British Expatriate Network

smile

Seeing Johna's post had me thinking, and as this is a sports forum we can chat about sports until we're blue in the face right John?

So, I'm kinda partial to a little Baseball now and again, Emily has always been a Dodgers fan and I (for want of who's who out there) have support ed the SF Giants (it was the first baseball game I ever saw here and thought that they're pretty local so why the hell not).

Basketball still doesn't do anything for me, although I love watching surfing contests down here (well, it is Santa Cruz) and having been a big skateboarder back home (when the craze first hit), I'm still partial to that.

I also watch cross country (XC) cycle races and do a spot of downhilling myself or just good old moutainbikin'.

Andrew

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by maczippy on 2001-11-22 1218 ]</font>

College football.
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS. GO BIG RED.
grin

Baketball is probably my favourite US sport. I like to follow the Portland Trailblazers but am definitely of the armchair variety. I did take two UK pals to see the Blazers play in a demo game last month against Houston which was great fun, although we were just as excited by the Blazer Girls who came out in a different outfit in all the breaks!

Sort of follow football if my employer's team (Oregon State Beavers)are playing - kind of goes with the job really as I manage the campus media's networks but this season was not as good as last when they won all but one game and won the Fiesta Bowl. They might make a bowl this year but depends on how they do next week against Moo's team wink

HUGE Football fan - New England Patriots. Go Tom Brady!!

Also have really go into Baseball in my first year here in the USA (you've got to get into the culture havn't you!) wink
Adopted the Cleveland Indians to support based on my location of arrival in this country. Also have a local side here in Lexington (The Legends) which one the South Atlantic League title this year. Nothing quite like a going to a game in the summer with friends and work collegues (apart from the embarassing National Anthem at the start of each game, what do you do stand up with everyone else or stay in your seat?)

Being in Kentucky I have to endure large amounts of Basketball and Racing and I can't stand either one, and my only National League sports are the Dreadful Cincinatti Reds (MLB) and the Bengals (NFL).

Can't wait to have my first Supoerbowl party in the USA, it will be a relief not to have to stay up to two a.m to see the game for once.

Jeez, I've noticed how bad my spelling and grammar is when I try to rush a post during work-time wink

I'm a bit surprised to find any Brit liking Baseball; I just can't take to it myself. I like anything the flows, the Basketball and Ice hockey has been good. The misses follows NC State, so it gives me something to watch, but they are a bit cack. The local NHL team, the Canes are not too bad, but watching the redwings in town last month was something of an embarrassment!

I've tried my best not to like the American football, but it's drawing me in. I'm starting to get quite concerned, I now know the rules and even a few plays. If I start drinking BudLite, somebody shoot me please eek

Well my wife is a complete sports nut!

And let me tell you the good/bad news....
my wife is a football fanatic!! the bad news is that she supports Manchester United!! (well she doesnt come from Manchester so I suppose thats a pre-requisite requirement eh??) and she loves David Beckham and the England team too !!!

I follow the NFL. I used to like the Buffalo Bills when I was in England so its just an amazing bit of luck that I live in Buffalo now and I get to see the Bills (mind you this season they havent been so good!!)

I love Ice hockey so I'm able to watch the Buffalo Sabres and any other hockey game now at a decent time instead of being up all night watching Channel 5 in England

I watch a little NBA and my wife loves the LA Lakers so I watch that with fascination!! and I like to watch MLB and I like the Cleveland Indians and my wife supports the Yankees so there's a little discord there!!

But my first love was football Crystal Palace and Worcester City (so I know what it is like to suffer!!) and of course our own Cricket (Worcestershire) which people over here seem to have a hard job understanding!!

IMHO, wherever in the world you are, if you don't support either your local team or a team you grew up with, then you're a glory hunter. I know people who support one team in one sport and another in some other sport that are thousands of miles apart and they never even saw them play. Very sad.

Reply to the Bud Lite - will do.

Sadly, I knew the rules long before I got here due in part to Channel 4 American Football on TV (I think it was Channel 4).

We used to invite my mates round and sit up at godknowswhathour and watch it. My sister even bought me the complete NFL rules book to boot as well...(No pun intended...)

Andrew

[quote]
On 2001-11-24 1110, pilgrim_007 wrote
IMHO, wherever in the world you are, if you don't support either your local team or a team you grew up with, then you're a glory hunter. I know people who support one team in one sport and another in some other sport that are thousands of miles apart and they never even saw them play. Very sad

It doesnt matter where in the world you are. If you like a team and whether theyre local or thousands of miles away if you like them and you want to watch them then good luck to whoever you are! In particular there are fans of franchised teams in every sport who have moved from their local towns and people still support them.It wouldnt be so bad if the teams had any glory?
Whats very sad is when you have these judgemental so-called fans who tell you who to support and why to support them. These people want to get back in their ships and head back from their posterias from where they are talking from .

So..er..janl....

are you drowning your sorrows today?? Tom went to Nebraska, and is a bear with a sore head after yesterday's game. He gave up watching in the 4th quarter!!! roll

My wife and I have got very much into baseball (Texas Rangers), Basketball (Dallas Mavs) and Ice Hockey (Dallas Stars). I got so much into ice hockey that I wanted to learn to skate and join an I-league. Breaking my ankle on the ice put a stop to that.

Regards
Nigel

Never followed a team in my life until we came here. Now I can't miss the Boston Red Sox. Even the New England Patriots are growing on me....
Jan

Agreed - no one should tell anyone who to support. It should be fairly obvious, as mentioned in the previous post. The franchised teams thing is all a bit bizarre and with no promotion/relegation and everyone playing to get in the Cup Final, the sports lack an edge that is made up for by an A-level statistics lesson every 5 minutes.

I guess my point comes from the grass roots level. I've seen many "lower" division clubs whose local fan base have deserted for greener pastures. Obviously the clubs need revenue and gate money to ever get out of their position and it's a catch-22 when fans won't go because they think the team are so poor. A little loyalty might go some way to reversing this state of affairs.

My own club is an example of this although the club themselves certainly contributed to this in certain ways. It was disappointing to see the number of Manchester United or Newcastle shirts in the city, worn by kids for mostly fashion purposes - a team they were unlikely to see live for many years, if at all, when they had a team playing league football almost on their doorsteps.

So it's less of a "judgemental" observation and more of a sad, economic reminder that if we all followed just 8 teams, then ultimately that is all we would have left. The Premiership bubble is close to bursting as the TV money evaporates and the smart clubs are already looking at cutting wage bills - something the lower league clubs started doing years ago.

Man U. fan by any chance? :wink: Ah, reading back I see it is mentioned although not for you personally. As I said at the start, it was my "honest" opinion. Not trying to wind anyone up - just something I personally find a little sad and I was not saying the people are sad.



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Semper Fidelis


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: pilgrim_007 on 2001-11-26 03:09 ]</font>

I'm with you Pilgrim, since moving here I've become a big fan of the Richmond Kickers, the local A-League 'soccer' team. Thousands of people play soccer in Richmond, but due to the lack of appeal in a 'minor league' team the only draw an average of around 3,000 - mostly made up of "soccer mom's" and kids. A couple of adult fans and myself are trying to get some kind of atmosphere going, but we could certainly use a few thousand extra adult males.

Also, pilgrim - why not go see the Portland Timbers next year - they did quite well in their first season and can draw a reasonable crowd (esp. compared to Plymouth wink ). And even have their fair share of hardcore fans. And they play in green and white.

As for the original question - I haven't got into any American sports yet. I keep an eye out for the football results so I know what people at work are talking about. I also watched game 7 of the World Series (shouting for Arizona) - but I have a hard time getting behind teams seeing as most US Cities have little meaning to me (I guess Washington is my closest Major City, but I think the Northerner in me just doesn't want to be affiliated with a capital city).
Ask me again next year.