WI Soccer Does Not Become the World Game?

I have been wondering about this one, particularily as a keen sports fan, I cannot make up my mind as to what is the second most significant sport worldwide with everything incl. socio-political impotance, popularity etc put into the mix. In our world, despite what some Americans may believe soccer, aka in most of the English speaking world as football, is the most significant by a huge margin! Presumably the current 2nd on the list would become the number 1, but what's that cricket, basketball, athletics, rugby,volleyball, swimming, formula1, baseball or another one?
Also how could that come about ie that soccer is displaced? Maybe no British empire? Even within the empire they were variations field hockey and cricket were huge in Asia, cricket in the Carribean and Austrailia ( and Aussie rules ), rugby in Wales and New Zealand! BTW before the development of gaelic games in Ireland and baseball in USA, cricket was the major sport in both!!!!!!
I have put this thread here rather than pre 1900, because FIFA the governing body for soccer worldwide was formed in 1904 and the first world cup was not until 1930. Looking forward to hearing your replies!
 
I have put this thread here rather than pre 1900, because FIFA the governing body for soccer worldwide was formed in 1904 and the first world cup was not until 1930. Looking forward to hearing your replies!

Still seems to be cutting a little close to get a POD. I think it's still before 1900, as although I know nothing about the history of Soccer, I'd bet that it would have had to have been quite popular already in order for an international association to be formed.
 

archaeogeek

Banned
It's pre 1900, even without FIFA, the sport was merely a codification of something that was already popular in some form or other throughout Europe and its colonies, and likely in some form throughout the world, period.

Additionally, the british football association was formed in 1848, and it took only a few years to see more associations spring up in Europe, the Americas.

For other options
- Cricket would also depend on the british empire.
- Basketball, invented in Canada, could have some mass appeal but it lacks some of the ease of set up you get with football
- Rugby, though, would work and is somewhat popular abroad
- Baseball, like Basketball, is a modern sport
- Field Hockey and Ice Hockey both require lots of equipment (ditto for Lacrosse and obviously polo) making them unlikely as world sports
 

Lusitania

Donor
You should be hanged by your toe nails and whiped until you resemble a soccer ball for even suggesting such a thing. :D

We would be entertained by watching wonderful and exiting cricket matches that would go on for hours, I mean days no I mean.... never mind. See what you have done.

SHAME ON YOU:)
 

archaeogeek

Banned
You should be hanged by your toe nails and whiped until you resemble a soccer ball for even suggesting such a thing. :D

We would be entertained by watching wonderful and exiting cricket matches that would go on for hours, I mean days no I mean.... never mind. See what you have done.

SHAME ON YOU:)

To be honest Canada doesn't exactly have a cricket tradition; it's more like pre-retirement for other commonwealth teams.
 

Lusitania

Donor
To be honest Canada doesn't exactly have a cricket tradition; it's more like pre-retirement for other commonwealth teams.

Yes but do I look like I really enjoy cricket look at my username look at my TLs. What does that imply. ;)

That I would be subjected to another English invention, Oh that though just sends chills down my back. I think I will go watch Canada's official game Lacrosse.
 
On the risk of offending every Americano on this board you mean the game my Portuguese friend called "Cheira o Cu" (Ass smellers):D
Or to counter, (World) Football, the only sport where a leaf hitting a players kneecap is considered a national disaster....
 

Lusitania

Donor
Or to counter, (World) Football, the only sport where a leaf hitting a players kneecap is considered a national disaster....

No not a national disaster just an act of war, Kill those trees. While they may once in a blue moon some drama I would rather watch 20 Futebal games than the Super Bowl. Well maybe not I cannot get any of those cool commercials during the game. Oh I forgot I live in Canada and we were not allowed to watch those commercials we were entertained by standard good old Canadian Commercials instead. :eek:

That does it I would rather watch 30 futebal games than the Superbowl.;)
 
- Basketball, invented in Canada...

I think it was invented by a Canadian living in the States...

- Baseball, like Basketball, is a modern sport

But based on something much older, which I believe still survives today over here as the children's game, rounders. (The term 'baseball' does come up in the opening chapter of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, I think...)
 

Lusitania

Donor
I think it was invented by a Canadian living in the States...



But based on something much older, which I believe still survives today over here as the children's game, rounders. (The term 'baseball' does come up in the opening chapter of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, I think...)

Yes basketball just like SUPERMAN was invented by a Canadian living in the USA. As for where sports derive from, I remember a news cast about a baseball game that had gone into the 40 or 50th inning and had captured allot of media attention including a BBC reporter who commented that it similar to cricket to which the american replied no cricket was a bug and this was a sport.:)
 
It's pre 1900, even without FIFA, the sport was merely a codification of something that was already popular in some form or other throughout Europe and its colonies, and likely in some form throughout the world, period.

Additionally, the british football association was formed in 1848, and it took only a few years to see more associations spring up in Europe, the Americas.

For other options
- Cricket would also depend on the british empire.
- Basketball, invented in Canada, could have some mass appeal but it lacks some of the ease of set up you get with football
- Rugby, though, would work and is somewhat popular abroad
- Baseball, like Basketball, is a modern sport
- Field Hockey and Ice Hockey both require lots of equipment (ditto for Lacrosse and obviously polo) making them unlikely as world sports

Basketball was invented in Springfield, Massachusetts.
 

Sior

Banned
Basketball was invented in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Although the roots of baseball are English, similar games have also been played in other parts of the world. Oina is a Romanian ball sport, similar in some ways to baseball. Russia had a bat and ball game called Lapta since the 14th century. Germans played a game called Schlagball, which was similar to rounders. A "bowler" threw a ball to a "striker," who hit it with a club and then tried to run around a circuit of bases without getting hit with the ball by a defender.
In an 1801 book entitled The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England, Joseph Strutt claimed to have shown that baseball-like games can be traced back to the 14th century, and that baseball is a descendant of a United Kingdom game called stoolball. The earliest known reference to stoolball is in a 1330 poem by William Pagula, who recommended to priests that the game be forbidden within churchyards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_baseball

Americans don't invent things they copy and claim!
 
Yes but do I look like I really enjoy cricket look at my username look at my TLs. What does that imply. ;)

That I would be subjected to another English invention, Oh that though just sends chills down my back. I think I will go watch Canada's official game Lacrosse.

I thought Canada's official game was curling.

[flashes back to the time, during the 2010 Winter Olympics, he was amused to overhear - while waiting for a seat at a busy restaurant in New Jersey on a Sunday afternoon, where the Olympics were on TV - another customer remark "curling is the silliest-looking sport I've ever seen."]
 
Although the roots of baseball are English, similar games have also been played in other parts of the world. Oina is a Romanian ball sport, similar in some ways to baseball. Russia had a bat and ball game called Lapta since the 14th century. Germans played a game called Schlagball, which was similar to rounders. A "bowler" threw a ball to a "striker," who hit it with a club and then tried to run around a circuit of bases without getting hit with the ball by a defender.
In an 1801 book entitled The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England, Joseph Strutt claimed to have shown that baseball-like games can be traced back to the 14th century, and that baseball is a descendant of a United Kingdom game called stoolball. The earliest known reference to stoolball is in a 1330 poem by William Pagula, who recommended to priests that the game be forbidden within churchyards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_baseball

Americans don't invent things they copy and claim!

Basketball, I said.

But baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday, who later had a pivotal role in the (unsuccessful) defense of Fort Sumter. Everyone knows that.
 
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