Aurora Bulkualis wrote:Plako wrote:
Well what sports do Europeans care about except for soccer? Basketball is a close second and both Croatia and Serbia have great teams.
Soccer is the only sport that's common throughout Europe. Ice Hockey is only regional in Northern/Northeastern Europe. Even places like Britain and Germany have basically semi-pro players. Basketball is the same. Only Spain and France care out of the big countries. If Germany, Britain, etc.. took basketball seriously, do you think we'd have Lithuania, Serbia, Slovenia ranked like top 5? USA is so far ahead of the game, they could send their 6th reserve squad, and easily win.
Thing is no one really gives a shit about olympic sports, apart from the "medal count" either. 90% of these players are doping anyhow. We live in an age where only the "top sport/s" get attention.
Doping is something that every athlete needs on order to compete nowdays.Illegal,but there is no other way for the athletes manage to compete on this stage at every sport.After all sports are made for the fans to enjoy them.
About basketball indeed the Balkan region has some excellent pplayers and teams(Serbia,Croatia,Greece,Slovenia) but I won't agree to the fact that GB or Germany would/could dominate of they actually cared.Lithuania keeps producing massive talents for a 3M popoulation and they have an amazing adevelopmental programme.Germany made solid tournaments last years with Dirk at his peak and believe me they do have much better facilities than every Lithuania or Serbia.And probably GB is the only team nowdays that has not a good basketball team (doubt that even have a league) comparing to their football team.Just checked up the rankings and noticed this:
1.USA,far from everybody else.
2.Spain
3.Lithuania
4.Argentina
5.France
6.Serbia
7.Russia
8.Turkey
9.Brazil
10.Greece
Almost everyone there apart from Lithuania and US have also a solid football team.The fact that big nation do not care for basketball is simply wrong.The fact that Lithuanians have 3! European Championships,2 more than France and the same with Spaniardsis quite impressive.Even Greeks have 2..We should care more for basketball I suppose.