federer is not the best man to dominate a sporting game it is Tendulkar (Cricket)

[kraggy]

As others have mentioned, comparing Tendulkar and Federer is somewhat an apples to oranges comparison. I agree that tennis probably requires you to be more athletic than cricket, but by and large most cricketers are pretty athletic themselves (especially fast bowlers and great fielders), it is only few exceptions who are not. And those are the people with ridiculous talent to make up for their lack of fitness ( think Nalbandian equivalent) . Cricket in general requires a tremendous amount of talent and technique! For example if you took Michael Jordan and gave him 5 yrs to learn cricket, there is a good chance he would still suck.

And cricket being a team sport, you would have more than 1 GOAT - you need a GOAT team, GOAT bowler, GOAT batsman, GOAT fielder etc. But Tendulkar is as close to the GOAT batsman discussion as it gets. Sir Don Bradman was considered the GOAT batsman for a long time and he has some ridiculous records that are still to be broken. But I would imagine that Tendulkar currently holds the majority of the batting records in cricket. And Bradman never played in many formats of the game so we have no idea how he would have performed! In a sense the Bradman/Tendulkar discussion is somewhat of a Rod Laver vs Federer discussion. Generations too far apart to compare.

Anyways the ultimate point is that Federer and Tendulkar are both gods but they can't be compared.

 

[samprasvsfederer123]

cricket is a joke

 

[Polaris]

As others have mentioned, comparing Tendulkar and Federer is somewhat an apples to oranges comparison. I agree that tennis probably requires you to be more athletic than cricket, but by and large most cricketers are pretty athletic themselves (especially fast bowlers and great fielders), it is only few exceptions who are not. And those are the people with ridiculous talent to make up for their lack of fitness ( think Nalbandian equivalent) . Cricket in general requires a tremendous amount of talent and technique! For example if you took Michael Jordan and gave him 5 yrs to learn cricket, there is a good chance he would still suck.

And cricket being a team sport, you would have more than 1 GOAT - you need a GOAT team, GOAT bowler, GOAT batsman, GOAT fielder etc. But Tendulkar is as close to the GOAT batsman discussion as it gets. Sir Don Bradman was considered the GOAT batsman for a long time and he has some ridiculous records that are still to be broken. But I would imagine that Tendulkar currently holds the majority of the batting records in cricket. And Bradman never played in many formats of the game so we have no idea how he would have performed! In a sense the Bradman/Tendulkar discussion is somewhat of a Rod Laver vs Federer discussion. Generations too far apart to compare.

Anyways the ultimate point is that Federer and Tendulkar are both gods but they can't be compared.

A wise post. Thank you. As regards GOAT teams, I think Australia (1990s and early 2000s) and West Indies (1970-86) are in contention. Despite Tendulkar, India is not in contention for GOAT teams.

cricket is a joke

*facepalm*

 

[LameTennisPlayer]

cricket is a joke

hmmm so deep....

 

[15_ounce]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedor_Emelianenko

Wow, that's a pretty impressive achievement for such a physically demanding and risky sport. Only one loss, yet it's caused by an illegal strike. He's definitely one of the best sportsmen in the world.

 

[Mustard]

What about Alexander Karelin?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Karelin

 

[pame]

cricket is a joke

Well on what I suspect is your basis for saying that, I could say the same of American football

 

[pame]

A wise post. Thank you. As regards GOAT teams, I think Australia (1990s and early 2000s) and West Indies (1970-86) are in contention. Despite Tendulkar, India is not in contention for GOAT teams.

*facepalm*

I'll take a bow on behalf of the team that fielded such incredibly top-quality fast bowlers like Macco Marshall, Holding, Roberts, Ambrose, Garner, Croft and Walsh

 

[ALten1]

you are right....91,000 for a test match i think is highest, AFL pulls in 100,000+
but 85,000 is common for MCG for cricket


http://www.mcg.org.au/History/Attendances.aspx

NASCAR pulls in 200,000+ on a lot of tracks

 

[ALten1]

Wow, that's a pretty impressive achievement for such a physically demanding and risky sport. Only one loss, yet it's caused by an illegal strike. He's definitely one of the best sportsmen in the world.

You couldn't melt me and pour me on him...thats how scared I am!

 

[ALten1]

As others have mentioned, comparing Tendulkar and Federer is somewhat an apples to oranges comparison. I agree that tennis probably requires you to be more athletic than cricket, but by and large most cricketers are pretty athletic themselves (especially fast bowlers and great fielders), it is only few exceptions who are not. And those are the people with ridiculous talent to make up for their lack of fitness ( think Nalbandian equivalent) . Cricket in general requires a tremendous amount of talent and technique! For example if you took Michael Jordan and gave him 5 yrs to learn cricket, there is a good chance he would still suck.

And cricket being a team sport, you would have more than 1 GOAT - you need a GOAT team, GOAT bowler, GOAT batsman, GOAT fielder etc. But Tendulkar is as close to the GOAT batsman discussion as it gets. Sir Don Bradman was considered the GOAT batsman for a long time and he has some ridiculous records that are still to be broken. But I would imagine that Tendulkar currently holds the majority of the batting records in cricket. And Bradman never played in many formats of the game so we have no idea how he would have performed! In a sense the Bradman/Tendulkar discussion is somewhat of a Rod Laver vs Federer discussion. Generations too far apart to compare.

Anyways the ultimate point is that Federer and Tendulkar are both gods but they can't be compared.

There is a 100% chance that if you took any cricket player and gave him 5 years to learn basketball he would suck.

 

[Spider]

What nonsense. Cricket isn't even played all over the world, limiting the amount of talent to a country that isn't known for its athletes. Dominating in a team sport in a pool of athletes that lack international competition and prowess in a sport that doesn't require athleticism or the pressure of winning and losing solely on your shoulders is laughable.

Now it's great that India takes pride in a national sport, but boldly stating that Tendulkar is better than the undisputed GOAT in the world's most international (arguably along with football) and prestigious sport is quite laughable.

LOL, you might be a fan of tennis but stop spewing BS. Of course, I am a big fan of tennis myself but if it was the *the world's most prestigious sport* we wouldn't be struggling to get a live stream for most of the events.

Even if cricket is followed in a fewer countries than tennis, it has had a huge impact in those countries. Federer is a legend in tennis and isn't even the undisputed GOAT in tennis let alone all sports (he isn't that great). Tendulkar is an equally great or even greater sports person.

 

[ALten1]

LOL, you might be a fan of tennis but stop spewing BS. Of course, I am a big fan of tennis myself but if it was the *the world's most prestigious sport* we wouldn't be struggling to get a live stream for most of the events.

Even if cricket is followed in a fewer countries than tennis, it has had a huge impact in those countries. Federer is a legend in tennis and isn't even the undisputed GOAT in tennis let alone all sports (he isn't that great). Tendulkar is an equally great or even greater sports person.

Who is more popular in UK, andy murray or this tendulkar guy?

 

[Spider]

Who is more popular in UK, andy murray or this tendulkar guy?

Tennis is popular in the UK only for two weeks of the year -- Wimbledon. As much as I like Murray, he isn't as popular as most of our cricket players.

The overall popularity between these two, because Murray is one of us, I would give Murray the edge (this is debatable but since I am a tennis fan myself I am giving my views on it). However, Tendulkar is one of the most respected players you could ever get here.

The better comparison should be between Murray and Kevin pietersen (England cricketer) and I wouldn't even think twice with my answer on an overall basis -- Kevin Pietersen

 

[Spider]

BTW, for those unaware about Tendulkar and his legendary achievements, here's the wiki page for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachin_Tendulkar

It is always better to do some research and then discuss any topic.

 

[ALten1]

Tennis is popular in the UK only for two weeks of the year -- Wimbledon. As much as I like Murray, he isn't as popular as most of our cricket players.

The overall popularity between these two, because Murray is one of us, I would give Murray the edge (this is debatable but since I am a tennis fan myself I am giving my views on it). However, Tendulkar is one of the most respected players you could ever get here.

The better comparison should be between Murray and Kevin pietersen (England cricketer) and I wouldn't even think twice with my answer on an overall basis -- Kevin Pietersen

Interesting. I thought tennis was popular in the UK year round.

What about football (soccer) vs cricket in the UK? Please don't tell me cricket is more popular. I don't watch either but I get football (soccer).

And finally what makes cricket so popular? Are the players phenomenal athletes?

 

[Tennis_Monk]

There is a 100% chance that if you took any cricket player and gave him 5 years to learn basketball he would suck.

Now this is plain BS. There are very few, if any, Athletes successful in international level in two sports.

Let us not use your experience as an example. ok. May be you dont like cricket or may be you dont know abt it or may be you tried to play it and wasnt successful--not everyone can be a cricketer. Whatever be your reasons , Please dont consider that as a representative sample.

International/national level aside, I know plenty of local players that are good in cricket, basket ball and tennis [and Badminton].

 

[Spider]

Interesting. I thought tennis was popular in the UK year round.

What about football (soccer) vs cricket in the UK? Please don't tell me cricket is more popular. I don't watch either but I get football (soccer).

And finally what makes cricket so popular? Are the players phenomenal athletes?

In the UK, tennis is popular so long as Murray does well in them. Or else the majority could care less about the Federer's and the Nadal's. Wimbledon is the only time people care about tennis as a sport.

Football is huge and no sport can compare to it, in the UK. Every other sport pales in comparison to football, be it cricket, tennis, rugby, F1, etc. However, in countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the middle east, cricket is the most popular sport (football pales in comparison with it there). I could argue that cricket is more popular than football (I mean European and South American football) in Australia, but I would like some confirmation from few of our Aussie mates here.

The AFL is the most popular sport in Australia.

What makes cricket so popular? I don't know, we have something called as the Ashes, which is a series of 5 test matches between England and Australia, which is one of the biggest events here (after football of course). Beating Australia there is one of our biggest goals.

 

[abmk]

Spider,

for how long did Eng celebrate winning the 2005 Ashes ? 6 months ? a year ? :twisted: By god !

2009 Ashes celebrations were pretty much more subdued though !

 

[pame]

There is a 100% chance that if you took any cricket player and gave him 5 years to learn basketball he would suck.

Actually no. Some of our fast bowlers also played very good basketball, and may well have gone that route instead..(fast bowlers at 6'2" - 6'7'); so actually, they wouldn't have had to learn to play basketball after learning to play cricket - they grew up playing both, and other sports as well. Some others were pretty good football players as well.

 

[slicefox]

cricket and golf are not sports

 

[Spider]

Spider,

for how long did Eng celebrate winning the 2005 Ashes ? 6 months ? a year ? :twisted: By god !

2009 Ashes celebrations were pretty much more subdued though !

Hey Abmk,

It was really huge because that Ashes win happened after so many years! It was crazy and even football took a back seat for sometime because of those events!

2009 was very big too, and is a very big achievement for us.

 

[Tony48]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Vergeer

She is currently on a 380+ match winning streak

 

[Spider]

Actually no. Some of our fast bowlers also played very good basketball, and may well have gone that route instead..(fast bowlers at 6'2" - 6'7'); so actually, they wouldn't have had to learn to play basketball after learning to play cricket - they grew up playing both, and other sports as well. Some others were pretty good football players as well.

I would love to watch the early West Indies team, live, it was previledge to watch them play. I enjoyed the previous era, with batsman like Lara, bowlers like Ambrose and Walsh.

I wasn't born during the 70-80's when West Indies were just the unstoppable force. But I did check many old videos and boy what a team they were!

 

[DRII]

NASCAR pulls in 200,000+ on a lot of tracks

Very true...

during some races the NASCAR event ends up being one of the largest population centers in the state its located in!

 

[pame]

Interesting. I thought tennis was popular in the UK year round.

What about football (soccer) vs cricket in the UK? Please don't tell me cricket is more popular. I don't watch either but I get football (soccer).

And finally what makes cricket so popular? Are the players phenomenal athletes?

Here's a note on one of the most famous West Indian fast bowlers that might shed some light on your last question.

Michael Holding, nicknamed Whispering Death. At school, young Holding immediately established his credentials as a natural athlete and he shone both at cricket and athletics. There is a strong tradition in both sports in Jamaica which, apart from its long line of great cricketers, has also produced such famous runners as Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, George Rhoden and Don Quarrie and most recently, Usain Bolt. Fortunately for West Indian cricket, Holding’s sports master at the time, Mr. Trevor Parchment, advised him to concentrate on that game.

BTW, Bolt could very easily have ended up being a fast bowler for West Indies. In his case, his sports master nudged him towards choosing athletics over cricket.

 

[pame]

I would love to watch the early West Indies team, live, it was previledge to watch them play. I enjoyed the previous era, with batsman like Lara, bowlers like Ambrose and Walsh.

I wasn't born during the 70-80's when West Indies were just the unstoppable force. But I did check many old videos and boy what a team they were!

Sadly, we seem to have forgotten how to produce the world's greatest quartets of fast bowlers and batsmen like Viv, Loyd, Sobers and Lara. Maybe we need to get back to feeding our youngsters good Caribbean food like they and Usain Bolt grew up on, instead of all the fast food rubbish... lol

 

[pame]

cricket and golf are not sports

Well in a way you may be right about cricket -- when a bowler is bowling a ball at you at 100 mph+, and you've got to have enough technique and athletic ability to hit that ball with a bat, or be hit by it or lose your wicket - maybe that is more like some very serious business, and not "sport"... haha -especially in the days before batsmen wore protective head gear.

If you think it doesn't take a lot of athletic ability to play the game, I ask you to consider one of the tragic figures of Indian cricket, Nari Contractor, whose career was cruelly cut short when he was struck on the skull by a bouncer from West Indian paceman, Charlie Griffith, in the Indian tourists' colony game against Barbados in 1962. His life was in danger for some time and he needed several emergency operations to take him off the danger list.

 

[Polaris]

I know of Marshall, Holding, Roberts and Garner from highlight reels and books. Never saw them live because there were no TVs in homes back then. That entire team had so much character.

As far as I am concerned, Ambrose was the boss, really. Awesome, fearsome bowler with such an easy flowing action. As to Walsh, he was the ultimate gentleman. He got a ton of wickets on unhelpful tracks through hard work, but I will really always remember him for his sportsmanship.

 

[abmk]

Hey Abmk,

It was really huge because that Ashes win happened after so many years! It was crazy and even football took a back seat for sometime because of those events!

2009 was very big too, and is a very big achievement for us.

yeah, I know

 

[ALten1]

I guess any sport that pits one country against another can/will be popular worldwide. In the United States our sports cross state lines and sometimes crosses into Canada.

Kids here play a lot of football(soccer) but for some reason the sport doesn't catch on. Maybe because we think of it as 'slow'.

Cricket doesn't even make it on our ESPN.

Is cricket an olympic sport?

 

[pame]

I guess any sport that pits one country against another can/will be popular worldwide. In the United States our sports cross state lines and sometimes crosses into Canada.

Kids here play a lot of football(soccer) but for some reason the sport doesn't catch on. Maybe because we think of it as 'slow'.

Cricket doesn't even make it on our ESPN.

Is cricket an olympic sport?

No. Like football, it has its own World Cup

 

[LameTennisPlayer]

The AFL is the most popular sport in Australia.

good point, however i wouldn't entirely agree; its a close call between cricket and AFL, cricket is played everywhere in australia, i cant say that entirely with the AFL, its main popularity is in the southern states; QLD and NSW tend to favour rugby league, or union over AFL. Not sure what the actual stats are for cricket followers vs AFL are, but im guessing they are pretty close.

 

[AM95]

this thread is:

a boatload of fail

 

[LameTennisPlayer]

cricket is a joke

cricket and golf are not sports

good to have some deep thinkers here...



just something i stumbled across as to why americans don't get cricket

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/74685-the-top-5-reasons-americans-dont-follow-cricket

 

[Spider]

good point, however i wouldn't entirely agree; its a close call between cricket and AFL, cricket is played everywhere in australia, i cant say that entirely with the AFL, its main popularity is in the southern states; QLD and NSW tend to favour rugby league, or union over AFL. Not sure what the actual stats are for cricket followers vs AFL are, but im guessing they are pretty close.

Good to know cricket is one of the most popular sports in Australia too.

 

[ALten1]

No. Like football, it has its own World Cup

Football is an olympic sport.

I am curious, with crickets popularity why its not an olympic sport?

 

[Spider]

Football is an olympic sport.

I am curious, with crickets popularity why its not an olympic sport?

I am guessing it's because of the duration of the game. One match usually takes 7 hours or more to get completed. It would be tough to include all matches within Olympics.

However, there is a new format of the game which started recently (a shorter version) and has become very popular (20/20 cricket), perhaps this might help get it scheduled within the Olympics.

 

[Deleted member 21996]

if anything you gotta love all the amercians in the forum abusing cricket and defending baseball- talk about being delusional!

 

[The-Champ]

if anything you gotta love all the amercians in the forum abusing cricket and defending baseball- talk about being delusional!

tell that to chinese folks who claim ping-pong is fun.

 

[Deleted member 21996]

tell that to chinese folks who claim ping-pong is fun.

lmao...

gazillion chars...

 

[LameTennisPlayer]

Good to know cricket is one of the most popular sports in Australia too.

i thought it would be fairly obvious.....

 

[Polaris]

Cricket doesn't even make it on our ESPN.

But hot-dog eating does! Sad, but true.

 

[myalterego]

Ah yes, the typical argument about Americans being stupid.

Well, luckily America (along with England) has the best universities that people all over the world strive to attend. Americans are so stupid according to LameTennisPlayer; after all, those Australians and Indians really are the cream of the crop...

 

[LameTennisPlayer]

Cricket doesn't even make it on our ESPN.

Is cricket an olympic sport?

cricket and golf are not sports

cricket is a joke

I think what most people are forgetting here is that cricket is one lame-ass sport. What's next, you're going to say that Federer pales in comparison to the greatest women's curler of all time?

What nonsense. Cricket isn't even played all over the world, limiting the amount of talent to a country that isn't known for its athletes. Dominating in a team sport in a pool of athletes that lack international competition and prowess in a sport that doesn't require athleticism or the pressure of winning and losing solely on your shoulders is laughable.

Whoever that cricket guy is, he has a team to help him. Plus the athleticism needed to be a tennis player is more than cricket.

Ah yes, the typical argument about Americans being stupid.

Well, luckily America (along with England) has the best universities that people all over the world strive to attend. Americans are so stupid according to LameTennisPlayer; after all, those Australians and Indians really are the cream of the crop...

i dont know where you are getting your info about me saying americans are stupid, is this an admission on your part?, i think you're posts have clarified your own admission not that it was needed in the first place......the bubble that you live in and think america is the centre of the universe burst along time ago; take a look at a map and ask your harvard buddies to explain what those other countries are outside of your own.... oh and hint* im not an australian.... i just happen to live here

 

[myalterego]

good to have some deep thinkers here...



just something i stumbled across as to why americans don't get cricket

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/74685-the-top-5-reasons-americans-dont-follow-cricket

This post is a direct insult and attack to American intelligence.

And no, I do not think of America as the center of the universe, though it is a leading economic, cultural, athletic, humanitarian and political power.

And I also guarantee you that people from Harvard know other countries than the US; again stupidity on your part, as it is unlikely that Australia's brightest university students can compare even on the most elementary of levels with America's educated elite.

Cricket sucks; thank goodness the world cares more about football, basketball, hockey, tennis, etc.

 

[lambros]

Who cares about cricket.

 

[boris becker 1]

miguel indurain

 

[LameTennisPlayer]

]This post is a direct insult and attack to American intelligence(1).[/I]

And no, I do not think of America as the center of the universe, though it is a leading economic, cultural, athletic, humanitarian and political power(2).

And I also guarantee you that people from Harvard know other countries than the US; again stupidity on your part(3), as it is unlikely that Australia's brightest university students can compare even on the most elementary of levels with America's educated elite.

Cricket sucks(4); thank goodness the world cares more about football, basketball, hockey, tennis, etc.

(1)ask your educated friends what *sarcasm* means, and the person who wrote the link i posted is an american

(2)hmm i wonder who owns the fed reserve.....

(3)do you ask your harvard buddies which leg goes in first when you put your pants on?

(4)statistics will tell you otherwise.....apart from football if you're referring to real football or as you would call it soccer.

 

[Mahboob Khan]

Good to know cricket is one of the most popular sports in Australia too.

I thought tennis was no. 1 sport in Australia?