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Be A Good Sport (thelemmy.club)
submitted 1 day ago by [M] to c/historymemes@quokk.au
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Be A Good Sport
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[–] 9 points 19 hours ago* (11 children)

Interesting to look at the big 4 US sports:

  • football: invented in the US, never really exported, US's undeniably the best

  • baseball: invented in the US, exported to East Asia and the Caribbean. World title is contentious with japan with the most titles, but also because top US talent doesn't participate in international games

  • basketball: invented in the US, exported to the balkans, US still the best

  • hockey: invented in canada, exported to countries where ice exists, Canada still the best with most world titles

So I'd say Canada is the best at making a sport, exporting it to a decent amount of countries, and still dominating the sport.

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  • [–] 2 points 12 hours ago*

    Lacrosse, invented by The Six Nations in what would become New England, Quebec, and Ontario. Exported world wide. Their passports are routinely not accepted by host countries of the world championships, mostly because no one can beat the Iroquois, Ojibwe, and Seneca at their own game. Oh, and if the Mohawk team is the one that shows up, just forfeit. It will be cheaper for you that way. They play dirty within the rules, and have been doing so for a fuckton longer than China has existed.

    I'd say that trumps hockey as the sport is older than almost every other sport played today, yet the creators still hold the most world titles, despite being forbidden from attending about 1/10 of the time.

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  • [–] 2 points 14 hours ago (4 children)

    When it comes to basketball, as much as I want to, I can't get into a sport where all the skill in the world can be outdone by an abnormal pituitary gland.

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  • [–] 1 point 13 hours ago (3 children)

    I mean that's all sports, the gene lotto trumps training every time, it's just more obvious in basketball.

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  • [–] 1 point 13 hours ago (2 children)

    My point is very much that it's inescapably obvious in basket ball and I disagree that a gene lotto trumps training every time in ALL sports. There's darts bowling and snooker, even before we consider that Messi isn't particularly genetically gifted and neither is Harry Kane.

    I don't mean to single basketball out and I feel the same for sports where wealthy people have a huge advantage too. I mean, you or I could've been world dressage or polo champions if we were born to people rich enough to own horses and large amounts of land.

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  • [–] 1 point 13 hours ago* (1 child)

    I guess Steph Curry would be the equivalent of Messi, he's not freakishly tall, and even looks rather short on the court compared to all the other 7 foot tall freaks, but he's still 6'3" (~2m) and taller then 90% of people. Both were at a time considered the best at their sport.

    Same probably with Messi, the genetic gifts are harder to quantify then height, but he's probably in the 90th percentile genetically of thigh strength or foot dexterity or something.

    Genetics also determine fine motor skill to an extent as well. I played hockey for years and even though I put the same effort in there were just people who shot better then me. It's just harder to quantify and see but the best people at darts, bowling, golf, snooker etc. probably also possess some innate unseen advantage that puts them above the rest.

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  • [–] 1 point 12 hours ago

    But who the genetic freak equivalent in football? Even if that was true about messing, which it isn't (he just played football nonstop from the age of 3, had incredible coaches and never stopped training) how does that explain the others like Harry kane? As someone who studied genetics, I think you're putting far too much emphasis on genetics for those sports. I couldn't out compete a semi pro football player by being 7 ft 8.

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  • [–] 1 point 15 hours ago (2 children)

    basketball was exported onky to the balkans? what? are you sure?

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  • [–] 1 point 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 child)

    Of course, how could I forget the ballin democratic peoples republic of Korea where dear leader loves basketball

    But seriously, was mostly just looking at world titles and Yugoslavia, RIP, and the USSR have been the only other country to challenge the US in basketball.

    If you know any other countries where it's popular lmk and I can update it.

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