Blog: Ace

A German midfield player likes cricket - whatever next.

This week it was reported that Dietmar Hamman, the Manchester City midfield man (ex Liverpool) liked to watch cricket. Which is almost as strange as reading that Wayne Rooney is a devotee of Croquet.

It just seems that certain sports fit certain nations - but why. And it got me wondering - as you do when your social life is as quiet as mine. Take Sumo wrestling - I mean do they have events in say Florida. Lets be honest I have had a look at some of the residents in the USA and they look as though they have the weight to throw around. Perhaps they could set up a ring in a Macdonalds Car Park and in a ceremonial fashion fling fries in the air and see if they could bump each other into oblivion. Obvious promotional names spring to mind - Big Mac - The Cheeseburger or just simply The Whopper.

Have the Russians ever tried Hurling for example. In fact has any other country got a Hurling League operating within the sporting calendar. There might be a darts league operating up the Amazon basin - but I suspect it might be me more active and deadly than the one you find in your Dog and Duck local.
Its also a bit strange how some sports travel to far flung countries but not to neighbours. For example the Rugby World Cup will be played in France in a couple of weeks - the French are very good and very big on Rugby. But the Spanish? Don't think so. I know the Portugese play a bit becuase my local side London Welsh went over there and beat them - so I suppose they can't be that good. I don't think the Germans play Rugby or the Dutch or the Danes. And yet Rugby is played in Japan and Argentina.

Badminton is big in the Far East but not in the far West. Can you book a Badminton Court in Los Angeles for example. Not very Hollywood. Bowls just seems so British and I doubt any other nation amuses its Saga generation in this way although the French will claim Boule - which for me is a Beach Sport.

Lacrosse - I think that's a Red Indian game in origin or perhaps Canadian - but I think now just taken over by the English Public Girls Schools - but I'm sure there are leagues out there.

So maybe next week we will read that Thierry Henry is a big fan of fly fishing and that Ronaldo is consumed with synchronised swimming - well maybe the diving version.

by Ace on 08:41 on 1st September 2007