Rugby league. It's a much better game then Rugby Union with much more continuity of action.
But it's only prominent in the two East Coast states of Australia and parts of the North of England (where it originated) ... it was played in French industrial towns as well before WWII, but the rugby union clubs in France were more willing to collaborate with the Vichy government, so took over a lot of the French rugby leagues facilities, relegating French rugby league to a fairly minor status.
But I reckon it'll never go anywhere in the US, since rugby union clubs have the English upper crust stereotype for snob appeal ... and since it's a full contact tackling sport, it faces some of the head injury worries of football without the mass popularity of football to counter it.
What sports do you consider mainstream? I would think football, baseball/softball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer. What about indoor volleyball and lacrosse? Anything else?
I'm disappointed about the Olympics but obviously its understandable. When I watch, my favorite events are track and field, marathon, weightlifting, wrestling, gymnastics, skiing, biathlon, etc. - the things that are rarely, if ever except for the Olypmics, on television.
If the mainstream sports are football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and soccer:
NASCAR probably has the best "social experience". You don't even have to pay attention or know anything. You just sit outside on a cool summer evening socializing with people. (Ofc that only works if you have friends who follow NASCAR, which is rare outside of the South)
Take away the spectator experience, beach volleyball is my favorite to play or watch.
To play: juggling (though I realize most folks don't consider that a "sport" in the conventional sense)
I continue to wonder if volleyball can become a fairly major team sport in the U.S. It "lends itself" to TV: a big ball that is easy to follow, a small playing surface that allows for a frenetic pace, and athletes that are not covered in padding and helmets (as such, you can see the sweat, the muscles and the expressions). Also, and this is hugely helpful in building popularity, volleyball is (like soccer and hoops) a sport that is played by both men and women all over the world. As the U.S. becomes more international, ... you never know.
1) Popular in most places. For this discussion, let's say that means very popular in the US or at least reasonably popular across the globe.
2) There's enough money in it that athletes and others can make a living by being invested...I'm saying on a large scale that would need to be true.
3) Something that a network would air and expect to get decent ratings out of...something they would use in prime time and not just as filler in the off hours.
Basically this, if you can't form a professional association around it along with making money and generating buzz among casual sports fans then I would say it's not mainstream.
To play: juggling (though I realize most folks don't consider that a "sport" in the conventional sense)
I continue to wonder if volleyball can become a fairly major team sport in the U.S. It "lends itself" to TV: a big ball that is easy to follow, a small playing surface that allows for a frenetic pace, and athletes that are not covered in padding and helmets (as such, you can see the sweat, the muscles and the expressions). Also, and this is hugely helpful in building popularity, volleyball is (like soccer and hoops) a sport that is played by both men and women all over the world. As the U.S. becomes more international, ... you never know.
I think that's an interesting point about volleyball. You can also play it in existing arenas. It's not like you have to build a brand new infrastructure for volleyball.
I've always enjoyed the volleyball games I've watched although I've never followed it.
(03-24-2020 03:53 PM)BruceMcF Wrote: [ -> ]Rugby league. It's a much better game then Rugby Union with much more continuity of action.
But it's only prominent in the two East Coast states of Australia and parts of the North of England (where it originated) ... it was played in French industrial towns as well before WWII, but the rugby union clubs in France were more willing to collaborate with the Vichy government, so took over a lot of the French rugby leagues facilities, relegating French rugby league to a fairly minor status.
But I reckon it'll never go anywhere in the US, since rugby union clubs have the English upper crust stereotype for snob appeal ... and since it's a full contact tackling sport, it faces some of the head injury worries of football without the mass popularity of football to counter it.
Speaking of Australia, I have a soft spot for Aussie rules football.
Not that I understand the strategy of the game, but it always catches my attention if I happen to catch it while flipping late at night. I remember being the same way when I was a kid.
That's a sport that I wouldn't mind if it caught on here.
Most ski & snowboard events are boring. You just watch one person at a time. But ski cross is a 6-person race. They can cut each other off or crash into each other. And they're going really, really fast.
(03-24-2020 04:36 PM)gulfcoastgal Wrote: [ -> ]My favorites are made up backyard sports that the whole neighborhood would play...house rules.
I like those too. Growing up in an inner city neighborhood in Louisville we had a pear tree on our block. If you have never been hit in the head with an unripe green pear you haven’t lived. We waged war on each other’s skulls each summer. Soon as the pears were on the tree, game on.
1) Popular in most places. For this discussion, let's say that means very popular in the US or at least reasonably popular across the globe.
Rugby League is the most popular "football" game in the two Eastern Australian states, Ozzie Rules the most popular "football" games in the rest of Australia, Volleyball is probably sport number four in China, behind ping pong, basketball and "Association" football (soccer). Of course, Rugby Union is the number one sport in New Zealand and Wales and number two in South Africa and the Eastern Australian states and played at a club level all around the world.
All of those are professional sports in some part of the world (as is Beach Volleyball, and since it's really big in Brazil it can bounce back and forth between Northern and Southern hemisphere summer).
Quote: 2) There's enough money in it that athletes and others can make a living by being invested...I'm saying on a large scale that would need to be true.
So there's rugby league and beach volleyball knocked out.
Quote: 3) Something that a network would air and expect to get decent ratings out of...something they would use in prime time and not just as filler in the off hours.
Yeah, rugby league and beach volleyball are out, unless that is restricted to a US network.
Quote: Basically this, if you can't form a professional association around it along with making money and generating buzz among casual sports fans then I would say it's not mainstream.
"across the globe" is where you get to questions of "how long is a short piece of string" ...
... from the ones where the "pro league" is very much minor league and there aren't any broadcast stations in some part of the world competing for media rights, I'll go with Lacrosse.