On a similar "arrogance" note, when I was working in Mexico about 4 years ago, I was eating lunch when the topic came up of why people from the US are called "Americans", while people from Mexico are not, even though they are living in North America. I really didn't have a good answer for them, but they were convinced it was American arrogance. However, they refer to the people of the US as "norteamericanos", which translates to "North Americans", which is equally wrong, according to their arguement, since Mexico is part of North America, too. Bizarre.
Well, isn't the NFL the only league on the planet to play American football? The CFL and Rugby have different rules, thus they are different sports. So the winner of the Super Bowl is the World Champion, because participating teams in the NFL are the only franchises to play American football. If you want to get really technical, I guess they could call themselves the "World Champs of American Football" since Canada and Australia have different versions.
I've never heard so much complaining about such a simple thing that really has no effect on anyone. I think the NFL league calls it the world champion because there are no other leagues outside of it that employ the same rules, so they are, in effect, a different game. If a foreign country forms a football league, plays by the same rules, and then fields a team that beats our Superbowl winner, then great, call yourselves the world champions. As for your rugby games, well, go ahead and call yourselves the world champion rugby team...I doubt you will hear any Americans complaining. This sort of thing only bothers you if you let it bother you. It's a meaningless label, and I honestly don't think many Americans would care one way or another if the Superbowl champions were no longer labeled the World Champions (save except to suddenly wonder what foreign team beat them).
John Cleese (Monty Python) on the differences between Britain and the United States. 1. We still speak English. 2. When we hold "World Championships" for sporting events, we actually invite other countries. 3. When one meets the head of state in Britain, they are only required to go down on one knee.
People getting mad at the NFL calling the Super Bowl the "World Championship" should also get mad at "Jack" calling his hamburgers the best in the world. It's just marketing by a private, for-profit organization to help said organization make money. Calling The Superbowl a world championship is not the official position of the U.S. Government, it's affiliates or sponsors.
Personally, I just call them the Super Bowl champs. With all the problems going on in the world, name calling and labeling should be the least of our worries. The playing of the national anthem is not about hubris, but more about respecting and honoring what the flag represents and not forgetting who gave everything to get and keep the colors flying. It may be a difficult concept to grasp for a country that was granted their independence through a "heated debate" rather than fighting for it.
Because they are songs, not pledges. Because the act has been applied to so much that it is rendered meaningless (much like the pledge itself). Because half of the people think they are supposed to and the other half does not. Because the solemnity of such an act is contradicted by the hoots, hollers, and whistles during "and the rockets red glare" and the guys who still yell "play ball!" at the end. Mostly, I just think it is funny because our culture does not really know what to do about it/how to handle it, but just that it is something that happens at games. Just like I think calling the Bucs "World Champions" is a little silly, but nothing of any major significance.
Rugby League is not tougher than NFL? Right...have you ever seen a state of origin? 120 kilo guys who can run 100 in 12 seconds...who play 80 minutes NON stop. Not on for 20 seconds and then off. Non stop. Not on for one play and then sit down on their fat ass and watch. Non stop. We'd destroy the NFL in a combined game. Our guys play 80 minutes full bore. It's hilarious to watch the NFL and they say "these Tampa Bay guys are the best defense EVER" for what, doing a few tackles every few minutes? Those are STANDARD tackles in our game. Lock forwards in our game make 30 tackles a game of a higher standard than the type the tampa bay guys do. Tackling here is part of the game..you put your shoulder in and you drive guys back. You get up and do it again...and again...and again..there's no rest. It's ridiculous to even claim the NFL is 'tougher'. And to the guy who someone linked it all back to money...yes, our guys get paid a lot...and no, they don't all want to go to the USA. There's a thing called lifestyle that they enjoy down here... The only guy who ever was hyped to go was Jonah Lomu who makes Jerry Rice look like an old woman... The NFL game didn't interest him....but he'd of been unstoppable.
I find it hard to believe that anyone could make Jerry Rice look like an old woman. You say Americans are arrogant?
I wouldn't want to disrespect Jerry Rice, and I find it hard to agree with a League guy (I'm a Union player personally), but Jonah Lomu is (or was before his various health problems) an absolute freak of nature. Someone else can probably give you his physical stats but he is tall, heavy (and I mean cut, no gut hanging out of his shirt) and lightning quick. I find it hard to believe there is another human being on the planet quite like him. No question in my mind that Lomu would/could have been a dominating player in any rugby-like sport (American Football, Aussie Rules, whatever). OK, I looked up the stats... 6'5" 265 lbs 10.8 seconds 100m (no idea on a 40m split unfortunately) Boy, you should see this guy play!
What are the 40 times of runners in rugby? I doubt you have guys as athletic as the NFL. In any case, when someone says "Tampa Bay has the best defense ever" they mean FOOTBALL, not NBA, not baseball, and not rugby.
I don't know about any specific times, because it's not really a standard measure that's ever quoted for sportsmen here. I haven't seen anything watching the NFL game of the week that makes me think "wow, those guys are athletic!" In all honesty, there's very little difference, apart from those that derive from the strict positional play that comes into American Football. There is no place for a 300lb behemoth of a defensive lineman in rugby, because all of the players (to a greater or lesser extent) are required to tackle pass, run with the ball, and even kick. And aerobic fitness is very important too.
Of course linemen would have zero success in rugby; but take your average NFL linebacker, rb, or safety & give them a year to practice and gain the conditioning proper for the game & I think they'd do quite well.
