Ian ConstantineThe Rant on World Events: Why the Olympics are a joke and League World Cup deserves respect
October 27th 2008 06:05
I am sick and tired of people taking easy and uneducated pot-shots at the Rugby League ‘World’ Cup!
People saying that it is a one-horse race and that there is no point… What about the damn Olympics? You know all that media driven hoopla about not winning but just the ability to compete? Where the hell is that sentiment, why oh why is this only reserved for the Olympics?
It smacks of hypocrisy, and I won’t stand for it!
Hear me out…
The Olympics has over 200 nations competing across 30 odd events… okay… 'World'… we get it… but wait just a minute, lets look deeper into this… How many countries realistically have a chance of winning Gold?
52 countries won a Gold Medal…. One in four… better that what I predicted… but often picked up in the more obscure sports that only get played once every four years to help the nations that would normally struggle. This also conveniently boosts tv ratings and sponsorship dollars… I’m not cynical at all…. Not one bit…
I’d like to point out for the record that I love the Olympics and am not trying to have a go…
Okay… having said that, how many of those sports does everyone play? Is there one event that everyone has a realistic chance of winning… Answer quite simply is no. Hence the 'spirit of competing' idelaogy was born.
Case in point… Athletics… more to the point… Running… Every person (disabled aside) in the world runs, it is the purest of sports, it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, every kid has the ability and indeed runs…
so… how many countries out of the 204 that competed in Beijing won a Gold in running? Guess?
Out of 204 Nations a whopping Nine countries won Gold medals in running events… nine!
You try explaining that to me? Why is this not written off as a one-horse race? Again, I am just venting as an example… Why does the League World Cup get ridiculed as a fore-gone conclusion when the showcase of the Olympics is constantly dominated by the same countries?
Oh, have you guessed the countries yet… most are pretty obvious, with a few surprises…
Ethiopia, Kenya, Jamaica, Russia, USA, Romania, Great Britain, Cuba and Bahrain…
Hmm… the Usual Suspects… For all our hype and gusto Australia rarely gets anywhere near a running Medal (God Bless Cathy Freeman)… Actually, it seems just getting out of the first heat is a major accomplishment, despite the millions of dollars us Tommy Tax Payers cough up to fund such expeditions…
Swimming is our go… funny, come to think of it there is a World Cup going on right now… (who knew)… similar problem, who swims? USA, Australia and the rest… not many nations get a look in, despite the millions of medals on offer (again the more races, the more finals, the more medals, the more you can charge Max Media and Sponsor Simon every four years)… Cynic, I know!
Which brings me back to my point… (do I have one?)
The Rugby League World Cup is in a rebuilding phase, but is in much better shape than when Rugby Union launched it’s first World Cup in 1987… They were so ambitious they actually played the final at Concord Oval! Must be a record for the world’s smallest venue for a World Cup Final… (perhaps…)
So we get to the 2008 Rugby League World Cup... Watching PNG tackle England filled me with a joy I wasn’t expecting, like picking up a pair of your jeans off the floor only to discover you’ve left 50 bucks in one of the pockets… It was one of the best feelings in the world, and even though they lost, they proved they belonged, that they in fact could challenge the top sides in the World.
Scotland too could easily have beaten the more fancied France if a few things had gone their way. And dare I say that the worst game of the World Cup to date has been the Australia New Zealand game? Yes I do, it lacked the excitement and heights that the three games before it had provided. Rugby League on the World Stage, everyone seems to be playing but the teams who are the ‘powerhouses’ and isn’t it Grand?
So what if there are only 10 teams competing? Over 120 countries have bought the tv rights and with action from the so called ‘minnows’ thrillingly exciting, the possibilities for an international game rebuilding are endless. Is it a one horse race? Probably, but not certainly.
And so what if Australia win this time. They bloody well should! But that should not distract you from what is really going on…
10,000 people were at Canberra Stadium to watch France and Scotland, expect that number to double next time around, because they put on a show, pure Rugby League, and with the game strengthening internationally, and more and more countries embracing it, the game is sitting on a revolution.
10,000 people to watch a game that not many have an active interest in. 10,000 people to Canberra Stadium, a traditionally cold, wet and miserable place that only die-hards trek to more than once.
In the immortal words of Rage Against the Machine “It has to start somewhere, it has to start some place, what better place than here, what better time than now?”
204 nations, nine picked up Gold in running…
10 nations, three with realistic hopes, two need a lot of luck, and the other five are preparing for the next World Cup… you do the math… I think you’ll find the one horse race has people jumping through rings… (Wait, that’ll be a sport soon…)
Give the Rugby League World Cup the credit it deserves, or atleast do your self a favour and flick over to it a couple of times, just like you would during the Olympics...
There is joy to be had, just watching the PNG team celebrate scoring a try was all the reasons i needed to think positively about this tournament. And what of Stanly Gene, the 40 year-old halfback who just won't quit. That is what sport is all about and i bet he is single handedly inspiring millions of people back in PNG.
I'm inspired, I love what the tournament has thrown up so far and I don't care who ends up winning, for the most part it is irrelevant.. it is what the tournament represents that should have all League fans jumping...
Something special is happening, and believe me the World is taking notice...
So don't bag the World Cup, these teams have earned the right to compete and will give you everything they have if you just give them a damn chance
-Sportsbar
| 70 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Lady Henrietta Muddling
Potter in a Harry
Australia has the Commonwealth Games so they can pretend they're world champions. It's a British Colonial thing. World dominance for Aussie athletes is a bit like the Yanks having the World Series in baseball. Keep it insular. It's an ego thing. It makes the athletes feel proud, they do a chicken dance and shout Oi Oi Oi like they were extras on Kath & Kim, and it enables the Govt to justify why they invest money into shit events, and dignitaries get to sit in special boxes.
I'm not a rugby fan or a rugby league fan, but when any world cup comes around? I'll be there for the finals. Pay a bit of attention to the minor rounds. A bloke only has so much time.
All this bullshit about including certain sports in the Olympics? If a sport has the greatest prize on earth outside of the Olympics? Leave it out of the Olympics.
Tennis at the Olympics is a joke. Everyone knows Wimbledon is the big gig. Let's include golf in the olympics. Boy, wouldn't that be a fascinating watch?
I'm not a soccer fan either. But the Soccer World Cup is a bigger event than the Olympics. It's the biggest sporting event on earth.
I'm an AFL fan, but even the AFL are so stupid they've introuduced an international rules series where you don't play Aussie Rules. Boy that's a smart move. Let's have Ireland and Australia play off in the Olympic for the round ball game?
They should restrict the Olympics to athletics or sports where the major prize is the Olympics. Any event that has a bigger prize outside the Olympics should be excluded. That excludes shitloads of sports. Great. Suits me.
Piss tennis off for starters. Piss off baseball (if it's included. I wouldn't know. I don't follow the Olympics). Put a lot of women's team sports in the Olympics because none of them are much value other than producing calendars of naked female sports stars because women can't earn a decent dollar out of men's sports. Because they can't play sport like men? Put women who play sport in the disabled olympics and be done with it.
Netball is the one woman's sport that has value.
Unless you like soft porn and like beach volleyball. You don't see men whingeing about how netball is not a sport for men.
I've had arguments about this with my ex wives. The ones who are still alive.
I can see this comment going down really well.
I had full intentions of just writing, I like how passionate you are about this issue, but it seems like I got carried away.
Comment by David Edwards
Sporting Mind
I think the games will get more competitive. Actually, i watched Ireland v Tonga last night. It would be good if they made it a hybrid of the Olympics and the World Cup - so that teams would play off for a Bronze medal, etc. I'd love to see two fired up teams - maybe PNG vs Tonga - fighting for the bronze medallion.
Its a bit shit when it's winner takes all, because that will obviously be Australia. Give something to the silver/bronze medallists.
Comment by sportsbar
Fret X
Tennis is the biggest joke of an Olympic sport, so to is an U23s soccer medal... The fact they make it U23s shows they know it is a joke of an Olympic sport... Why not just give a Gold medal to Argentina every four years and skip the nonsence...
International Rules is the most pointless game on earth... Actually it sounds like another post when i have time.. it must be the least played sport... literally... only two countries play it and it is only ever played twice a year...
Thats it...What a complete and utter joke... (yep new post coming soon)
As for the Women in sport... see this post... - you'll know doubt have fun arguing against this one...
Comment by sportsbar
Fret X
Everything you could ever want from a sporting contest, flair, heroes, villains, controversy, passion, aggression, underdog story... the list goes on...
We should see these games more often
Comment by ethos
NRL Live
Take the PNG v England match the other night as an example. For a bunch of second tier amateur players, PNG were simply fantastic but most of the talk in the media has been about how England, based on the scoreline, will struggle to challenge Australia.
If the scoreline was like 50-0 to England, the tournament would still be criticised based on the premise that the lesser nations can't challenge the top three.
It's seems like a lose / lose situation.
But personally, I'm absolutely loving it. The amount of passion is amazing. Tonga v Samoa should be a cracker next weekend.
Comment by sportsbar
Fret X
The only game that has been boring involved Australia and New Zealand...
The footy and passion has been great... a breath of fresh air
Comment by Anonymous
What makes you follow the tiny game that is rugby league when they are surrounded by the global phenomena that is football, Aka the World Game??? The sport that you follow is nothing more than a pathetic MICRO sport realistically played in only five nations. While the game that I and the rest of the world follows is the number 1 sport in 221 countries, number 2 sport in 30 countries and the sport played in a total of 264 nations.
Our world cup stops the nations, a world cup Twice bigger than the Olympic games compared to your world cup that not even the competing or host nation gives a shit about.
PREDICTIONS OF THE DOOMED GAME IN 3 NATIONS
England: Hull and Wigan belongs to football
AUSTRALIA PREDICTIONS: Soccer is more popular that Rugby League in 4 out of 6 Australian states. With regular appearances at the Football World Cup, expect not just football overtaking rugby league, but football being the number one sport in Australia.
NEW ZEALAND PREDICTIONS: Football is the third most popular sport in NZ, but if they keep becoming the champions of the Oceania region and beating the 5th best Asian Nation expect Football to replace Rugby League as the Number 2 sport behind Rugby Union.
Rugby League cannot expand anymore
Rugby League will never be popular outside of Northern England, Png Aus & NZ. If it cannot even expand to South Aus or WA, how do you expect other countries to take this seriously. Rugby League in France is still an extremely relatively a minority sport with 10,000 Rugby League players compared with Soccer’s 2.5 Million.
As for Soccer its already the number 1 sport in 221 nations
If Australia qualifies in 3 WCs for the nxt 20 yrs
If NZ qualifies
If Australia hosts or wins the World Cup
Football will be the new number 1 sport in Australia, and Number 2 in NZ. With RL going further down the rankings in New Zealand to Number 3 as they will realise through qualification that the Football World Cup is a far more important event than to watch a Warriors match or a NZ playing a small number of Rugby League nations.
So this is as good as it gets for Rugby League only popular in Northern England, South Eastern France, Eastern Australia, NZ and PNG. Outside of these areas it will never be popular. Soccer is bigger and will continue to grow in Australia.
Comment by sportsbar
Fret X
I'd like to point out that I love the Soccer World Cup, and acknowledge that is the biggest sporting event on the planet...
I'm not a bandwagon Australian supporter... I have shared the heartache time and time again... no sir, i played juniors from U6s and still actively support the EPL. (oh yeah MAN UTD Champions of europe..)
But do you want soccer to be the only sport played on the planet? Why rubbish a sport without acknowledging the amazing talent and excitement that it possesses?
Over 120 nations are showing the World Cup Live (Aus is not one of them, a part from NRL.com)
I love your passion, but you must understand that I love both codes, both are brilliant for their own reasons...
I think you are slightly naive with your Hull and Wigan comments... there is no topping the EPL, but the SuperLeague is getting stronger and more popular each year. No, it will never come close to surpassing the EPL and soccer mad loving country, but neither will any sport, including cricket...
(If you don't know, i'm about the biggest cricket tragic out there)
But then again, it is not trying to take over the world, it is just a great game that is expanding...
Soccer has been coming for a long time in Australia, but when all our players continue to play overseas, only on an international level can it compete with the dominant codes of AFL and league...
It has always had the highest junior rates, but to be truly the number one game you need a strong national comp and the A-League just ain't the ticket... this coming from a person who was there when his mighty Jets won the League last year!)
Yes, Adelaide are in the final of the Champions League, but only soccer tragics and people from South Australia can actually pronounce their opposition, let a lone take an interest.
As i said above... all i am saying is that you should give it a chance... if you saw the Ireland-Tonga game on Monday night, it was the best sport can deliver... even if you don't like league, i defy you to tell me it wasn't entertaining, and that my friend was the point of the post.
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by sportsbar
Fret X
But it will take a long time before we can realistically challenge for the World Cup, If England has only won it once, and by all accounts they were lucky to do so, Australia might have a long wait on their hands...
But then again, the showpiece event of the Olympics is the 100m... and i can't see us ever winning that Gold Medal... well not in my lifetime, or that of my kids for that matter...