Anybody who thinks baseball isn't a sport, hasn't played baseball. There are USMNTers who were very good baseball players. Famously, Taylor Twellman, of course. He was offered a contract by the Kansas City Royals, but chose to attend Maryland for soccer instead. Taylor's grandfather is Jim Delsing, former major leaguer. There are actually lots of examples. In some parts of the country, the soccer and baseball seasons allow for that. One is fall and one is spring. But anyway, it has nothing to do with Christian Pulisic.
It is trotted out when someone doesn't like or understand a sport. Not sure why just saying it's not for you isn't enough. I've watched and liked many different sports over the years. I think that soccer became y favorite not only because of the sport itself but because there are no commercial interruptions. It has made it so hard for me to watch sports with constant interruptions now. heck, streaming has made it hard to watch network TV with all of their commercials too.
I've always found the divide between baseball and soccer to be a bit ironic. There are clear differences, of course, but I find both to be "anticipation" sports as a spectator. Which is ... the genius of both is the wait to see what happens, and the fact that it doesn't come off more than it does -- the sort of "oh, oh, oh no" and "oh, oh, yes!" They are also both sports that due to a lack of action really require understanding of the sport and appreciation of it to really enjoy it. Soccer can seem like people are moving and nothing happens if you don't know it, and baseball is the same way if you don't appreciate the movement of a curveball or the split second difference between a hit and an out. (The only exception is that baseball is a fantastic sport for day drinking and hanging with friends with it in the background, so you can enjoy it that way as well).
I played baseball for years on multiple teams. Still not a sport. This is also untrue. My years playing it led me to this conclusion. Have either of you played the game?
I played both. For many years. To say baseball is not a sport is just silly talk. Soccer and baseball have one thing quite in common. Fans that don't really understand the game think there is too much standing around. if you don't think baseball is a sport go read The Only Way I Know by Cal Ripken. There is so much going on between pitches that clearly you have no clue about.
Thanks to the "baseball not a sport" poster for ensuring it was the topic of conversation for the last 2 pages
Yeah but how about Christian Pulisic! Christian Pulisic makes it two goals in two games for AC Milan by Terry Daley , Italian broadcast (Highlights): 'USA, USA, USA'
Further derailing the conversation, the day I moved to the US the only things on TV in my hotel were Princess Diana's death and baseball. So being British of course I chose baseball. I was fascinated by the strategy between pitches although it's not nearly as complex as cricket and the fact that plays are called by a spectator sitting in a dugout is a little annoying.
You are a brave person [mention]jond [/mention] for bringing that baseball take into the 55+ community that is BigSoccer. I tip my hat to you.
In Offisde: Soccer and American Exceptionalism (a must-read for anyone invested in the development of the sport here) they argue that baseball in the US occupied the "sports space" that soccer took up in countries around the world during the same period. The book does a good job of explaining how much of a cultural obsession baseball was at the turn of the century; spending all afternoon at the ball park was literally THE thing to do outdoors for many decades. It truly was America's past-time. To give an impression of how influential the sport was, the book references the ubiquity of baseball related metaphors that have become part of everyday American vernacular; the list goes on for pages (wikipedia documents hundreds) The point is made that this is how every other country fell in love with soccer. It was THE thing to do for men and boys. And of course this was pre-TV, so being at the park was an experience unto itself, despite what was happening on-field.
I always kind of wish I liked baseball more. I appreciate that it is a sport that relies on skill much more than raw physicality like so many sports. I get too bored or distracted watching. But, conceptually I want to like it.
Start off with later playoff rounds. The crowd will be much more in to it. The announcers and coverage better etc. Like all American sports. Really for casuals I don't know why they'd watch many regular season games of any major sport and just wait until playoffs. MLS included as it also turns everything several notches.
Baseball is a sport to watch in person with people you enjoy having a few beers and a 2-3 hour conversation with.
Excuse me for asking but I may have missed something..... Just curious, did Christian Pulisic play baseball as a youth and that is why everyone keeps talking about the sport in his thread?
I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball. I will not post about baseball.
Hey, Chess is considered a sport. So there's that. So is Marching Band. Some of them get more of a workout than the football players.
Where the British held sway soccer was often the adopted sport; where the upstart Americans had influence ( Venezuela, Nicaragua, DR, PR, Cuba ) baseball is adopted. Forget how Japan came to be mad for baseball.....as the British were the premier world empire until WW 1, they had the most influence in the most countries. Isolated countries like Canada, the US, and Australia adopted their own sports, or took up cricket ( India, NZ, Aus ) but the US saw cricket as colonialism and refused to play ( according to Stephen Frye anyway ). While post war USA came to dominate, it would not be the slow paced baseball they would export, but basketball ( a sport I really can't get into by the way ).
Baseball was a thing in England in 1890 and cricket was a thing in the US, especially in Philadelphia. This thread has got a lot more interesting recently. https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Baseball.jpg
Well I did preface it by saying “some disagree but”….people who think it’s a sport really get worked up about it lol. Anyway, back to Puli. UCL draw tomorrow.
The European Baseball Championship draw has already been made. Israel kick pitch off against Switzerland in Prague on September 24.
I do remember reading that at some point. Why India got so cricket mad is an interesting question, considering colonialism and all.
Because India is a caste society and cricket is associated with the upper-castes. The British conquered and held the Sub-Continent and beyond with less than 20,000 troops by playing the system. It's something we learned from bribing Scottish clans to beat up other Scottish clans. That way we didn't have to sacrifice Englishmen. We/they used the same trick with native-Americans to hang onto Upper Canada in 1812 (I say we, I'm a dual national). The best Indian cricket players played for England, like the Nawab of Pataubi. His son, also the Nawab of Pataudi, became one of India's greatest cricketers.