if i was a true believer capitalist/immensely talented athlete i'd look to being a soccer player...there are so many more markets than any american sport. unless i had a talent that would corner a market that made doe...
effectively that's how baseball and american football function as success...
the u.s. is the richest nation in the world...for now...
if we weren't i would bet less players would care about being in it, and maybe it would be a less popular game...
that's why some benefit from those sports...but notice how basketball is easily the most international game we have...in terms of % of players not from u.s./ex-u.s. colonies/u.s. sphere's of influence...which, interestingly, seems to be why some hate it, or players that seem to represent "euros" or other traditional non-american dominant forms of the game...
i think it has contributed to the evolvement of the game, actually.
before jackie robinson came to baseball, the game lacked several valuable elements...basketball is evolving, imho, as a result of non-american players participation on the highest level..
to go back, baseball and football, however, are not liked outside of the western hemisphere...and that's being kind (other than asia for baseball).
if/when the u.s. falls off as being so powerful those sports are at risk for dying...
basketball has staying power...and i'm not saying it is a better "game"...
it's more like, i guarantee you will never get most europeans, africans, asians (which population-wise is FAR bigger than japan/taiwan/korea) to care about baseball anytime soon...or maybe ever
Forum Po Po and #33 for a reason...
5/3/2010 10:48 AM