Hate It If We Played It - Qatar World Cup 2022

That may be what you mean. It's not what I got from those replies.

as if every hockey game you play as a child is in a rink and with pads

No that is the case. It's easily the most played by the most people at a high level. Countries in Asia and Africa are getting closer to beating Europe and South American teams to win the WC.

Even the fact that a region like Latin America competes with Europe is highly notable (and in fact that the world began in Latin America too) xp

"Maybe, maybe not."

Are you telling me he didn't play alongside other great Brazilian players?

Uh, no. I'm saying that the assertion that he did not reinvent football probably depends on what you mean.

I get that fútbol is a world game. I used to see kids in the Andes playing fulbito on the smallest patches of grass or concrete possible.

Anyway who

That may be what you mean. It's not what I got from those replies.

Don't think Gretzky had a chance to represent Canada after going pro? It's still touch and go for NHL players to be involved in anything outside the league and it's lame.

― maf you one two (maffew12), Monday, December 19, 2022 11:07 AM (forty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

He played in the Nagano Olympics, which was the first to include NHL players. Canada finished 4th. Agreed that it's lame they are not always included outside the league.

My experience traveling outside the US is everyone knows basketball players, Jordan especially. I am sure Giannis and others have taken on that mantle more recently.

Unlike basketball, it's also accessible to people who aren't 7 foot tall or, unlike some other sport, built like brick shithouses. Messi is 5'7", Maradona was what? 5'4"? Look at Modric, he looks like a gust of wind would blow him off his feet.

Damn, missed the chance to say look a' Modric.

Uh, no. I'm saying that the assertion that he did not reinvent football probably depends on what you mean.

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Monday, 19 December 2022 bookmarkflaglink

There aren't any singular playing innovations attached to a lot of the great, great players. Sometimes it will be coaches or certain countries/teams in the past that could be said to develop in a certain style that got other ppl to notice.

Pele is before my time so from what I can tell it's the goalscoring record and later being the centre at which you could build the team around. And that he has three WC winners medals.

I had put our great shame in Nagano out of my mind lol. The only international hockey you ever really hear about is the '72 Summit Series. A best of...8? between Canada and the Soviet Union.

anyways goddam what a match yesterday eh what

xp There were at least two moves that, if Pele did not invent them, became indelibly associated with him.

Granted, though, there probably is nothing new under the sun. I am crediting Dr. J with creating the above-the-rim game, but other players like Connie Hawkins deserve credit, and probably others before him as well.

Nah it's ok.

Kick those NHL bosses in the arse and get a proper Hockey World Cup guys xp

The only international hockey you ever really hear about is the '72 Summit Series.

And the 1980 Winter Olympics.

fact that the world began in Latin America too)

My Peruvian friends were right about the Argentinians lol

My experience traveling outside the US is everyone knows basketball players, Jordan especially. I am sure Giannis and others have taken on that mantle more recently.

― underminer of twenty years of excellent contribution to this borad (dan m)

FWIW, which isn't much, I am not aware of ever having heard of Giannis - I don't know whether Giannis is this basketball player's first or second name (or whether he (or she?) is a one-name sports person like Ronaldo). I take no pride in this, just saying it to indicate that as far as I'm aware Giannis's name hasn't been in the (London) air around me in the way that some sports people's names are.

I have heard of Michael Jordan! And Wayne Gretzky. I wonder whether the latter reached the level of a Willie John McBride? Sounds like he might have. :)

unless McBride starred in his own cartoon series Gretzky may have the edge on him

Ha, I meant sporting excellence level as discussed above, I'm sure more people had heard of WG than WJMcB. But I don't think WG is anywhere near as globally famous as Pele or Maradona. Not sure how we'd measure that but it's what I reckon.

Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. Antetokounmpo's country of origin, in addition to his size, speed, strength, and ball-handling skills have earned him the nickname "Greek Freak".

imo Giannis is becoming a one-name sports person at least partly out of necessity of not butchering his surname

Basketball: I've heard of Jordan, LeBron James and Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, and that guy that was in Airplane!

NBA is the one US sport that gets traction in Latin America and so on but these are pretty distant to football in popularity. I hear reports that basketball has taken over a bit from Cricket in the Caribbean among the young. Don't know about Africa and Asia or Eastern Europe.

There is a bizarre NFL thing here in England. Quite minor stuff, for now.

was the airplane guy the Bruce Lee guy and the Sherlock Holmes guy?

Never heard of Giannis, but I’m fairly sure at least two of my siblings follow Lebron on Instagram. I mean, if there was a non-Jordan player globally known?

Yes Bruce Lee villain! Don't know about Sherlock lol xp

The Airplane guy was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar lol

I've heard of a few basketball players but I've never seen them play, but then I've never watched a basketball game.

(he was last in the news for his *mycroft* holmes books. also has a writing credit on Veronica Mars reboot)

C4 tried to build enthusiasm for the stuff in the mid-90s and I watched some when I was like 14. Seemed the best thing that was on till 2am xp

not if The Hitman and Her was showing on ITV

Basketball? They've been trying to get us to warm to American Football for years but I don't remember basketball being shown on British TV. Which is odd given that it's the most flashy and (superficially at least) exciting of American sports. Even baseball was on British TV for a while - well past the midnight hour.

I've never heard of Wayne Gretzky or Tom Brady. I couldn't name a single ice hockey player. The only basketball players I've heard of are Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. The only American football players I've heard of are O.J. Simpson and somebody called The Refrigerator. For baseball I can stretch to Joe Dimaggio and Babe Ruth. I don't think this is atypical in Britain.

I thought Babe Ruth was a talking pig character from a movie.

I couldn't relate the basic rules of cricket if my life depended on it.

soccer? i barely know er

(xp) I don't think you're alone there. By the way, cricket doesn't have rules it has laws.

It really was a hell of a match yesterday. It reminded me of the 94 final, which was my first experience of a World Cup while living abroad.

xp Laws? LOL Like physics?

Indeed.

LBBW is an important one, no loose bowels by wicket

Is that the origin of the phrase "sticky wicket"?

The 1994 final that was a scoreless draw? Felt more 2006 to me.

Decided on penalties.

Wait till you find out how 2006 ended.

Yeah, yeah, 1994 made a particular impression on me because, as I say, I was outside the U.S. to see it. I had never seen that level of universal interest in any sporting event ever. And its coming down to penalties, with a spectacular miss by Baggio, had a similar feel to yesterday's ending.

as far as the knock out rounds went argentina were the clearly better side in all 4 of their games even though they only 'won' 2 of them whereas france were probably only the better side in one game out of four.

still think 2006 Italy vs Germany is the top standard of what international football should be.
as far as finals go 1982 was very satisfying.
1990 probably the worst final I've seen.

But the match was so so bad, and I speak as a Brazilian, who watched the team get that 1st WC...that was wonderful at the time and I am no complainer though I'd wish it was more exciting. The excitement really came from Bulgaria and Romania in that WC.

Having watched every final since 1990 I'd be say my faves were: 2022, 2010, 2006

2010 was amazing -- though everyone hates that -- as the Dutch were trying to batter the Spanish, and it nearly, nearly worked. It was a contest.

2006 was Zidane headbutt!

2022 is the big winner. Most intense from about 75 mins to the end. Unforgettable extra half hour.

xxp