Kenneth Clark18 said:Look, all those track and field disciplines you were talking about? They just don't exist here in the States. I mean, honestly, there’s nowhere to even go to train if you wanted to. It's just not happening.
We’re nowhere near being competitive in swimming. I mean, let's be real—the infrastructure just isn't there in the States to support that kind of thing. We aren't seeing the right conditions at all. I guess we won't be seeing any real progress on that front for a long, long time.
And here I was thinking someone was actually going to bring up Neralić, but then I took a look at the date and the country he was playing for. Makes you realize how much I missed, I guess.
All those countries he listed... they basically just dump all their money into one or two specific sports where they happen to be elite. Take Norway, for example. I mean, sure, they’re leading the medal count at the Winter Olympics, but besides handball, what do they actually have going for them? If you look outside of the Nordic sports, they pretty much don't exist on the global stage. I guess that's just how it works, though.
The Czech Republic is such a tennis powerhouse, honestly. I mean, they used to have that insane soccer talent too, but then... I don't know, they just kind of disappeared from the map in pretty much every other sport. It's weird, right? Maybe they just put all their eggs in one basket or something. Who knows.
Take a look at Poland, for instance. Honestly, the whole country is kind of a mess, if you ask me—except for maybe volleyball and handball, I guess. They used to be decent at soccer way back in the day, then they just completely fell off the map, and now they're sort of trying to find their footing again. It’s a nation of like 40 million people... just an interesting situation, I suppose.
vb - what else is there to say? They don't even exist as a collective group anymore. I mean, look at India, China, Indonesia, Iran, Turkey... just nothing there.
I think the whole thing just comes down to how people perceive sports. Like, in the States, swimming is held in such high regard, you know? It’s huge. And then you look at rowing or even equestrian stuff—that’s always been seen as this elite, aristocratic pursuit. Over in England, nobody gives a damn about basketball; I mean, it’s basically just an American thing to them. But cricket and rugby? Those stadiums are always packed. Always.
Handball is just one of those quintessential European sports, you know? Especially in places like Germany—it’s huge over there. I think it actually ranks as their second most popular team sport, right after soccer. Or maybe it's football? I guess it doesn't really matter, the point is, it's massive in that part of the world.
Portugal? I mean, they really don't have anything else going for them besides soccer. Like, seriously, nothing. They were this big colonial power back in the day, sure, but now? It's just a country of maybe 11 million people. That's about it.
The US has pulled in 44 Olympic medals over the last 25 years. If you think that’s not enough, then I honestly don't know what to tell you. Maybe my math is off, or maybe I'm just being cynical, but that seems like a pretty solid haul to me. I guess.
So, you're telling me there isn't even a decent track to run on here in the States? I mean, come on. In places like Kenya, they’re out there pounding the dirt paths, just running through the dust, and it's the same story in Ethiopia. Then you look at Jamaica, and it's just a whole different level. Even those smaller Caribbean spots—St. Kitts, Barbados, Antigua, the Antilles... they all have that raw vibe. It makes you wonder why things are so different here, I guess. Maybe I'm just being cynical, but it feels like we're missing something.
Look, we’ve got the pools. We’ve got the facilities and everything. But talent? Real experts? We just don't have them. It's like... I don't know, maybe we're missing that spark. You see it all the time with people from around here—they head over to the States, usually under some university scholarship or something, and suddenly they're world-class swimmers. Like, overnight. They get scouted, they get recruited, they even make the cut through those intense US Olympic trials. It's crazy how much of a difference the right environment makes, I guess.
I mean, look at the landscape. You’ve got Norway over there with their track and field scene, then you have the Czech Republic basically living and breathing hockey... and don't even get me started on tennis. Seriously, they've absolutely dominated the Billie Jean King Cup, winning it like five or six times in just the last seven or eight years. Throw in all those Grand Slams they've snatched up? It's kind of insane, I guess.
I don't know, maybe it's just me, but Americans can be such a strange bunch when it comes to sports—they just aren't really that athletic type, you know? And even their soccer is pretty much unwatchable. I mean, players like Glik, Lewandowski, or Milik? They’re just so incredibly predictable. It was the same deal with that whole experiment they tried back during Euro 2012. Honestly, they remind me of Russians in soccer; they struggle to play for big clubs abroad because they just can't seem to adapt to life in a different country. I guess they find more success when they move away, like how Dybala did, or look at the US basketball coach—he was this one Argentinian player who made it work. They seem okay at those old Soviet-style disciplines, like shot put or throwing things, I suppose. But learning a new language? Or just settling into a new environment? Yeah, that's a tough sell for them.
I mean, honestly, VB is playing on a completely different level right now. It’s like they're in their own league or something. At this rate, I guess every single one of my guys is going to cruise right through the group stage. No doubt about it.😁 Well, looks like Ireland and Wales are out. I guess England is making their comeback now. Maybe.
So, China beat us in soccer. And man, India? They’re absolutely crushing it in cricket, horse racing, even tennis and softball. It's like they just took all those old British colonial sports and ran with them. But honestly, you can't really count them in the global rankings. Sport just isn't their main focus, I guess. Their priority is still out there on the street corners selling flatbread... kind of similar to how things are over in Indonesia. You've got these nations totally wrapped up in their own traditions, religious quirks, and massive gender inequalities... it's hard to see countries like that making it onto the big stage. Maybe it's just how it is.
America keeps acting like they’re part of this elite Western club, right? So, I guess if we're going to group them with similar countries, maybe we should look at places like Lithuania—I mean, those guys are absolutely killing it in basketball. Or Latvia, since they've got Porzingis. Honestly, even when they announce some random friendly soccer match against Estonia, people start acting like it's some massive clash of titans just because the last time they played, it was a boring 0-0 draw. It's kind of ridiculous, I guess.
The Scandinavians always seem to have drivers lined up in Rally and Formula 1. It’s kind of like how you mentioned India had that Force India team back in the day.
In rugby, it’s places like Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and New Zealand that really call the shots. Population-wise, they're pretty much in the same boat. I didn't bring up Australia, South Africa, England, or France because, well, they just have way more people.
Now, Portugal? They're top-tier in soccer, at least. But it's hard for folks from their old colonies to really develop major sports programs when most of those places—Angola, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea Bissau—are struggling with poverty. Even Lagos, the massive city in Nigeria, actually has Portuguese roots. And let's not forget they used to have the Philippines and Macau out East.
The French, though... they definitely make better use of their territories in the Caribbean, New Caledonia, Reunion, and all that.
Honestly, the US isn't exactly dominating any single global sport right now—well, maybe if you count certain niche things, but we aren't winning big in soccer, basketball, tennis, hockey, rugby, golf, F1, rally, or those specific track and field events. We aren't leading in swimming or cycling either—it would be something to finally see an American standing on the podium at the Tour de France, the Vuelta, or the Giro d'Italia. Not even in motorcycling, unless you're talking MotoGP, which is basically the F1 of bikes, rather than some local dirt track racing. Boxing too... we're talking professional heavyweight stuff, not the amateur leagues.
Asian countries are absolute powerhouses in badminton and table tennis, and we haven't even been in the mix there for very long.
Diving, too.
And skating—the Netherlands pretty much owns that scene.
Gymnastics is pretty weak for us.
Then you've got all the different martial arts.
Futsal is actually pretty interesting on a global scale.
Water polo isn't even that complicated; Americans, Australians, and Brazilians have already figured it out. You can learn that stuff in ten years. Look at Chile—they don't even have a professional league, yet their amateur side finished 21st. That’s similar to what Poland does, where they have European club champions and millions of dollars poured into the sport.
I guess it would just be cooler to be number one or two in a couple of sports, rather than being ranked somewhere between 3rd and 10th in ten different ones.
When you show up in America, or anywhere else in the world, everyone knows exactly where you're from if you mention names like LeBron James or Tom Brady... nobody's going to associate you with some obscure local figures.