Football, not the world biggest sport.

Tinwise time.:)

So football is not invented, or catch on, in a big way. What would be the biggest sport in the world?
Yes I do know that all you need is a ball and some space and you can play, and so that is the thing that makes it easy.
 
Similar basic games would probably take the place of football.
If it had been invented, maybe rugby (hopefully not that... that pathetic "American Football").
Cricket is the world's second most popular sport and I can see a simplified (or bastardised, depending on your point of view) catching on.
Other options might be baseball/rounders or maybe some form of hockey.
 
Similar basic games would probably take the place of football.
If it had been invented, maybe rugby (hopefully not that... that pathetic "American Football").
Cricket is the world's second most popular sport and I can see a simplified (or bastardised, depending on your point of view) catching on.
Other options might be baseball/rounders or maybe some form of hockey.

Isn't Cricket that popular due to the fact that it has so much support in India (and it's billion or so people), if it didn't catch on there would it still be so popular?
 
Isn't Cricket that popular due to the fact that it has so much support in India (and it's billion or so people), if it didn't catch on there would it still be so popular?

No, it probably wouldn't. It has a reputation as being complicated (slightly unfairly) and isn't simply a ball game, so a simplified version could take football's place.
 

Devvy

Donor
For any sport to replicate football's success, it needs to be easily playable with the minimum of equipment, and so easily understood that it can be played by kids on a playground. Potential candidates include:

- Handball
- Rounders/Baseball

Handball's my bet as it's already wildly popular across Europe (except the UK!).
 
I don't know about handball. It's hard to play on grass, due the ball not bouncing much. Then again, that didn't stop basketball from turning popular.
Baseball requires a bit of equipment.
I'd say rugby, you can just play it with a ball and open space.
 
The games like cricket, hockey, tennis etc. require bats and other equipments besides the ball. The basketball requires two posts with baskets for scoring. But the volleyball requires only a net between two posts beside the ball. The advantage of football(soccer) was that it requires only a ball and a large enough ground to play. Hence I think the handball is the game that is most likely to replace football being simple and cheap.
 
my bet is on Volleyball. Basketball and Handball need a hard ground and a ball that can bounce. Volleyball you can on the other hand even play on sand or grass with an old pig head ;)
 
No Rugby, nor American Football, nor Australian Football, all of which were born out of the popularity of Football, i'm afraid.

I think basketball would take the place, as it posesses many of the same attractives as football.

But giving up on realism, know what i would hope for? Prisonball/Dodgeball :D
 

Devvy

Donor
You can play handball with any ball. Just use one that easily bounces on grass for when you're playing outside. It doesn't have to be "regulation". All you need is an open area and a ball - like football.

Some little plastic ball would perfectly suffice for little tykes to practise playing with in the playground or on the school field.
 
It would be whatever is played by the Brits as they can seed it across most of the world in the 19th century that probably rules out handball as it is eurocentric/germanocentric and quite late - rules are 1906 according to wiki so all the railway staff in South America would have been playing something else for 20-50 years anyway.

And pre plastics it would need a case ball or something that does not need to bounce much. (volleyball with a pigs head, not so much)

Football, with the biting and gouging, is ancient or at least medieval so the betting is on Rugby like handling/kicking game (which pre dates soccer) but that could be Union, League, Gaelic or Aussie rules.

Smaller chance of a hockey/hurling/lacrosse game because you need more kit,

Still smaller chance of Cricket for the same reason and weather and time but it does stand a good chance of being a summer sport.

Baseball is cricket for people who can't bowl and American football is an equipment heavy rugby derivative.
 
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