Just a thought, opinions sought. A sad notion just occurred to me. So much opportunity in life is dependent, to too greater degree, on social class and wealth. It is always sad when this effect of social stratification impinges on sport. In Britland it is evident in our poor showing in international tennis; poor people here have limited access to the snobbish, country-clubbish, tennis clubs, and the municipal facilities are always either dilapidated or else hard to access, or both. The current world sporting buzz is the Webb Ellis Rubgy World Cup and as I type my office TV is tuned to it where the mighty All Blacks (New Zealand) having started with their traditonal, and highly entertaining, Maori war challenge, have just open their account against the Italian side with a try in 64 seconds. Later today, the reigning world champs meet the USA team and wondered how many of the American side's compatriots will be taking the trouble to tune in and follow their progress. I took a look into Rubgy in the USA (www.usarugby.org/) and it suddenly occurred to me as I browsed through its sections that this item: is a serious handicap to the sport's growth. Rugby is a sport played by a team of 15 over two 40 minute halves, with no time outs, extremely limited substitution and no body armour (although at the top level players use gaffer tape to hold their ears on.) When we were in college, as a result of rugby, a friend of mine spent 3 months in traction with a broken neck vertebra, sustained through playing the game, (he was put back a whole academic year as a result ), and he only recently gave up playing his beloved "rugger". I would imagine that in the US that kind of health insurance would come at very high cost. I am sure that most common or garden health insurance packages would contain lists of proscribed sporting activities. So what exactly is the position in the US. How do the big money sports fit into the health industry? Do they, as I suspect, have their own top-down funded injury insurance schemes. Schemes which would be expensive to inaugurate for newer sports .... I am genuinely interested because I always feel that it is such a great pity that the world's wealthiest nation is largely invisible at the great global team-sports conventions. LOL ... while I have typed the All Blacks have notched up 31 points (4 trys and a penalty) against Italy's nil ... looks like the poor Eyeties are facing a whitewash cos we're still only in minute 16 ... Mind you I am still spluttering in my milk at the fun of seeing home side France toppled by Argentina last night. :rotfl: raise::biggrins:
I think you spotted a truth there... Although we don't have that system with that kind of medical insurances here in Sweden - making it easier for our youngsters to attend sports. Also we don't have sports like you in schools, so here - if you want to get anywhere in any sport or hobby - you'd better pay for it yourself as well as finding clubs and such on your own. Also here sports like tennis, golf, equstrianism. sailing, racing etc. are very expensive and few can really afford it. Also here poor people have great difficulties to anything but basically football (soccer).
That is so true, Mirelly and Heln. I've never actually thought about it because I'm not interested in so many sports except for horse riding which is really expensive here. This made me laugh 'cause it brought back memories of Primary school (during the time when my family and I were living in England). When I was in year 5 we had a teacher from New Zealand and she had an after school club for kids that wanted to try out the Maori war challenge. Of course I had to try it out. It was really great. We all even showed our war dance in assembly... Shocked the hell outa some teachers when we did the tongue thing at the end. WAA!
Yes the dance is called the Haka. Very intimidating playing rugby against a bunch of big guys screaming out that they are going to eat you.
You have to teach me that dance muffin. That would really "scare the s*** " out of my Paul. :rotfl: Got the thought because of your comment odin.... :tongue: :bunny:
