10 giants bending over to drop a ball through a hole.
But I don't understand Americans at all, how could they tolerate James Corden for so long. But never take to their busom the genius of Paul Weller and the Jam.
I was so bored on a recent flight back to the UK I watched Moneyball, the movie about signing players that nobody else wants which I suppose is how 'moneyball' Brentford ended up with a compulsive gambler they can't play anymore.
What I learnt from watching Moneyball. 1) The team that invented it didn't, like Brentford, actually win anything. 2) Baseball is a load of wank. Though, in fairness, I only know the basic rules and nothing about the teams, players or history which made it a bit confusing at times. It must have been like the Couhigs first few months at Wycombe.
I went to see the New York yankees and quite enjoyed the baseballing...though as I have recounted before, we seemed to be the only ones actually watching the game take place rather than eating or drinking.
Basketball has some incredible athletes, but some fundamental problems, especially at the pro level:
#4 is actually the strength of ice hockey, as the trailing team pulls the goalie for an extra attacker, and there is a tremendously wild finish where the overloaded team try to equalize before the leading team can score an empty-netter.
They like the Cure probably more than Brits, to be fair.