World Cup 2006, June 9 - July 9

[Howell]

Whose watching?

[Tannin]

Not me. I only like football.

[Mercutio]

Who cares about the sport? I want to know who has the best hooligans!

[Howell]

Who cares about the sport? I want to know who has the best hooligans!

Internationally speaking you have found it.

"Ivory Coast - It's a fairly well known story by now that the Ivory Coast's first-ever World Cup qualification was the catalyst for a temporary cease-fire in the country's ongoing civil war. The fact that the team is responsible for national unity in the midst of armed conflict is remarkable in itself, but the Ivory Coast is not just a feel-good story. This is a team that's laden with top-tier talent from the world's finest leagues. Defenders Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue anchor Arsenal in the English Premier League, while strikers Didier Drogba and Aruna Dindane can score against anybody. Throw midfielders like Didier Zokora and Bonaventure Kalou into the mix and this is a team that will cause plenty of problems for Holland and Argentina." -ESPN

[ddrueding]

Who cares about the sport? I want to know who has the best hooligans!

Internationally speaking you have found it.

"Ivory Coast - It's a fairly well known story by now that the Ivory Coast's first-ever World Cup qualification was the catalyst for a temporary cease-fire in the country's ongoing civil war. The fact that the team is responsible for national unity in the midst of armed conflict is remarkable in itself, but the Ivory Coast is not just a feel-good story. This is a team that's laden with top-tier talent from the world's finest leagues. Defenders Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue anchor Arsenal in the English Premier League, while strikers Didier Drogba and Aruna Dindane can score against anybody. Throw midfielders like Didier Zokora and Bonaventure Kalou into the mix and this is a team that will cause plenty of problems for Holland and Argentina." -ESPN

Nah, I was hoping the ceasefire was because the generals on both sides of the conflict were players on the national team! Then they would be hooligans.

[Buck]

Germany beat Costa Rica 4:2 for the opening game! Although I'm happy they won, I'm also disappointed with Germany's performance. Their passing was sub-par and their defense seemed nonexistent. They're not going to go very far in this World Cup. :cry:

[LOST6200]

<chirp><chirp><chipr> Workld Cup of what?

[Tannin]

I watched a game just now. (Brazil vs Japan, as it happens.) Can't say I thought much of it. Possibly more interesting to watch than Gridiorn, but maybe not.

10 sports that are better on TV than soccer

Baseball
Rugby Union
Football (real football - i.e. Aussie rules)
Track cycling, esp the madison
Test cricket (not the pajama game)
Lawn bowls
Hockey (real hockey, not that ice hockey crap)
Tennis
Motor racing
Rugby League

[LOST6200]

Hey there, whatever hapenned to teh CNN SPORT? ;)

[Tannin]

I think CNN Sport went to the World Cup and died over there of boredom.

Or else forgot the passsword

[Sol]

I've never truely understood the compultion to watch sports at all... I've occationally played a sport or two, I played basketball and soccer when I was in high school and these days I shoot fullbore on the weekends (Which I'll agree is technically not so much a sport but it's in the commonwealth games so it's kinda covered).
Passively watching though I just don't get, team pride is all well and good and I do like to hear that Australia are going well at the world cup but there are limits... Mine is about 10 minutes... Sport seems so predictable, one of the two sides is going to win and there is no compelling reason for me to care which one it is.

[LOST6200]

seems so predictable, one of the two sides is going to win and there is no compelling reason for me to care which one it is.

evenn worse, Sometimes there is a tie.

[mubs]

Test cricket (not the pajama game)
I take it you're referring to the one day games as pajama games? Did you watch the recent Windies vs India 5-day games? I watched a bit here and there.

[paugie]

10 sports that are better on TV than soccer
Chess???

Actually the game (World Cup Football) itself is exciting only at times. That is, when an attack is underway. But most attacks end very quickly. Some sort of interruptus. And everyone knows that's annoying.

The part of the coverage I can really enjoy is when they replay the goals in slow motion from different angles.

O.T.!!

I watched many of the NBA playoff games and the NBA Finals. Good games, most of them were.

[ddrueding]

I've never really been attracted to sports where balls are involved; I guess I've been happy with the pair I have. *ducks*

Sailing, Auto Racing, Rock Climbing. Still no fun to watch, but at least you can die doing it. That tends to keep the excitement up while competing.

[LunarMist]

Sailing, Auto Racing, Rock Climbing. Still no fun to watch, but at least you can die doing it.

You have some sort of death wish?

[ddrueding]

Sailing, Auto Racing, Rock Climbing. Still no fun to watch, but at least you can die doing it.

You have some sort of death wish?

I feel it's important for there to be an element of danger in my hobbies. If you are playing a safe type of sport, you never know the caliber of the others playing with you. When we're racing in the open ocean; just the fact that someone has done it before, lived, and choose to do it again speaks volumes for their competency. You don't meet many bad sailors or rock climbers if you take it to the next level.

I also like competing against the elements, all 3 sports are really just complex physics problems.

[Tannin]

I have met some seriously bad rock climbers - I'm talking guys who were capable of climbing hard stuff here, but hopeless safety. Lunatics. Most are good, sure, but there are bad ones.

[LunarMist]

Have you tried golf? I think one can learn more about a person by playing 18 holes than when climbing rocks (not mountains), but maybe that is just me. Many people are struck by lightning on the courses each year. Also, there is plenty of physics involved and the wind is certainly an element.

[ddrueding]

I have played golf. For a while it was a business neccesity, and I played quite regularly. Really long drives and a 150+yd lob wedge compensated well for my lack of putting, allowing me to brag of a 6 handicap. But I don't play anymore, it's not that interesting to me. It, like most ball-based sports has too many hours of boredom broken up by moments of intense energy. I like sports that don't let up.

[Howell]

I like sports that don't let up.

If I had to guess how you might die I'd put odds on a stress induced heart attack. You gotta take some down time man.

[Mercutio]

Sports are for people of insufficient good character to enjoy a good book.

[LiamC]

We wuz robbed I tell ya!

[paugie]

I work with some Swiss missionaries and our NGO has some Aussie donors right now, therefore I was rooting for Switzerland and Australia yesterday.

Gahhhh, bad news this morning. They both lost!

[RWIndiana]

I think most sports should be outlawed (figuratively speaking). Total waste of time. Of course, that goes for a lot of things.

[e_dawg]

Sports are for people of insufficient good character to enjoy a good book.

Are you serious? If you are, I find your remark to be quite condescending to those who enjoy sports (like myself).

I find there is much to enjoy through sport, and that it requires a good deal of character to participate in competitive sport successfully. Could it be an extension of your disdain for social / interpersonal activities? (I notice you tend to shun activities that are outside your comfort zone)

[Mercutio]

Absolutely.

I've never seen the point of competitive sports.

Some sports I find particularly irksome, like golf (for the huge space needed to "play"), football and baseball (for the large space needed to play, lack of action, strict/obscure rules and large amount of equipment needed).

I suppose I can justify sports involving personal achievement like running or rock climbing or weight lifting, or artistic expression (dance, skating) or sports that involve hot, limber babes in skimpy clothes (beach volleyball), but I certainly don't think sports deserve any higher level of respect or attention than other passtimes (e.g. gaming, driving, cooking).

[LOST6200]

Are you serious? If you are, I find your remark to be quite condescending to those who enjoy sports (like myself).

I find there is much to enjoy through sport, and that it requires a good deal of character to participate in competitive sport successfully.

Maerc may have gone too far, but there shoudl be some happs mediums. It seems that the oppioste from your statement is ofetn implied. I.e., if sometone does not like the competiton he/seh somehow has less charahcter that the competer types. Tehr is not enough recongntion and encouragemeht of cooperation and collaboaration in the cuerrnt culture we live in. Idolizatiooning the gonad heads and nowe the sythentic steriod althlets engaged in tegh aggressive sports is all fuked up.

[mubs]

if sometone does not like the competiton he/seh somehow has less charahcter that the competer types. Tehr is not enough recongntion and encouragemeht of cooperation and collaboaration in the cuerrnt culture we live in. Idolizatiooning the gonad heads and nowe the sythentic steriod althlets engaged in tegh aggressive sports is all fuked up.
Couldn't agree more. This is what's resulted in the "me", "me", "me", "screw you" attitude. And AFAIT, it's happening all over the planet, not just the U.S.

[Howell]

Sports are for people of insufficient good character to enjoy a good book.

Are you serious? If you are, I find your remark to be quite condescending to those who enjoy sports (like myself).

I find there is much to enjoy through sport, and that it requires a good deal of character to participate in competitive sport successfully. Could it be an extension of your disdain for social / interpersonal activities? (I notice you tend to shun activities that are outside your comfort zone)

You give Merc's opinion too much credence! Would you really expect Merc to think that sports are a valid activity for social interaction. He doesn't like social interaction.

[Mercutio]

I'm not knocking sports as a tool for social interaction. I'm sure plenty of people become friendly with teammates who play, or who meet as fans in a bar or at a game.

I just don't think sport in and of itself is worthy of the pedestal on which it seems to have been placed. The Olympics seem an utter waste of time, as does the World Cup, as every mainstream professional sport I am familiar with. Other than being massively expensive, how does involvement in people throwing or kicking or hitting a ball different from wasting time reading or watching soap operas?

[Howell]

I'm not knocking sports as a tool for social interaction. I'm sure plenty of people become friendly with teammates who play, or who meet as fans in a bar or at a game.

I just don't think sport in and of itself is worthy of the pedestal on which it seems to have been placed. The Olympics seem an utter waste of time, as does the World Cup, as every mainstream professional sport I am familiar with. Other than being massively expensive, how does involvement in people throwing or kicking or hitting a ball different from wasting time reading or watching soap operas?

Good books are not a waste of time. Good visual media is not a waste of time. Good music is not a waste of time. All of these things exercise your mind. Well rounded people also excercise their bodies.

Good books, visual media, music and sport should all spur on social interaction. You can find meaningless examples of all of these that do not spur on excellence in thought and action.

[Sol]

I think the thing that pisses off most non sports fans is the insanely high regard sports and athletes are held in. Sports stars on the whole are better known than, let's say Nobel laureates and I for one find that a tad annoying. Sport may be fine as a tool for social interaction or entertainment, for those that find it entertaining, but the vast ammount of money and time spent on sport would suggest that it is far more than that, and I just don't see how that is the case.

People like to pretend that the Olympics are a huge international convention for peace or something, but in the end they are a bunch of sporting events all packed together and nothing more. When push comes to shove the Olympics will be canceled for a war rather than the war being canceled for the Olympics.