"Joshua "Dr. Science" Gilbert" (joshuagilbert)
07/07/2014 at 23:37 • Filed to: rant, sports, motorsports, world cup
3
0|
"Joshua "Dr. Science" Gilbert" (joshuagilbert)
07/07/2014 at 23:37 • Filed to: rant, sports, motorsports, world cup | 3
| 0 |
This is not a well researched article. I will probably be wrong at several points because this is all a strong generalization. But it's a a heart felt generalization, so bear with me. It'll probably not make the front page. But I have to empty my mind or I won't be able to wake up for my 8am practice. I wrote this on my iPhone.
What I am about to list down here is a lot of stuff we already know- but it's clear that we, the collective intellectual powerhouse that is Kinja and the internets must use our lobbying, talking, funding, protesting, and Kickstarting to start a change.
The problem : The United States has created an awkward wall between ourselves and Europe, Africa, and Asia. This wall divides the standardization and proliferation of various types of sports and motor sport. Our inability to play "unAmerican" sports or give them serious consideration has made it hard for us to see what the world has to offer and at the same time, be taken seriously. We have an inherent fear of not being the best, and thus, refuse to take European sports seriously or allow international competition in our sports in a large scale. I've personally seen this in several areas. If we took action to steer our athletic and recreational culture into a "share and try new things" we would also spearhead interest in Major League sports in developing countries and provide windows for students, children, athletes, and women all around the world. American professional sports culture has become so used to drafting international players and players out of high school. The NCAA, NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, MLA, and others all create well known American teams to play other American teams. When will we venture outside of our comfort zone? When we will stop over commercializing our sports culture and acknowledge the emotional and cultural value it has the in the rest of Europe and Asia? When we will we stop being selfish with sports?
What sparked this: The World Cup
Sport: Baseball
Baseball is just one of the sports I was assumed to be America and was developed fully and grew up in America. The World Series only involves the US and Canada. Japan Taiwan and Korea and several South American countries all have their own teams. Why don't we play them? I think we're scared of being beaten at our own game. The day the World Series has a US national baseball team pitted against the DR will be a scary day for us but a glorious day for Baseball.
Read:
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Sport: Basketball
I didn't know FIBA existed until today. Why aren't LeBron et al. Playing in that? I would love to see us playing France.
Sport: Soccer
We all saw the World Cup. We were so close. The US and the MLS need to give our players the same unlimited, zealous training and support their Euopean, Asian, and African counterparts got. Investment: Return. The game is a religion to the rest of the world.
Want the US to be the true leader of progress and civilization? Let's pressure FIFA into letting us host the first Women's World Cup.
Read:
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Sport: Football
You can't truly fall in love with something new until you try it. We gotta play Canada and our southern neighbors. America is a nation of immigrants and we freaking love our football...why does this mean that the passion must only live here? Soccer clearly doesn't live in one place. And too appease the Brits, let's take Rugby seriously too. It's kind of like football if you think about it. But imagine in 2030. The US Football (or whatever we'd call it internationally) team versus South African football team. The Super Bowl would reach epic proportions. Always American hosted? But internationally loved. Why does football have to compete with fútbol? They are different sports. Merica needs to stop saying "ours is better" and "try ours too!"
Motorsports: all of them.
Let's be honest; if you gave Germany or former Soviet Union NASCAR, crazy things would happen. Stripped out V8 stock cars. Just imagine how much fun they'd have. Just imagine how fun Daytona 500 would be, or even the Moscow 600. Hell, I watched a Bollywood movie about a NASCAR driver. Indian Jalops are nuts for that stuff. Mercedes or BMW stock cars? Think of the possibilities.
Aren't we also spposed to be technological pioneers in motorsports? Why does our F1 team seem so...bleh. Why isn't F1 big here? Why aren't the Big Three putting out good cars and drafting good drivers to represent us in European motorsports? Our F1 efforts are half assed to say the least.
America has the power to share and try sports. America has the power to shake off the shackles of mediocrity in sports like Soccer. America has the power to shift Europe, Asia, and Africa's patriarchal habits and open the stage for women. America must be ready for the inevitable pain but eventual growth that will be experienced by playing countries in international tournaments in sports typically only played by ourselves and Canada. We must be able to be beat by countries we draft players from, and then come back and beat them next year.
I'm done. Let's change this guys.