Comments instream....

>>>>Dont be so hard on your country, America is great. Let the rest of us berate you guys (and beat you in the World Cup :)
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>>>Yeah like can ANYONE beat them at going to the Moon, or the Olympics (well China probably will in a few years's time)?
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>>>But you've just made me think. The US doesn't really indulge in any team games that the rest of the world does, or can join in. Maybe that's to ensure that they don't get beaten at anything.
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>>I normally laugh off your anti-American comments but that one is too much. Have you missed the Olympic Games in, oh, the past 50 years? And don't get me going about basketball. I know the American teams have messed up the past couple of times, after a long undefeated streak, but you know what? They were goofing off in the summer and not taking the other teams seriously enough. Put their game faces on and there is not a country in the world that could stay within 20 points of our best. You could field a team from the entire rest of the world and they still wouldn't come within 20 points.
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>What are you on about? I think you're being unjust. I'm not anti-American - I've always considered myself to be an "Americanophile". As a kid I used to kid other kids on that I was American sometimes. I rarely give other than undue criticism and I'm just as critical about my own penny-pinching country.

You look down your nose at the U.S. all the time. It gets old.
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>Did I not include the Olympics in "... can ANYONE beat them at going to the Moon, or the Olympics ", in support and backing up the first para above. I was saying, OK you mayn't be good a "footie" but look at the wonders that you can achieve.
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>Why do you think I often post questions about your country? Cos here I have contacts with whom I can discuss the things that often interest or intrigue me but haven't got the opportunity normally.
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>>I will flip your question back at you. Is there a sport the U.S. is NOT competitive in? ...
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>No. And?
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>>I spent a fair amount of time in the UK in my younger days. It always amused me that what was described as "sport" was mostly stuff one can become adept at with desire and no particular athletic ability -- darts, billiards, cricket.
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>Now you're being offensive. You've got baseball for cricket, gridiron for footie, Pool for SNOOKER. And how is baseball more athletic than cricket? Your batters only manage a run once every blue moon with polka dots; ours are out there for sometimes hours, running frequently.
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Baseball requires much more athleticism than cricket. Of course a test match takes three days -- they never break a sweat! Watch a stolen base, a diving over the shoulder catch in the outfield, a triple, a double play turned by the pros, a 98 miles per hour fastball, a home run (the American metaphor to end all American metaphors). Then tell me about cricket. IMO there is no comparison.

>>No wonder English women were so glad to meet foreigners. (clapping hand over mouth).
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>Well Englishmen are also quite sought after in the US and other countries, not because they're special, just because a foreigner is more exotic than the norm.
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>>>But you've just made me think. The US doesn't really indulge in any team games that the rest of the world does, or can join in. Maybe that's to ensure that they don't get beaten at anything.
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>That's merely an observation. The last bit was a joke. I prefer not to laugh at my own jokes. Ina nother post some time back I equally pointed out that it when it comes to games we are similar in that it seems only to be the English diaspora countries that indulge in separate summer and winter sports. You guys just went astray in your choice.
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>>LOL
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Nah. I get sore seldom and stay so never.