Where do we all think we are at?
Football: best league in the world? Hmm.
Best women's team? Yes possibly!
Best men's team? Maybe in 4 years time!
Tennis: some good players in both men's and women's but not quite up to the greats!
Cricket: Right up there with the best in the world. Current World Cup holders and Bazball in Tests!!
Rugby: Struggling in both codes at the moment. Mainly due to financial issues but still in top 5!
Golf: One off victories but no way near the glory days of the past.
Boxing: pretty strong in all divisions. Possibly stronger in the women's rather than the men's!!
Olympics: Cycling is always strong. Swimming looking good. Athletics is OK. New sports looking very good (BMX & Skateboarding in particular)
So overall pretty healthy. What do you all think?
The state of British sport
posted on 4/8/23
Basketball - simply horrible
American Football - worse than horrible
Ice hockey - bad
Soccer - we’re shocking underachievers. 1 major title and 2 finals is a complete embarrassment, given that England has the biggest league and invented the sport
Cricket - generally pretty good. Never had a dynasty the way Aus, India and West Indies have managed, but consistently one of the best teams across all formats
Rugby - not very good. Only 1 World Cup and never had a dynasty the way Aus & NZ have managed.
Tennis - a complete embarrassment. No need to explain. Everyone knows.
Golf - pretty good imo
Boxing - excellent. We overachieve in boxing. Countless world champs across many weight classes.
Olympics - average. Impressive recently but failed miserably in the 80s & 90s. Given a 70m population and the sporting expenditure/infrastructure, we should have done better.
posted on 4/8/23
comment by #LiquidGenius (U20571)
posted 1 hour, 33 minutes ago
Basketball - simply horrible
American Football - worse than horrible
Ice hockey - bad
Soccer - we’re shocking underachievers. 1 major title and 2 finals is a complete embarrassment, given that England has the biggest league and invented the sport
Cricket - generally pretty good. Never had a dynasty the way Aus, India and West Indies have managed, but consistently one of the best teams across all formats
Rugby - not very good. Only 1 World Cup and never had a dynasty the way Aus & NZ have managed.
Tennis - a complete embarrassment. No need to explain. Everyone knows.
Golf - pretty good imo
Boxing - excellent. We overachieve in boxing. Countless world champs across many weight classes.
Olympics - average. Impressive recently but failed miserably in the 80s & 90s. Given a 70m population and the sporting expenditure/infrastructure, we should have done better.
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How has Sir Andy Murray been an embarrassment?
posted on 4/8/23
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 3 hours, 13 minutes ago
comment by Kobbie The King Mainoo (U10026)
posted 1 hour, 9 minutes ago
Diafol, I mean in general for people that feel ambivalence towards national identity. It exists all over the flat Earth.
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Ah yes fair enough. That's a global thing I suppose isn't it.
Wanderers - apologies. No harm was meant.
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Yeah it’s an interesting conversation for another day. Especially as someone that has socially liberal views. I think there’s been a failure of the left to embrace nationalism from a political and social perspective.
posted on 4/8/23
In England and America that is especially.
posted on 5/8/23
comment by Kobbie The King Mainoo (U10026)
posted 51 minutes ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 (U2462)
posted 3 hours, 13 minutes ago
comment by Kobbie The King Mainoo (U10026)
posted 1 hour, 9 minutes ago
Diafol, I mean in general for people that feel ambivalence towards national identity. It exists all over the flat Earth.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ah yes fair enough. That's a global thing I suppose isn't it.
Wanderers - apologies. No harm was meant.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah it’s an interesting conversation for another day. Especially as someone that has socially liberal views. I think there’s been a failure of the left to embrace nationalism from a political and social perspective.
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posted on 5/8/23
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 21 hours, 22 minutes ago
Considering we have our finger in every pie we have always done well as a nation, sports wise.
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Also considering our geographical size & population, we do pretty well...
Tennis always confuses me...we have a plethora of top class venues in this country, and apart from genuine class like Murray (Raducanu was and will always be a one hit wonder) - we are ridiculously poor at it.
That said we had a doubles win & the boys win at Wimbledon...so you never know
Really looking forward to the World athletics in September
posted on 5/8/23
The British have done pretty well to turn around their abysmal Olympics record, and become one of the powerhouses (along with the US, China and the doped up Russians). I think they underachieve in many sports though.
Tennis is probably the worst given the investments into the local game, and being hosts of the most prestigious tournament in the sport. The British record here is just shocking.
Football is pretty embarrassing when compared to the top European nations. Fluked one World Cup and can't even make a final since. Never won the Euros.
India's obsession with it gives cricket some legitimacy as a global sport, but most of the world just don't give a sheite about it.
posted on 5/8/23
Just been thumped by Wales in the rugby.
#BorthwickOut
posted on 6/8/23
comment by #LiquidGenius (U20571)
posted 1 day, 11 hours ago
Basketball - simply horrible
American Football - worse than horrible
Ice hockey - bad
Soccer - we’re shocking underachievers. 1 major title and 2 finals is a complete embarrassment, given that England has the biggest league and invented the sport
Cricket - generally pretty good. Never had a dynasty the way Aus, India and West Indies have managed, but consistently one of the best teams across all formats
Rugby - not very good. Only 1 World Cup and never had a dynasty the way Aus & NZ have managed.
Tennis - a complete embarrassment. No need to explain. Everyone knows.
Golf - pretty good imo
Boxing - excellent. We overachieve in boxing. Countless world champs across many weight classes.
Olympics - average. Impressive recently but failed miserably in the 80s & 90s. Given a 70m population and the sporting expenditure/infrastructure, we should have done better.
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First three things...ditto
Golf - we've had countless major winners...were up there
Re the three major sports...we are pretty good at all of them but spread ourselves a bit thin maybe
Athletics was drug riddled for decades...now it's pretty clean we do very well for an almost minority sport in our country
posted on 6/8/23
comment by Sheriff JW Pepper (U1007)
posted 5 hours, 56 minutes ago
comment by #LiquidGenius (U20571)
posted 1 day, 11 hours ago
Basketball - simply horrible
American Football - worse than horrible
Ice hockey - bad
Soccer - we’re shocking underachievers. 1 major title and 2 finals is a complete embarrassment, given that England has the biggest league and invented the sport
Cricket - generally pretty good. Never had a dynasty the way Aus, India and West Indies have managed, but consistently one of the best teams across all formats
Rugby - not very good. Only 1 World Cup and never had a dynasty the way Aus & NZ have managed.
Tennis - a complete embarrassment. No need to explain. Everyone knows.
Golf - pretty good imo
Boxing - excellent. We overachieve in boxing. Countless world champs across many weight classes.
Olympics - average. Impressive recently but failed miserably in the 80s & 90s. Given a 70m population and the sporting expenditure/infrastructure, we should have done better.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
First three things...ditto
Golf - we've had countless major winners...were up there
Re the three major sports...we are pretty good at all of them but spread ourselves a bit thin maybe
Athletics was drug riddled for decades...now it's pretty clean we do very well for an almost minority sport in our country
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Football is far and away the biggest sport in the UK, so I don't buy that you spread you self too thinly in sports like rugby and cricket.
Athletics is a minority sport in every country.