My sport is better than your sport, and that’s a fact!

By Statler and Waldorf / Roar Guru

There is a never ending array of facts and stats and emotional reasons given by Roarers to prove ‘my sport is better than your sport’ or that ‘my World Cup is better than Your World Cup’.

Some of these arguments and the winners are:

We have the most participants – football wins this but so what? This just proves that more people play it, not that it’s better.

My sport is played in more countries – football wins again, but again who gives a…

If you love your sport it doesn’t matter if it is only played in Wollongong by Aunty Jack, you will still love it.

More teams can win our World Cup – and so?

Only one team will win it.

Sonny Bill Williams plays our sport. Only in the short term, buddy.

Our sport doesn’t need SBW – but he may be playing it next year and you will be happy about it.

Our game is older than your game – so that means sprinting and wrestling that were apparently around 17,000 years ago therefore are the best sports in the world!

We get the largest crowds – AFL wins this but again, so what. Lots of people might go to the game but lots of people don’t play it

– Interestingly AFL has the world record for the largest crowd to a game in 2013 (the grand final with 100,007 people) but that just proves that they have a bigger stadium.
– AFL also rank No 3 in the top leagues in the world for average attendance per game behind the NFL and Bundesliga.
– The largest average attendance to an international tournament is the Six Nations Rugby (the 2012 Six Nations beats the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup by 18,000 per game and the 2010 FIFA World Cup by 19,000 per game!).

Most private schools involved? Union wins this but apart from bringing in the money it just means the crowds are a bit ‘stiff’ compared to A-League but more sober than league crowds (I haven’t really seen this fact quoted anywhere but thought that it would be fun to throw into the debate).

Most failed attempts at a national league? Basketball, but it is still going. You can’t kill of this game with an axe.

Best format? Cricket wins, you can’t beat a game that goes for five days and can have no result.

Cricket also has four formats of the game: just in case a five day Test is not enough, there is four day First Class games and One Day games and Twenty20s.

Best atmosphere? The A-League wins hands down. Not fact based but, anyone that argues against this is simply not alive or totally emotionally dead.

For the doubters, go to an A-League game with an open mind and have your eyes opened to a different world.

As a side note, I thought that AFL was crap until I saw it live – it’s heaps better live than it looks on TV which is possibly why Melbournians go to the games in such large numbers.

Most exciting – whichever sport floats your boat?

For me, I’d rather watch nil all football game (often described as watching paint dry) than watch the Kangaroos beat Fiji by 30, but I still love league.

A great union game is a great game but unfortunately if you do not have pay TV in Australia you don’t see great games as the Wallabies are never in them (the Shute Shield is OK but not great),

And then there’s that atmosphere at the A-League.

I would also prefer to watch my beloved Rabbitohs lose a semi to Manly than see the Socceroos beat Samoa by a cricket score but I still love football.

Any and all sports will have some boring games but any and all can also have great games with a great atmosphere.

Your supporters are trolls. That’s a toss up between football, league, union and AFL on any given day.

My stats are better than your stats – cricket fans win hands down when arguing between themselves.

It never ceases to amaze me that five different cricket fans can produce five different sets of stats to prove the worth (or lack of worth) of any given player.

Just read any forum debate on Shane Watson and Mitch Johnson to see proof of this.

Your sport is not a real sport. If this is aimed at International Rules then you are right, there is no arguing with this one.

The so called facts in this article are from Wikipedia and also from what I have seen quoted in discussions on The Roar plus a few that I threw in to stir the pot.

But guess what? These facts and stats and my opinion are irrelevant because we do not love any given sport because it has more players or more fans etc.

We love it because of an emotional attachment that we have formed with it through family, friends, playing it or just having good times and getting enjoyment from it.

No amount of facts or stats or trolling will sway us from loving our sport.

So, it is true that my sport is better than your sport – but only in my mind.

The Crowd Says:

AUTHOR

2013-11-05T04:49:45+00:00

Statler and Waldorf

Roar Guru


my monthly sales report was in on the 1st - but I then get to do another on the 4th work day of the month TWO monthly sales report per month - sensational

2013-11-04T23:46:17+00:00

The_Wookie

Roar Guru


The anomaly with College Football crowds is they play a very limited number of games a season and are not considered professional competitions. I think the Wikipedia articles reflect professional competitions.

2013-11-04T23:29:27+00:00

Wal

Roar Guru


Or we could enjoy sport for what it s, as distraction form our otherwise depressing existence. Watching reading or writing about all of them are better than submitting a monthly sales report to the boss. :)

2013-11-04T23:01:42+00:00

Tom

Guest


Absolutely right, Tahs out at ANZ stadium is certainly up there in my top 5 live sporting experiences.

2013-11-04T20:19:21+00:00

TrueBlue

Guest


LOL, that also stuck out to me so i googled it and came up with the same game. Glad I read through the comments before posting

2013-11-04T12:37:13+00:00

AWOL

Guest


HAHAHAH you're lost mate

AUTHOR

2013-11-04T10:17:53+00:00

Statler and Waldorf

Roar Guru


thanks guys, it's nice to have a few people enjoy it

2013-11-04T10:06:53+00:00

bigbaz

Roar Guru


Very , very good, you deserve a bigger audience .

2013-11-04T09:21:20+00:00

Sugar

Guest


Nice read.

2013-11-04T09:05:04+00:00

In Brief

Guest


That's the problem with Aussie rugby - non rusted on supporters generally only watch the worst games.

2013-11-04T08:57:35+00:00

Stan McCan

Guest


Great article

2013-11-04T08:27:50+00:00

Lion down under

Guest


Brilliant. I particularly like the one earpiece listening to the 5AA commentary on the radio look, really adds to the "entertainment in a nursing home" feel. To be fair I went to the first game at the Adelaide Oval and the crowd did get into it a bit more there - mainly shouting "referee", it wasn't exactly the Arms Park or the Kop in full voice - so it should improve.

2013-11-04T07:44:22+00:00

cowelly

Guest


I would agree with everything but the tackle. My grandmother tackles better than AFL players.

2013-11-04T07:41:55+00:00

cowelly

Guest


+1,000,000

2013-11-04T06:47:08+00:00

hikama

Guest


Thanks Craig, good to know a refs perspective.

2013-11-04T06:20:14+00:00

MRL

Guest


Scarfs, jumpers, booties - you name it. Not all of the men knit however.

AUTHOR

2013-11-04T06:05:58+00:00

Statler and Waldorf

Roar Guru


I'm aiming for ten minutes but would settle for five

AUTHOR

2013-11-04T06:03:51+00:00

Statler and Waldorf

Roar Guru


+ 1

AUTHOR

2013-11-04T06:02:08+00:00

Statler and Waldorf

Roar Guru


they do get a heap of Kiwis there when the NZ teams come over. I think that the Kiwis outnumber the Tahs supporters some games

AUTHOR

2013-11-04T05:59:15+00:00

Statler and Waldorf

Roar Guru


I've been to sporting events in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong of course but never Adelaide. Do the sixty year olds knit scarfs while watching the game?

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