Why is the US so isolated from international competition in sports in general? (football, soccer)
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Think the international competition is just low in soccer/football? Think again, you don't see them being all hyped up when their basketball or NFL-style football national teams play either. I have to wonder is it to avoid seeing the pressures of anti-American sentiment or is it because America is not United enough as a country? And you can't use the excuse either that the rest of the world don't give a **** about our sports. Explain how basketball got so prevalent in Europe and Australia and baseball in Japan and Latin America...
American football is also incredibly popular across East Europe and the rest of the Anglo-Saxon world too. Despite what people think, American sports on foreign territory are not made to be rare as the media wants them to believe.
American football is also incredibly popular across East Europe and the rest of the Anglo-Saxon world too. Despite what people think, American sports on foreign territory are not made to be rare as the media wants them to believe.
Now back to the main question.
The bolded isn't true, basketball has a following in Eastern Europe I believe but American football or baseball is not very popular anywhere in Europe. Besides the US do compete in some international sporting events, the US hasn't qualified for this years World Cup but neither have Italy or the Netherlands. America is a bit of an 'outlier' when it comes to sports but why should that matter? American football and baseball are, I believe, massive within the US so I'm guessing that most of the nations conscience goes towards those sports. Rugby is a big sport here and in some other countries but England may have a rivalry with Germany in football there is nothing when it comes to rugby (England has a rivalry with different nations in that respect), its not really an issue.
The bolded isn't true, basketball has a following in Eastern Europe I believe but American football or baseball is not very popular anywhere in Europe. Besides the US do compete in some international sporting events, the US hasn't qualified for this years World Cup but neither have Italy or the Netherlands. America is a bit of an 'outlier' when it comes to sports but why should that matter? American football and baseball are, I believe, massive within the US so I'm guessing that most of the nations conscience goes towards those sports. Rugby is a big sport here and in some other countries but England may have a rivalry with Germany in football there is nothing when it comes to rugby (England has a rivalry with different nations in that respect), its not really an issue.
Basketball has been an Olympic Sport for so many decades. It is popular worldwide, not only USA. It was there in 1936 Berlin Olympics. FIBA had all European founding members.
The popularity of Baseball outside USA is very low. They may have leagues in South Korea but its viewership can be compared to Cricket in Canada.
Basketball is BEYOND DOUBT America's most successful sporting export! Some people say it already is the second most popular sport on earth after football/soccer! However, having said that, it is still a FAR CRY as it barely has countries where it is the undisputed number one sport (save the Philippines, and Lithuania).
Baseball (save for Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and some parts of Latin America like the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Venezuela), and gridiron football (save in Canada) are fairly insignificant in terms of popularity compared to basketball internationally speaking!
I guess because the most popular sports in the US are different to the most popular team sports in the rest of the world (or a VAST majority of it anyway) not all countries a football mad, like Australia for example, but while they don't compete globally in football they do compete globally in Rugby, the same can be said of India and cricket, there is no 'global' competition for American Football or Baseball, hence it 'feels' like the US is a bit of an 'outlier'.
Basketball is BEYOND DOUBT America's most successful sporting export! Some people say it already is the second most popular sport on earth after football/soccer! However, having said that, it is still a FAR CRY as it barely has countries where it is the undisputed number one sport (save the Philippines, and Lithuania).
Baseball (save for Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and some parts of Latin America like the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Venezuela), and gridiron football (save in Canada) are fairly insignificant in terms of popularity compared to basketball internationally speaking!
all true, but american football is starting to gain in popularity overseas, but barely.
i will also note that many college players that fail to make the NBA, usually go to europe to play pro basketball.
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