World Series! Huh?

[Gammelvind]

What is it with this game? Gridiron an American game played basically only in the USA and it is called the "World Series".
We have items on our news out here in New Zealand about the finals in this sport, the main items of interest to us are the wardrobe failures in the half time entertainment as the game itself is impossible to understand. "Touchdown" where they run across the line, no touch down to be seen, etc.
Then it is called* the "World Series"!!! Duh

 

[Marin]

I think you might be mixing up your games here. The game you are describing is the "Super Bowl," the playoff game between the champions of the two National Football League conferences (American Conference and National Conference) in the US. The first Super Bowl was played in 1967.

I will grant you that the US game of football bears no resemblance to the rest of the world's football other than the shape of the field. I believe at one time the ball did have to be touched to the ground in the end zone to score as a "touchdown." But now it's pretty obvious that anyone who carries the ball into the end zone will be able to touch the ground with it, so they dropped the "touch it down" requirement. If I'm wrong about this bit of history I'm sure someone with more knowledge of (US) football will correct me.

The "World Series" is part of baseball, not football, and it's a series of games played by the American League and National League champions. The World Series champion is the first team to win four games out of a maximum of seven games.

Back when baseball's annual "World Series" was started in 1903, I expect everyone had a much smaller view of the world, particularly in America. Plus I believe that back then the only country in the world in which baseball was played professionally was the US.

And I wouldn't be surprised if the term "World Series" was coined by some marketing guy, and we all know how much hype and BS they love to sling around.


-- Edited by Marin at 01:41, 2008-02-05

 

[Steve]

* Quote"the game itself is impossible to understand"
If you were raised around it and played, and watched it every year in school and*off field you would understand it very well.* Just as we would understand Cricket or Rugby (which most US Americans don't) if we had played it from childhood.
Twenty years ago very few people in the US knew anything about "Football", Soccer to us, yet now it is qute popular here and the next generations will know it very well. Maybe the US version of football will become a world sport in the future just a Basketball is now?

Steve Willett
Camano 31
Thibodaux, Louisiana

 

[RT Firefly]

Wasn't basketball invented by a Canadian James Naismith?

 

[Phil Fill]

Actually the majority watched the Super Bowl for the advertising/commercials and the ½ time show hoping something will come off.*

I watch the whole bloody game for the Victoria Secret commercial.* The only one reason why I prefer football to other sports is CHEERLEADERS.