American Sports are DIFFERENT from the Rest of the World

[@MattyMutilation]

America treats their teams as franchises and care more about the money then the fans. Also big reason everyone else in the world does not care for american sports is because whenever any team wins they declare themselves WORLD CHAMPIONS, no no you're not world champions you are the NFL champions or NBA champions its honestly pathetic whenever i see them call themselves world champions i cringe every single time

[@philipmcniel4908]

I don't hear the term "world champions" used as much in baseball now that there actually _are_ other countries that care about it. I kinda cringe when they use the term "world champions" as well (except *maybe* in the NFL since it's obvious that there aren't any American football teams outside the NFL that could even stay on the field with the worst NFL team for a single quarter--as soon as that changes, the Super Bowl champions won't be seen as world champions anymore). I do think some teams care more about the money than the fans, but I also don't think that applies to every team, and I do think that fans have some level of expectation that their team's management will value them (e.g. look at the protests and demands for the A's management to sell them rather than moving them to Las Vegas).

[@henrimarjoan7876]

I wouldnt say that the world does not care for American sports since they are very popular around the world.

[@handsolo1209]

The franchise thing is probably the #1 reason why US sports in general don't really exist anywhere else. Look at Baseball. The NY Yankees were originally the Baltimore Orioles. Giants and Dodgers were from NY, Braves from Boston, Athletics from Philly, etc. They just move for money whenever they feel like it. There is no real local connection to a lot of teams. There are hardly any derbies in US sports either. One franchise per city in a lot of sports. Also, look at when a team wins the Superbowl. The owner comes on the field and gives a speech. It's so weird. In soccer in the rest of the world, teams almost never move out of their location, and they almost always have a very local rival (sometimes more than one), so a town or city can have districts that are for one team, other districts belong to the rival. There aren't parts of NY that are strictly Mets areas, no Yankees colors dared be worn there.

[@jgons]

All these players from all over the world play basketball, American football and hockey in America. There’s no other leagues for those sports that even come close to the level of play to even do a champions league or World Cup type play.

[@GarkKahn]

​@@handsolo1209 in football if a team leaves a city their fans will receive the "your dad went for cigarettes and your mom is a night lady" treatment from the other fans In my country one of the big teams had to move due to political reasons and we make sure they always remember that page from the history books If it happens on a regular basis it'll kill football culture

[@andrewhazlewood4569]

Only in America is a sport stopped for ad breaks

[@theophilussogoromo3000]

For us non-Americans, American sports are not that entertaining because there are too many stoppages that interfere with the flow of the game. It's kind of frustrating.

[@flpndrox]

What flow? It's all set pieces. Why do you hate set pieces?

[@theophilussogoromo3000]

@@flpndrox it takes away dynamics, versatility, and creativity. All the things that non-Americans appreciate in sports. We prefer our sports more free-flowing.

[@GrumpyOldGit-zk1kw]

Gotta fit those ad breaks in! 🙂

[@arnodobler1096]

US Sport: Commercials with short sports interludes to fill the breaks. A bit exaggerated, of course, but true. That's why soccer will never become so popular in the USA, hardly any breaks.

[@flpndrox]

@@arnodobler1096 it's not about the breaks. The difference between soccer and popular American team sports is discernable advancement towards a goal or a win. In football you have four distinct downs per series to maintain possession and advance toward the end zone. In baseball every at bat has a discernable outcome. In basketball you are putting up a shot every 24s. Soccer and hockey have nothing similar. But at least hockey has like 6x more shots on goal, speed, real hitting and the occasional fight. All soccer has is a shot on goal that happens less often than a major league hitter actually gets a hit in our slowest game. That's why it will never take off here: nothing happens, things just develop.

[@SportGamingComputing]

This is what i call a GREAT CONTENT, way to go Luke !

[@VillaFanDan92]

In my lifetime, I've seen in cricket, franchise American-style, cricket leagues basically destroy the traditional promotion/relegation leagues. Because the money is incomparable. I still enjoy watching franchise crciket, though. But I hope nothing like that ever gets into football. Because financially, the traditional system just can't compete. Businesses are obviosuly way less likely to invest in a team that could go from playing in front of 60,000 people and millions on TV to playing in front of 2,000 people if they have a few years of bad performances. It's why football fans are so averse to things like the European Super League.

[@philipmcniel4908]

I think the franchise system makes a ton of sense in American soccer given our history, geography, population distribution, etc., but I hope the European system never gets replaced with franchises.

[@mrmr5580]

I always thought it was a cultural thing, American fans feel more like customers, where as European fans feel more like part of the club they support.....Good video by the way Luke, you're getting a like 👍

[@philipmcniel4908]

I don't think American fans feel like _they_ are merely customers, or like their team is a mere business, just like EPL fans don't feel like customers even though _their_ clubs are usually owned by wealthy owners rather than the public. Some US sports fans even treat it like part of their identity, though that's way more common with college-sports fans (and Packers fans). But then again, I guess the OG Star Wars fans don't tend to see themselves merely as customers of a franchise either, so perhaps Luke is right about the entertainment angle.

[@mrmr5580]

@philipmcniel4908 im sure theres exceptions (im not American, so youll know better than me) it just always seemed to me that everything's set up for the fans entertainment, where as here in Britain the fans are just left to it, we are the entertainment

[@lalrindikaralte8252]

​@@philipmcniel4908You may not feel like customer but you look like it. I'm huge soccer fans and basketball fans from Asia. Watching NBA and EPL is a whole different vibe.

[@philipmcniel4908]

@@lalrindikaralte8252 Well, the NBA ticket prices are high enough that many fans just watch on TV, and courtside seats are more for celebrities to buy if they want to watch a little show. I'm not sure the in-stadium footage is really indicative of the "average" fan culture. p.s. I wouldn't use the EPL as a comparison, since it's just as bad or worse in the ownership department; most or all of the teams are owned by wealthy owners, and some of those owners aren't even from the UK. Nothing stopping the UAE from just moving Man City if they weren't making money and being successful where they are.

[@phillipwatson9906]

FYI Baseball and ice hockey were both invented in Britain, like football,golf,cricket and rugby

[@robbpatterson6796]

You go above and beyond most KZbinrs. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, but you shouldn't be forced into what some people love. Keep it up bro and "COYS"

[@darkmatter6714]

Good reflections Luke. Talking of sporting impact, did you know that the country which has had THE most impact on sports in the world is the UK? 8 out of 10 of the most popular sports in the world were invented by the British: 1) Soccer 🇬🇧- 3.5 billion fans 2) Cricket 🇬🇧- 2.5 billion fans 3) Field Hockey 🇬🇧- 2 billion fans 4) Tennis 🇬🇧- 1 billion fans 5) Volleyball 🇺🇸- 900 million fans 6) Table Tennis 🇬🇧- 850 million fans 7) Basketball 🇺🇸- 800 million fans 8) Baseball 🇬🇧 (yes, baseball was first played in the UK in the Middle Ages!) - 500 million fans 9) Rugby 🇬🇧- 475 million fans 10) Golf 🇬🇧- 450 million fans People say it’s because the British had the largest empire in history, so everywhere they went, they took their sports with them, which is true. However, that doesn’t account for their creativity in coming up with these sports in the first place - incredible!

[@shish7755]

Basketball is famous worldwide because it's extremely easy to understand. Shooting a ball in a basket, a ring, a can or whatever is an ancient way of having fun, you just do it

[@ExternalInputs]

Famous? It's not that widely watched around the world, so easy to understand isn't helping it that much.

[@61tomtomtom]

American football isn’t slow ? Every 5 sec they stop . And how many times they stop for commercials.

[@philipmcniel4908]

They stop for commercials mainly at these times: -A change of possession, since the teams are switching out all their players. -An injury that needs to be attended to. -When a team takes a timeout (except when that timeout is at the end of the game when it's just being used to stop the clock, not actually give the team a chance to talk). -Quarter and halftime breaks. Other than that, when a play ends, the team with the ball has a 40-second time limit (sometimes 25) to go downfield and start the next play. And much of that time is used on replays to help you process what just happened. I know I need a few moments to process what just happened after every play.

[@alensmic6100]

here in Europe, sports are treated like a religion.the problem in the usa is that they want because only enterteriment makes a clown out of athletes.I'm just giving an example, look at the NBA game. 50% of the basic rules are not followed.carried /ball steps etc because if we whistled for every mistake, the match would last 5 hours

[@aaronharcus5313]

Have to respectfully disagree. Ben White (who plays for a top of the table team in one of the best football leagues in the world) just came out and basically said he doesn't actually like watching football and considers it more of a job. You can find plenty of other examples (as well, too be fair, of American athletes). Meanwhile, most of the top players in U.S. sports like basketball obsess over the game and watch film all the time, and when they win the championship/MVP (or even drafted into the league), it is clearly expressed in their extremely emotional reactions (look for example at KG's title in Boston, Lebron in Cleveland, Giannis's only title, KD's MVP speech). This talk about how most athletes in U.S. sports are clowns because of "entertainment" is absurd! Also, point of emphasis away from calling traveling calls is not "50%." Ask any EuroLeague basketball fan or coach (a lot more of whom have publicly called out the officiating in their league than NBA coaches) about how consistent the referees are in making or not making calls there, and they'll let you know poor it is. There's also a VAR controversy almost every week in the top leagues in European football, which is all to say there is poor referring in all sports all of over the world. It's not a specifically U.S. thing caused by "entertainment."

[@arnodobler1096]

US Sport: Commercials with short sports interludes to fill the breaks. A bit exaggerated, of course, but true. That's why soccer will never become so popular in the USA, hardly any breaks.

[@wozzablog]

When it comes to soccer fans in Europe and the rest of the world - most of us know our team will "still be there next season", even if relegated. Every club's fans sing "my club til I die" during games. If Arsenal were relegated I would just be watching them in the Championship instead. The non-league team at the top of my street may drop down the pyramid again this year, but I'll still look out for their results and catch a game or two. Many clubs in our lower leagues have team radio available for streaming their matches, in the championship many games are still televised - fans are still able to follow.

[@philipmcniel4908]

Some of our high school teams here in the US have radio broadcasts of their games. If you had five top-flight sports leagues in different sports and they were *all* very popular, there just wouldn't be enough airtime left over for the Championship except maybe the promotion playoff final. That's kind of the situation we have in the US with even Minor League Baseball not having much airtime. And we're _highly_ dependent on media coverage: I see people saying RCTID when they live five _hours_ away from the Portland Timbers, just because they're Oregon's professional soccer team.

[@vaudevillian7]

The big differences for me are that US professional sports teams are franchises, they're more disconnected from their communities whereas in Europe they usually grew out of community teams. There's not even a team for every state in any professional sport in the US, whereas counties and cities have multiple football teams in Europe. This is why College / High School sports are so much bigger in the US - they fill that community gap, they allow you to cheer for a team more connected to you and / or your local community. And that's the other big difference with US sports of course - having academia be the path to academic sports. In the UK I played rugby for my secondary school (middle and high school), we were county champions at points, and I boxed and played lacrosse at University (although not a great deal of either really) and the only time anyone really watched us other than the occasional family member or friend was when we hosted boxing events. If you're playing sport at a university you're generally already too old to have a professional career if you're not already playing professionally (although that varies by sport). The playoff vs league / relegation and promotion structure plays a big part too I think. But I still watch more American football and baseball (and hockey) than I do football. Cricket and Australian Football are up there as my top sports too. I do enjoy football but I didn't grow up with it, my family was a rugby family and football sadly was looked down upon - and I was rubbish at playing it but pretty good at rugby. I've definitely grown to appreciate it more and more over the years but it's quite weird coming to it as an outsider in England.

[@launch639]

As an outsider looking in, I think this is why a lot of Americans struggle with football They think it is like an American sport so they go in expecting to be entertained. The other difference I've noticed is Americans treat sports matches like occasions, go take some pics have some food and drink and there is a winner on the day(this is why Americans don't understand games in ending in draws) whilst European soccer fans are following their team week in week out. The American sports seasons are shorter because it is like a tv show whilst soccer is an integral part of our lives here

[@flpndrox]

Y'all only play once a week? 20-something game seasons? Only football plays a schedule that light but given the physical damage that makes sense. What's soccer's excuse?

[@launch639]

@@flpndrox Yeah I know, I would say two things -They are playing once or twice a week depending on cup competitions and I believe more games ruins the standard of play which nobody wants -What percentage of Americans are watching all of those games? Don't get me there will be some hardcore fans but are most not just watching their team or what is on TV?

[@launch639]

@@flpndrox Also it's 35-60 games seasons depending on cup competitions, the three divisions under the English premier league have 46 game season plus cups

[@philipmcniel4908]

@@launch639 I'd say that with 17-game seasons (used to be even fewer) in the NFL, every single game matters a lot because it can affect whether your team makes the playoffs or not. There are always some people who watch just because it's on (just like the World Cup or Champions League finals, which are watched by millions of people with no rooting interest since their teams are not playing), but the manageable number of NFL games means that the fans can watch every single game, and many will try not to miss a single play since any individual play can be impactful on their playoff hopes. On the other end of the spectrum is baseball, which plays a 162-game season, which can dilute the importance of some games for playoff placement, but with such familiar foes (teams that have been playing each other for well over 100 years in some cases), the bragging rights that are on the line are ever-present even in otherwise "meaningless" games. Honestly, that's also why the CONCACAF Nations League (at least the final) is taken a bit more seriously than the UEFA Nations League--just because of the rivalries so intense that even "friendly" games are anything but.

[@philipmcniel4908]

@@flpndrox The games create different kinds of physical damage: American football creates more blunt-force trauma (think bruises, concussions), while soccer creates more muscle and connective-tissue tears, sprains, etc.

[@paulleach3612]

I got into Ice Hockey while based out in Germany with the British Army. Turns out they had a role for someone like me (I played as a centre back in soccer) in the shape of the Goon. (Fifteen years of amateur boxing as a heavyweight also helped...) Still to this day I keep a sly eye open for the Stanley cup results.

[@shmick6079]

I wouldn’t say that the rest of the world rejects American sport. Basketball is very popular globally, and I know plenty of people who watch baseball. American football is too sanitised and too “stop-start” for fans of other codes where there’s more excitement, skill and free-flowing play. I think that’s why American football is generally considered to be an inferior code outside of the US. Ice hockey is also popular in a lot of countries, especially colder climates. It’s also an exciting and fast paced game to watch. American sport does have an issue when it comes to the perceived arrogance of the players and administrators though. It’s odd that the forefathers of modern American sport decided to turn away from the likes of rugby and cricket, but create new sports that are similar but different enough to be unique. Obviously Australia and Ireland have done the same with their own football codes, but they’re quite niche in the world market and don’t promote themselves as being “world champions” or anything of the sort. I think the franchise thing is also a relevant consideration. Much of the world doesn’t understand franchising sports. Sport at its roots is and always has been about the community, the history, belonging to a particular club, and being loyal to your club. The only thing more important than representing your club as best you can is representing your state or country as best you can. Playing for club, state or country is a privilege, and should not be taken for granted. For those reasons, I think a lot of people see franchise-based sport to be quite empty and soulless… like what’s the purpose of investing time and money in supporting a financial entity? That’s what it feels like anyway. It’s not that easy to explain, and there are variations in how sport is structured in different countries.

[@philipmcniel4908]

I think the EPL teams aren't that different from the franchise system in that they're owned by wealthy owners (one's even owned by a foreign country to which most of its fans have no connection); the reason they aren't considered "franchises" is that they don't have to pay the EPL for the right to participate in it and use its logo and branding. Franchises are businesses that pay another business for those rights, such as your local McDonald's franchise which isn't owned by the McDonald's corporation but pays it for the right to use its branding and product. I would say that franchise-based with a historic community identity don't have to be soulless; for example the Chicago Cubs are far from that, and their fans stuck by their side through a championship drought that lasted 107 years--longer than the World Cup has even existed. That being said, I also think that in a country with our population distribution (more clumped together into huge cities, with the area between the cities being very large and rural, not dotted with towns like in Europe), teams aren't quite as "local" to as many of the people who watch them--for city dwellers, this is because the team can represent a city of 12 million people, and for more rural people, it's because their closest team can be several hours away so they only watch them on TV most of the time.

[@spirosgreek1171]

Given its one of your first non reaction videos, i must say its a very nice start! Can't wait for more vids of that type, though hope you continue the reactions as well, as i really enjoy your take on the various subjects those videos cover about this beautiful sport! But don't get it wrong, sports in europe and across the world besides America are also a distraction from life and a source of entertainment. The major difference for me is the sense of community a football team brings, as it has been built around the community, while in the US that culture hasn't taken roots yet, atleast to such an extent. Pretty positive it will eventually happen though, and when a community gathers around a team, the passion and love for said team comes too. To close i will use one of my favorite lines regarding this sport "Of all unimportant things, Football is the most important"

[@lukessportsacademy]

Appreciate the feedback 🤙🏼, I think that at least for now, reactions will remain the bulk of my uploads but I will feature a few of these each month or two

[@gokbay3057]

Wasn't it the Pope (thought iirc not the current one) that said that line?

[@Tomurow]

I think that’s why US sports haven’t penetrated the global culture in the way that football has. Because when you watch a US sports ‘production’, it’s easy to feel like you’re being spoken down to: the over-inflating hype, the commentary, the fireworks, manufactured-feeling content, the mascots, the anthem, the kiss-cams, aaaaaagghh. Shame ‘cos the sports are entertaining enough on their own - and would be more so with systems of consequence. I think it’s the entertainment culture around them that gets the cold-shoulder… Watch an American athlete at the Olympics and chances are there’ll be a lot of ‘playing to the camera’. It’s baked in!😂 Not that there isn’t ’over-inflating’ hype in football…😂 but it seems tempered by the stakes. That’s my 50cents/pence but I could be wrong!😉

[@GarkKahn]

What i don't like about usa is they turn everything into a circus, even going to church is like going to a rock concert Not saying you shouldn't, It's that the shock culture is huge. It feels like going to visit your grandma and talking to her like you talk to a bro from the hood

[@EveryoneWhoUsesThisTV]

Most English speaking countries play imported British or Irish sports or their own variants. American sports are your local variations and inventions.... I don't think NFL is particularly entertaining as a sport, it has too many lulls and times when nothing much is happening between bursts of action. Compare that to Aussie rules football which is continuous action and spectacle. I appreciate the military like strategy of NFL, but sorry it's dull to watch.... :) I think NBA is the most exported of US sports because it has a good pace to it....

[@philipmcniel4908]

I personally like high school (American) football more than the NFL or college football, because there are no commercial breaks.

[@neilbiggs1353]

I would say that from the UK point of view, the US high school sports and college sports are troubling - I can't think of any other country where the education system involves turning children in to celebrities, sometimes even at the cost of their own education. You look at the "No pass, no play" rules in various areas and how that has meant school and college staff have colluded with student athletes for grades, or the absurdity that a high school can spend more in transporting a sports team for a single match than they spend for a department like English for a whole year for the whole school. Not a huge fan of the video, it feels a bit cursory. There is probably a very good video either out there already, or waiting to be made, about the differences with US sport - how they are much more structured for TV (which also means they are much easier to integrate in to films) for example would be something worth discussing. The big thing that is worth a look for me though is a comparison between what I'd call the 'league-as-the-business' model in the US, where the teams are franchises, and the 'independent-clubs-as-businesses' model of the UK typically. There are definite advantages and disadvantages to each of them such as the US sports typically having a much better competitive balance, while also allowing franchises to leverage/manipulate states in to buying them facilities, whereas the clubs as a business tends to make the Stadiums self financing so you don't get the white elephants left to the tax payer (such as is being threatened with the Oakland Coliseum)... Is one form better than an another? Or does the question of better depend upon on who it works for?

[@philip4588]

The grassrot club KFUM Oslo did get promoted to Norwegian top division Eliteserien this season, and Eliteserien starts 31-2 march

[@abasudoh7459]

One issue I have with American sports is the time, one hour play time but 3 hours broadcast time. Also the long game series, one reason I really enjoyed the World Baseball Classic was the one and done games not the seven-game series you guys have. And for the life of me I can't understand the season schedules, games take place any day of the week, instead of the classic home and away, you'll have teams playing each other five times and playing other teams just 3 times for some reason.

[@Karthadasht]

Quick input: The world doesn't like American entertainment per say ! There is really no alternative to American entertainment because no other country has the proactive will to dominate the cultural landmark as much as the US. As an example, France was the cultural leader of the world ( in terms of Cinema for example ) culturally speaking, but the US don't have any allies and decided to literally attack french cultural production either through financing alternative cultures (specially in the 60's) or even through smear campaign (french bashing). When it comes to sports, sports started going global around the world way before the US became the global hegemon and thus escaped American dominance. Thus said they tried to export the NBA and it worked, they tried with the NFL but people really didn't give any f***s about shoulder pads and sheer leaders.

[@heatherhill5174]

Well said.

[@bonbahoue]

You're a bit harsh. We also cannot deny that the USA has brought a lot of good things culturally. We can even speak of having revolutionized culture (music, cinema, modern literature, graphic works) and television sport (multiple cameras, slow motion, comments, etc.). A new wind necessary for the end of the Second World War and which continues until today while mentalities are changing significantly. And tomorrow we will see. I'm Europan.

[@Karthadasht]

@@bonbahoue Most of the cultural innovations were CIA psy-ops ... And I wish I was wrong (I'm a product of the world I was born in and I too consume that culture a lot)

[@bonbahoue]

I'm a fan of AJ Auxerre. A club which for years was at the top of French first division football but which has been playing in the second division for around ten years. Last year the club moved up to the first division but was unfortunately relegated at the end of the season. This year in League 2 the club is first and should once again find the elite. All this to say that despite the hazards, we follow our teams and 99% of the matches played are essential. We cannot afford to say to ourselves that this year or even the two or three years to come we are not playing to have a favorable draw for youth recruitment. The survival of the club is in every match for small clubs like those in the small town of Auxerre (urban area of 42,000 and a stade with 18,500 seats).

[@flpndrox]

Why even try when you know you'll never have a shot against PSG or Monaco?

[@bonbahoue]

@@flpndrox That's what we call sport ! History is full of small teams beating the big ones.

[@philipmcniel4908]

@@bonbahoue Yeah, but our history is _more_ full of that since we don't have teams with 5,000-to-1 odds:P Seriously, though, I think there's something we both experience (maybe not you, since Auxerre's more of a yo-yo club than a mid-table club): Rooting for a team that can no longer win the trophy, just playing for pride one game at a time. That's why Americans can get into watching a team that's no longer in playoff contention and can't be relegated, and it's why European fans of a mid-table club can stay passionate when they're out of relegation danger and out of contention for Europe. p.s. Intentionally sandbagging for good draft placement isn't *nearly* as common as Europeans seem to think. It can happen sometimes, but If a coach does it intentionally--or even accidentally through incompetence--he often gets fired. The teams are usually trying to win _now,_ or "rebuilding" which doesn't mean sandbagging but trying to get some good results and find their legs, so to speak. Plus, remember that all players always try _not_ to sandbag, since that helps their team draft their replacement!

[@philipmcniel4908]

p.s. It feels weird to me to hear you talk about a "small town of 42,000" since I live in a small town of 700, half an hour from the nearest other town. That's how spread-out much of the rural western US is, and it affects the way we watch sports in a big way.

[@bonbahoue]

​@@philipmcniel4908 Good point. Does Not thought about this, the distances. For sandbagging, you must be right, I certainly don't have enough perspective for that. If we Europeans have this perception it is because it seems impossible to us that a club does not fight to “stay alive”. With a little luck, the last 5 championship matches are without stakes. But often it plays out over the last 2 matches.

[@steveallen3434]

my thoughts are that the outside world sees your sports are slow to watch even tho we have cricket and you have baseball. all the ad breaks and things like time outs and long periods with players just standing about, too much coaching from the sideline and all the personal changes per game there is no flow. there really is not anything like college football in the rest of the world and I think with the NFL they are not really local teams as some states or big cities don't even have a team . But I do understand the passion.

[@AdstarAPAD]

American sports are two dimensional.. Speed and Power.. Any sport that features Speed and Power will do well in the USA.. In other countries sport is more 3 dimensional.. Speed Power and Endurance.. American like a 100 meter sprint.. They do not like the 10,000 meters or the Marathon.. American football is a series of short time explosions of Speed and Power and then 15 minutes of nothing much happening while all the massive athletes suck oxygen and recover from the exertion.. Games like Rugby / league / Australian football / soccer just keep going... Endurance is an absolute necessity for the athletes who are playing these games.. They need to be able to go for a 45 minute half..

[@lukessportsacademy]

Interesting observation

[@loganleroy8622]

Ahh yes, because golf is so much of speed and power. I do find in general that Europeans much prefer sports that have very little excitement, hence needing to sing all the time to entertain themselves, with very brief moments of sudden excitement all at once. European sports tend to prefer sports where the athletes on a team all serve relatively the same role with much less specialization. Rugby and Cricket are good examples. All bowlers still have to be capable batsmen, all the guys in the scrum still have to be able to tackle, and run, and pass, and set up a ruck. American sports tend to have hyper-specialization of the athletes at each position. The US is willing to sacrifice in some areas to push the limits of what is possible in other areas, whereas Europeans are much more likely to settle for good enough across the board.

[@lukessportsacademy]

@@loganleroy8622 Lol 😂, in fairness, I really don’t like golf and a lot of people mock it. (Many love it) lol

[@philipmcniel4908]

@@loganleroy8622 I feel like baseball requires a lot of generalization on offense (pitchers are allowed to specialize, but even that's recent and pitchers were required to bat for most of the history of the game). That being said, it's also the oldest American sport and probably the closest equivalent to European sports. It wasn't just about MLB historically; it was about the minor-league team at the local dirt diamond playing against some cross-county rival. The poem "Casey at the Bat" doesn't take place in Yankee Stadium, after all.

[@loganleroy8622]

@@philipmcniel4908 On the defensive side though the roles of a 1B are really unique to that position and even 2B and SS have slightly different roles.

[@mannym7849]

Another fantastically well written and delivered video, loved it! I’m glad you really appreciate the promotion and relegation system we have in our football here and I personally think that if American sports were to just trial it in MLS for example and it was a big hit then it should be slowly implemented in other sports. The other thing that I think would make American sports better would be far less commercial breaks. Currently there’s WAY TOO MANY especially in NFL. It’s so great that you’ve got a love and appreciation for football ⚽️ and it’s always great to see all your content and reaction videos to other sports too like the ones you do for cricket. Happy Easter to you man! 😊

[@bobhawke7373]

American sports have way too much downtime and not enough stamina athletes. Basketball isn't as bad but basketball has little defensive plays really. You should be able to do a little more on defence. But the rules are the rules. I think it should be harder to score in basketball. A little rougher. But basketball is more international now and not so much an American sport.

[@MademoiselleRed1390]

I really like you Luke. You are a great content creator. I think it's perfect for your to love American sports, we all have love for our cultures and nations flawed and all, and I think it's better for things to be that way than to simply turn against everything we knew from birth. The important thing is to broaden our knowledge and perspective, to open our minds, to be interested and able to appreciate what's different, how things are done somewhere else, etc. And in turn you teaching us about how things work in the US is just as valuable. That exchange is super rich and effective because how you've built a community that appreciates you. Something that could be taken as condescending from some random channel explaining it, is more well received from someone like you, with the respect you also show. Anyway, keep it up, Luke!

[@wt5657]

Very Good Video Luke ...Keep it Up bro

[@LeonardoPostacchini]

Nice video Luke, for me the major problem with American sports is that it is mainly a big commercial ad. It is frustrating and disgusting, the consume, consume, consume message being hammered at you all the time. Even the game itself feels like is just staged, it is there to support the ads.

[@lcfcrenno]

Enjoying the videos recently Luke. Whilst I wouldn’t change how we do sport in Europe, American sports are also a great spectacle. There are parts I like and dislike in both and wouldn’t change either - however with the richest team dominating year in year out here I am starting to warm to the draft system. I like that teams like San Antonio can pick a star player and have the mobility to rise back up the league. I also envy the size of college sport which is not really a thing here because kids are snapped up by pro academies from a very young age. In fact if someone supported their local university team in England it would be quite weird, it’s only current students that might watch but certainly never on TV. Obvious drawbacks to me are the quiet crowds, no promotion and so many commercial breaks but I enjoy both in their own right. (apart from teams moving city which I can’t get behind at all.)

[@lcfcrenno]

Although there is actually an annual ice hockey game at my university between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam that sells out 8,000 fans. Might seem small comparatively but that’s massive for such a small sport here. The other most popular event is darts which IS a real competitive sport and the second most watched on sky sports in the UK you should check it out 😅

[@wozzablog]

Basketball, as others have noted, is the ine exception to the rule of US sports crossing the world. There's great content on KZbin of American players discussing their time in Turkey and the rivalry between Fenerbache and Galatasary ( which spuns off from the football rivalry, but is as potent) Highly recommend watching some of the interviews with US players about playing in Euro basketball. Ice Hockey is also very popular in Scandinavia and the Baltic.

[@elpanchito421]

Another awesome video Luke. You’re becoming such a well-rounded content creator. Great to see you fall in love with football!

[@beefbroth6539]

This is good content, I never really thought about sports from that point of view. Keep it up Luke!

[@abdelivelasquez7958]

Dude, great video! fr you're doing a great job, way to go!

[@opossumperson6590]

Good production quality!

[@Lixmage]

Comfortably your best video yet Luke - congratulations.

[@timlamiam]

Football ⚽ doesn't have parity like US sports tho, which is kinda nice. England has had the same top 6 since forever, same for Spain, the Bundesliga trophy might as well be renamed the Bayern Munich Champions League Consolation Prize. Even with the Patriots or the Warriors etc. they never had the same 4 rivals year after year.

[@craigshilo4137]

Bayern ain't winning the Bundesliga this season that's for sure! But your point still stands tbh

[@linkash4167]

On the other hand, when something unexpected happens, like Leicester win the league, or Leverkusen this season, it feels like the most epic thing in the world ever

[@neilgayleard3842]

I enjoy some American sports professional and college. Because it's different. But that's why some people don't like it because they find its to American. That's partly why many people don't want a European super league within football.

[@stardestroyer19]

Really good video! I think some people are too harsh in your comments section in how much they shit in american sports (I say that as someone who isnt a huge fan of American sports).

[@TheHerohead]

Keep it up Luke. How is your training going?

[@guyfaux3978]

You're not dealing with what in many cases is what prompts the interest in a particular sport-- the gambling angle of it. I would imagine many UK NFL fans started originally watching it as a betting proposition. Don't discount that MLS is gaining ground because of FanDuel, DraftKings and the like. "Some who come to scoff remain to pray," as a line from a poem goes.

[@stue2298]

The only home grown american sport that has an internation presence is Basket Ball and no league around the world could compete with NBA. American football is only played in north america and baseball is play in Japan and canada but really no where else to a high professional level, even other American football leagues cant compete with the NFL. Also it how the League are run, NFL is an elite self-contained franchise, it not part of a wider league system like most countries, and now it very difficult to make a successful competing franchise to the NFL. Even thou the IFAF (Internation Federation of American Football) has 75 members where are the international games, does that organisation have any power of the NFL, like FIFA does over every nations football governing bodys. I think it how the business of sport is very different in america to the rest of the world, and therefore doesnt export very well to the rest of the world. Also competing with the countries own sports for people to play it professionally, like Football, Rugby, Cricket for example.

[@conkersbadfurday356]

Try watching some films about football, ' escape to victory ' with real footballers and actors set in ww2 would bring a tear to a glass eye of the toughest footie fans going with the magical pele moment.

[@bucklberryreturns]

I fail to see playing a good portion of a season with nothing at stake as entertainment. It's akin to watching the latest Marvel film, all special effects, the dumbest storyline (that thinks it's clever) and lame jokes. I want intruige, suspense, great pacing, genuinely shocking twists… Give me Chinatown or Se7en anyday.

[@philipmcniel4908]

I would say that something's almost always at stake in American sports: Most teams are in the hunt for a national championship until relatively late in the season (contrast that with European sports, where most of the non-relegation-threatened teams are effectively out of national-championship contention sometime in the first half of the season, and *all* the teams outside the first tier are out of contention from day one). Think of it more like the international game than the club game: Your team isn't in danger of getting relegated from World Cup qualifiers (that is, even if they lose every game they'll still be allowed to compete in the next cycle), but title droughts--or worse yet qualification droughts--still cause the fans to suffer. Don't get me wrong--I love to follow European soccer as much as any American--but there are reasons why people enjoy watching American sports too.

[@jxy8938]

@@philipmcniel4908yh but a lot of people especially in europe prefer club football over international football😂😂 and i guess thats a reason why cuz there is no relegation and theres no reason to be invested other than its the country your from

[@alpey8487]

Can you imagine being a season ticket holder and your club are losing on purpose to get a good draft pick 🤣 what a waste of money why would anyone even watch that shit when you know they are rewarded for being crap

[@philipmcniel4908]

@@jxy8938 You think the French cared any less about the World Cup final than about watching PSG casually jog to their umpteenth trophy? I think they cared because their team had a chance of winning, so they didn't _need_ relegation. I daresay the idea that "no relegation = lack of personal investment" is a product of the system you have where most teams--whether national or club--don't have a legitimate chance of winning it all, so you've got to come up with something else to root for them to accomplish (i.e. avoid relegation), because it's tough to root for a team if you're not rooting for them to _do_ something. If your team has a legitimate chance to win, you're going to be disappointed if they don't, even if they aren't close to relegation (see: the French national team or Chelsea FC). That being said, I think our American sports teams can _feel_ more like national teams in a way: They represent our regions, which are the size of European countries (or even larger; the Seattle Seahawks, Mariners, and Kraken represent the entire Pacific Northwest--basically all of Oregon and Washington, with Idaho having split loyalties between the Seattle and Denver teams), and the players and sometimes teams are from kind of far away. And we aren't just rooting for them to avoid the bottom three spots in the league; we want to see them _win._ Or at least make the playoffs, if they haven't done so in a long time (see all the excitement over Cal Raleigh's home run that secured the Seattle Mariners a playoff berth for the first time in over two decades). Even college sports, which have a more community feel like Luke said in this video, can be affected by the phenomenon of population distribution: Here in the rural parts of southern Oregon, rooting for the Oregon Ducks (University of Oregon sports teams) is a sort of community tradition; it's common to see people wearing hoodies and athletic gear with the famous yellow O, and it's not uncommon to see a local sports bar or convenience store with a green and gold "GO DUCKS" bumper sticker in the window to make their loyalties known, even though the home games are held _two or three hours away_ depending on where you are in our county. Yes, a three-hour drive may be short enough that the area can still have a sort of shared community identity, but a seven-hour drive is kind of pushing it. That's why the Seahawks fandom here--while it can be passionate--is more "international passionate" than "club passionate." Because they, our region's representatives, on the continent-wide national stage, are seven hours away. And if there were a way for them to get relegated, we'd have to find another team to represent our region since there's no way a town of 1500 people (or even 700 people, as in the case of my hometown) out in the woods is going to field a professional sports team of _any_ level.

[@philipmcniel4908]

@@alpey8487 A few teams _sometimes_ try to do this right at the end of a season...though it's really tough to do since the players always try to play their hearts out--remember, the draft is for drafting their _replacement!_ (This same idea applies to coaches; for instance, the Chargers' heavy losses last season resulted in the sacking of their coach.) However, this kind of sandbagging is not *nearly* as common as Europeans tend to assume. In the VAST majority of games, both teams really are trying to win, since 1) your team is usually in playoff contention--and therefore in championship contention--until very late in the year, and 2) if your team traded away their draft picks for proven talent, then their losses only help some other team get good draft picks. Draft picks can be a bit of a consolation prize anyway; many 1st-round picks never pan out, just like not every young up-and-coming academy product pans out in the European scene. And sometimes with some good scouting, even a low pick can be impactful for a team that's already good (see Brock Purdy for an extreme). And remember, the whole point of getting good draft picks is to help your team win; the goal of the competition is not to win an early draft pick, but to win a title. Every team put a lot of scouting work into last year's draft class; they all want to leverage that work into wins _right now._

[@markgregorygacosta531]

I know this is about sports, but lemme just insert this thought too- even what you call America's greatest exports - entertainment AKA Hollywood is in a decline. This is because of their newly found over adherence to Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and identity politics, over authenticity and compelling storytelling. Other than a few blockbusters that i really like - Top Gun, Avatar 2, Oppenheimer, John wick 4, Barbie, there's very few that have made their mark into everyone's consciousness and revenue wise. It's very different from the Avengers 1-3 era, and totally different from the early 2000s which gave us some of the best in history - LOTR trilogy, Troy, Band of Brothers (tv show), Kingdom of Heaven, Star wars prequels, Matrix trilogy, Gladiator etc.

[@ExternalInputs]

American football hasn't gained any traction elsewhere in the world, despite numerous attempts. Indy Cars tried also without success as has NASCAR. While some countries play baseball, most don't and basketball doesn't have a high profile in many countries. What Americans refer to as hockey is ice hockey for most of the world and conversely, what they call field hockey is just hockey around the world. Its popularity in Asia and South America could never be matched by the ice version.

[@nemangame]

Gad Saad is exquisite

[@PhillipV-qm4mf]

Basketball (although invented in canada) is an international sport europe loves the NBA and the euro league is 2nd only to the nba. Baseball is an international sport Asia and Latin America have some OLD and very competitive leagues, and those fans love the mlb also. Hockey is an international sport, canada obviously, but its huge in the baltic/slavic regions, tuns nhl stars come from out there. The only sport from the American 4 the rest of the world is yet to embrace the same way is football. The nfl features very few international players let a lone stars.

[@FUTBOLICO_]

Simlply put, american sports are all about entertainment (circus) like, and other sports are about competition. That's why you don't mind having a minute of ads for every 10 seconds of "sports"

[@mgrimble3975]

An excellent vid Luke. Only two minor issues number 1, Sadly the American dream is a lie and 2nd the whilst soccer at professional level is as close to.a meritocracy as your likely to find on a player per player basis its.nothing like one on a team by team one, because the teams with the most money can hoover up all the most talented players.

[@silverrahul]

While i agree with most of what you said, i think the main reason why world does not like american sports is much simpler. Americans play sports which most others dont like baseball, NFL etc. So , hard for rest of world to get invested in it.

[@RuudVanDrijver]

I’ve always thought that US sports are more about entertainment than passion for the team around 60/40. I can see that you could still get passionate about your team, but, and I know it’s an old chestnut, without the threat of relegation or consequences from doing badly, it’s never gonna be taken seriously by the rest of the world. A closed league, I’m sorry to say makes the MLS look a bit pathetic and treating soccer as a franchise is seen as obscene to the rest of the world. I want to see soccer do well in the US and as an entertainment show it may well do so. I mean popcorn and hotdogs seem to be on equal footing to what’s actually going on on the pitch. Maybe it’s because soccer isn’t as established in the US as it is here and fans would give up going if relegated, but then even established sports in the US are in a closed league. I’m a Gillingham FC fan, we were relegated two seasons ago to the fourth tier League Two (where Wrexham currently play) in League One we were getting 5,000 attendances at home and now in L2 we’re trying to make the play-offs for promotion back to L1. Good Friday we had over 7,000 at home, so relegation hasn’t dampened support! I think MLS needs to bite the bullet and go for pro/rel. I think the USL would be taken more seriously than MLS here and by FIFA if they unilaterally went for it. The Play-offs are mental as well. I mean the top 9 from 14? You can finish 9th out of 14 and have a chance to win the MLS Cup??? Just take the top team from East and West and a play-off (2nd 3rd 4th and 5th) from each conference to see who gets two more spots.

[@Brookspirit]

The sport should come first, if it's entertaining that's a bonus.

[@kwanman5146]

How can you say clubs are considered communities centred when any club could up sticks and relocate to another city and get them to pay for your stadium!

[@silverrahul]

i think he was talking about college sports in america, not the american professional sports leagues

[@ashleyh1267]

great vid luke mate

[@julianvivas2895]

Luke what do you think of Manchester city buying Cavan Sullivan?

[@jarmopaakkonen2045]

nothing wrong with hockey and the NHL😁

[@loganleroy8622]

I understand where you're coming from Luke, but a counter argument: I know on it's face it would seem like the pro/rel system is a better model of the "American Dream" just a meritocracy. However, in actual practice the only reliable way to move up the table is to get bought out my an even wealthier owner. It has little to do with merit and largely everything to do with relying on those wealthier than you to buy success on your behalf. Without that, you just simply cannot win. The bigger teams will always get a higher budget, with the higher budget the teams are able to make it into larger tournaments and earn greater revenue, and if a smaller team starts to improve, the bigger teams will simply buy those players away. With professional US sports, the belief is, because the leagues have such a better parity, that if you remain a loyal fan, one day you will get to experience what winning a championship is like. On top of that, you get to have a team in 5 different sports, on top of your college teams. So if you are persistent and keep faith in your team, one day, you have the promise of success just over the horizon. That's much closer to the American Dream.

[@papalaz4444244]

it's all about money it's not sport - and every sport is broken into 3 mins so they can show adverts

[@kerolokerokerolo]

All you say between 2:20 and 4:10 is true also for the rest of the world. Sports are a way of disconecting, sports are promted in tv, sports are a way of disconnecting from the day to day rutine, people are emotionally invested.... Why would be any difference around the world?? edit: ok I see that your point was to say that around thee world the implication of the community is higher.

[@mighty417]

fire video

[@normanmart7933]

The US has taken a different path in just about all parts of it's society compared to rest of the world with the driving forces being profit, convenience and consumerism and 'sport' is just a part of that, which is why no other countries play your games. I always feel sorry for you guys once you start looking at how the rest of the world does stuff as it's usually very different and usually better. Enjoy your journey.

[@keithmaddison6877]

Ah America greatest comedy show on earth

[@kerolokerokerolo]

Basically if you had the lead in the world (western world) in entertainment (films and music) is basically because of the European Recovery Program (ERP), imposed by the americans in exchange of their help after world war two. It is not because you are great storytellers, it is because you imposed to the leading countries in the world until that moment (european countries that domintad the culture and set the bar and had colonies) the obligation to brodacast at least 50% of american music and cinema. It is popular because thanks to the deal (blackmail) you imposed in europe your "cultural" values and aesthetic, thus making us consume your media. It is not because your cinema is better, your music is better or the artists are cooler, it is because you imposed your culturue the rest of the developed world (through imposing it to europeans countries which at the same time extended this influence to the colonies). Historian here!

[@oussamaet-tayb1606]

Actually in my opinion , i think that america is the best sporting nation on the globe 🌍

[@miatj9366]

Oh boy you’ve never experienced sports in Europe 🤣

[@AholeAtheist]

LOL @ the likening of meritocracy and 'Murica. You live in literally one of the most capitalistic developed nations in existence, and ain't NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO meritocracy in capitalism. Also, Gad Saad is a lunatic. That spiel about Messi is basically the only sense he's ever spoken.

[@Brookspirit]

Americans seem to try hard to sell the sport to viewers, if the sport is good enough it doesn't need a hard sell. Americans seem to need to hype up the sport to keep the fans entertained, why? Isn't the sport interesting enough, well when i've tried to watch American sports most of the time nothing is happening, so i guess that's why you need cheerleaders e.t.c

[@almostyummymummy]

For me, what I dislike (more like loathe, detest, and despise) is the fact that the US seems to focus more on the roof. Forget the framework. Forget the walls. Forget the windows and doors. Forget the fixtures/fittings. The electrical, the plumbing, etc. Irrelevant. And don't even think about the most important part of all, without which the house cannot be built. The foundation. It's almost as if the house magically forms from the roof. And the sad, pathetic mindset of: If we invest billions upon billions of dollars, we'll be world beaters in five years. Look what happened to the womens' soccer. Rest of the world started investing, quickly started catching up and then surpassing. Because they had the foundation in place to allow that. Or Rugby. 'If we had a rugby team, we'd dominate the world in very short time.' You do have. In 2014, you played NZ in Chicago. You lost 74-6. 2021, you played us in Washington. We won 104-14. But you know, if you had a rugby team... You have to stop thinking in such short term. Start thinking / planning for generations later. Not your kids generation, but for their kids. I'd love the US to be a genuine top 10 nation in football. It'd be great for the game. The nine above would have to be that much better - not to keep the US down, but to stay ahead. Which would force the rest of the world to improve.

[@philipmcniel4908]

I think we have a long tradition of everything _but_ the roof being handled by the schools. And the schools kind of embrace this, fielding all sorts of teams that are usually free (or very cheap) to play for. The historical success of the US women's national soccer team is owed to college women's soccer programs, and the rugby losses are heavily influenced by the fact that most colleges do not field official interscholastic rugby teams (though intermural rugby clubs aren't that uncommon--I know the difference between interscholastic and intermural is very foreign to everyone outside the US).

[@tommoore9333]

I love American sports, especially the NFL. No one puts on a show like the US. But there is nothing,absolutley nothing like the joy of promotion and the terror of fighting relegation. Yes i know winning trophies is absolutley wonderful,but when your clubs future is potentially on the line,that is a whole different level of emotion.

[@philipmcniel4908]

@@tommoore9333 I'd hate to have to give up watching a sport entirely because my team got relegated into a league that has no media coverage. It would be tough to switch clubs _or_ make the seven-hour drive every week to watch them play. (Remember, that's how rural much of the US is, and with five major leagues, there's just no airtime left over even for _any_ minor league, no matter how popular.) I know European countries are so compact that if your team gets relegated, you can still physically go to the stadium to watch them play, because there's always a team that's close enough for that.

[@tommoore9333]

@@philipmcniel4908 Thats fair mate, i think because of the sheer size of the US compared to individual European countries is so different, American fans are reliant on the media far more. Thats were the pyramid system in other countries is so important. Your club is usually a part of the local community and yes you do get fans traveling from other areas to support them,but the majority of the clubs support is relatively local. Now for the majority of fans their team will rarely win a trophy but thats not everything,its all about the love of the club at whatever level you are at. Do the universities and local high schools fill this niche in smaller cities and towns?

[@philipmcniel4908]

@@tommoore9333 I would say that they certainly can. The town where I live is an extreme example of this: It's so small and isolated that most Americans just can't relate to it (remember that while large swaths of the western US are extremely rural, most of the _people_ are clumped together in the few huge cities). So small that it can feel like everybody knows everybody. (The reality is that you're never more than two degrees of separation from anyone, even if you don't know them, and you probably see them around from time to time.) I think a situation like this can lead to people knowing _more_ people, since you see the same people in the store, church, school, etc. In a town like this, high school sports are like a _religion,_ whether the team is in contention for the state playoffs or just trying to get a few wins this season, and many people know (or perhaps are related to) several students on the team. Promotion/relegation wouldn't make sense, since the divisions are based on school size (it wouldn't make sense to have a team from a school with 40 students to draw from going up against a team from a school with 3000 students). And the university teams can have an element of this as well. In rural areas, they can cover a larger territory: The Oregon Ducks of the University of Oregon are the local college team here, since they're the closest major university, but they're still about two and a half hours away (there are also a lot of Oregon State Beavers fans here even though Oregon State University is just over three hours away). Some of that comes down to student or alumni affiliations, e.g. if you or your parents attended a school, or your children are attending, but some of it's just a matter of rooting for the teams just like your friends do even if none of you actually went to college. And so it is that you can find people wearing Oregon Ducks apparel, and see "GO DUCKS" bumper stickers in the windows of local sports bars, convenience stores, etc., even though the team is two hours away. People watch them regularly on TV, and a few times a year they'll take a trip to see them live, and those trips are always special for them, usually traveling with family or friends. For the people who are more into watching college sports than professional sports, sometimes their professional sports rooting interests come _from_ their college fandom (e.g. the Oregon Ducks fans who are rooting for the Chargers in the NFL just because their starting quarterback is Justin Herbert, who played for the Ducks and--even more community connection--grew up in Eugene and played his high school sports there as well).

[@markthomas2577]

Looking in from the outside on US Sports ....... Baseball - simpler form of bat and ball game like cricket but with fewer variables, we have a similar game in the UK, 'Rounders' which is mainly played by girls but it's organised into school and workplace leagues Basketball - boring, teams take it in turns to run up the court and score (might be obvious I don't know much about this!) Ice Hockey - nothing at all comes to mind. Blank. American Football is a great sport ruined by TV coverage. This is the only one I've watched much but haven't watched for years. Of similar games rugby union is better because it's a continuous game without all the stoppages but has the same skills

[@TheNaishproductions-tn3yb]

It is a generational thing. The younger generation want things they have not earned, alternatively are not prepared to work for. But it is not their fault, they were brought up in a world where participation medals were awarded for doing nothing. So if you're growing up, and being handed everything by putting in minimal effort, that's most likely going to be a tough mindset to shift in your adult years.

[@craigshilo4137]

what does any of this have to do with the video?

[@matthewmcnerlin231]

Messi is not the greatest. He failed outside of Barca and can only play well when the team is built around him

[@ermericcarolissen694]

I don't find American sport entertaining in the slightest.

[@etme1000]

What football means to a nation... these are reactions of people from Georgia to their country qualifying (QUALIFYING, only that) to the EURO 2024 tournament. Forget "winning" the EURO etc. This is what it means only to qualify to play in the tournament... And these are not hysterical fans, just regular people - and what it means for them, for the nation. /watch?v=uFUmMx_kayY