London Ninja

So unless you have been hiding under a rock or…are American, England is in the Rugby World Cup finals against South Africa. This means that there will be a World Champion between the two countries. These things go on every four years like the Football World Cup, except this is Rugby, similar to football in America…not football in Europe, which is soccer. Very simple.

The big difference between sports in Europe and America, of course, is the amount of international play. Most people here don’t care that much about rugby generally but when it’s rugby against France in the World Cup, it’s a completely different story. Compare that against the American way of “international competition” and we have something completely different. In America, the World Series represents the best in the world because anyone in the world is welcome to come to America to play. It’s the same for football (the American kind that you play with your hands), and basketball. Basically the team that wins is crowned the “World Champion” because Americans believe that nobody else could compete and if they could they should come over to America to play. My opinion is that this makes complete sense. There is no competition for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on a international level and likewise with Ladanian Tomlinson and the Chargers. I’m all for it. The only thing that is amiss is the whole international rivalry aspect. It’s more fun to take your best and stomp a whole country’s pride where possible (the same way the Americans that competed against the Brits in rugby got stomped). Unfortunately, Canada just plain sucks at all sports except for hockey…and the only thing we compete against Mexico for are workers. Oh well…I don’t think any of that will change in any forseeable future.