Field Theory by Hadyn Green

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Field Theory: Must be some guy that Lester

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  • Angus Robertson,

    The great white hope...

    There's a phrase that has lost some of its kudos in the past decade.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Take something quintessentially American and instead play it in England.

    Also raises the question of "what's the benefit?" It's not like there's an American football league over there you're going to help grow. They have some stadiums in America that can hold the game.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • LegBreak,

    Also raises the question of "what's the benefit?" It's not like there's an American football league over there you're going to help grow. They have some stadiums in America that can hold the game.

    TV interest.

    Remember who pays for sport.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report

  • Mike Graham,

    <quote>in a knock-out style tournament.<quote>
    Definitely.

    The FA Cup must be one of the most watched sporting competitions in the world (no research on my part, just a guess) - and it's a knockout competition.

    I have often wondered why the NZRFU hasn't made the Ranfurly Shield a knockout competition. While Wairarapa-Bush v. Canterbury may be a bit one-sided, it would be great for all the Masterton school boys to be able to watch the game at Memorial Park!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 206 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    TV interest.

    But the TV interest for the superbowl is strongest in the US. Sure, it'll get watched in a bunch of places around the world. But why would you shift timezones away from your primary base? I don't see how TV benefits.

    Doesn't matter where it's played, it'll still get shown everywhere around the world.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    I have often wondered why the NZRFU hasn't made the Ranfurly Shield a knockout competition.

    Because you'd have a premiere rugby competition start with 32 teams = 16 games.

    Then next week 8 games. Then 4, 2, 1.

    It'd be a 5 week competition that teams would have to prepare for, half of them to get knocked out in the first round.

    Soccer that doesn't matter because you play in multiple competitions at once, you just play more games in a week if you're still in the knockouts. You can't do that in rugby, there's no culture of playing 2 or 3 games a week.

    Rugby you'd have to block out 5 clear weeks when they couldn't play in any other competition. Instead of potentially 80 games (16 games x 5 weeks) you'd only have 31. That's a loss of 49 games, ticket sales, merchandising, TV coverage etc. Most of the teams would spend 3 or 4 of those weeks sitting on their butts having been knocked out.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Megan Wegan,

    I believe this is what SANZAR has to do to revitalise top-tier rugby. Make the Super 14 (or whatever it will be called) a proper Pacific nations version of the Heineken Cup. The top three teams from New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, plus the top Japanese side (all decided by internal competitions) and somehow some Argentineans in a knock-out style tournament.

    What about the actual Pacific Nations? Surely if we are going to include Argentina, we could include some contribution from the currently-being-played Pacific Rugby Cup?

    Welly • Since Jul 2008 • 1275 posts Report

  • Rowan Simpson,

    Video of the shoot-out here:

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since May 2009 • 1 posts Report

  • Hadyn Green,

    Most of the teams would spend 3 or 4 of those weeks sitting on their butts having been knocked out.

    Not at all. Because like the Champions League (and the Heineken Cup) you run it simultaneously with other tournaments.

    So run the Air NZ Cup with a Ranfurly Shield knockout tournament (by the way I don't want to change the way the shield is won, this is just an example).

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report

  • Hadyn Green,

    Video of the shoot-out

    "I don't know how long we've been doing this but I've been carrying around a penalty shootout card in my jacket, and here it is"

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report

  • Rich of Observationz,

    I get the impression that there's a much bigger element of chance in soccer than rugby, so a usually weak team is more likely to beat a quality side.

    Besides, I think the FA Cup is played strictly on sufference by the Premier League clubs, and often by a 'B' team. If they could dump it, many of them would.

    It's all about money, you know.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Mike Graham,

    I think the FA Cup is played strictly on sufference by the Premier League clubs

    Not so sure - if you had said League Cup (or whatever it is called these days) I would agree with you.

    I certainly agree about the element of chance - there wouldn't be many upsets in the early rounds of a provincial rugby knockout, but the smaller teams would still enjoy it (imho).

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 206 posts Report

  • LegBreak,

    But the TV interest for the superbowl is strongest in the US. Sure, it'll get watched in a bunch of places around the world. But why would you shift timezones away from your primary base? I don't see how TV benefits.

    OK then, TV interest outside the US.

    By staging games elsewhere you generate interest in that country and they’re more likely to watch not only the dislocated match, but other games too.

    Europe is far more likely to get in behind this competition if they feel they’re a small part of it.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Of all the stupid ways to finish a game of sport, a penalty shootout at rugby posts has to be one of the most stupid, second only to the 20-20 bowl-off.

    Would have been vastly improved if the other team were allowed to scale the posts like Chinese circus performers and try and stop the ball going through.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Hadyn Green,

    By staging games elsewhere you generate interest in that country and they’re more likely to watch not only the dislocated match, but other games too.

    I don't think it follows. I'm fairly sure that TV viewership of the previous NFL matches played in the UK for the last two years hasn't grown.

    Besides it's a very American thing. It'd be like NZ and Australia playing a Bledisloe Cup match overseas...

    Or a 20/20 cricket tournament in America...

    Or trying to start a professional football tournament in the US...

    Sport will translate to the countries that like it. European basketball is pretty big (they even try to steal NBA players now) but the NBA didn't have to play games in Europe for that to happen.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report

  • LegBreak,

    Hadyn,

    Why do Man U play warm-up games in Asia every season?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    (I forgot to append to my previous post "What the hell is wrong with just playing overtime until one team scores?")

    So run the Air NZ Cup with a Ranfurly Shield knockout tournament (by the way I don't want to change the way the shield is won, this is just an example).

    But (and I'm assuming that you mean run AirNZ Cup one weekend, Ranfurly shield the other) you're still faced with weekends where there's not a lot of rugby going on. And the weeks earlier in the competition, there'd be a hell of a lot of rugby going on, but it'd be 100-3 drubbings.

    And if you lengthen the provincial season you not only take All Blacks out of it, you take Super players out of a significant part of it.

    I'd much rather we stop pretending that AirNZ cup is a top-tier competition. The quality of the rugby might support it, the money doesn't.

    Move it to midweek and play it the same time as whatever Super Rugby ends up being, each super franchise having 3 or 4 feeder provincial teams.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Megan Wegan,

    European basketball is pretty big (they even try to steal NBA players now) but the NBA didn't have to play games in Europe for that to happen.

    Yeah, but basketball was big in Europe before the NBA reached its current popularity.

    If you were wanting to grow your sport in overseas markets, how else would you do by staging exhibition matches?

    Welly • Since Jul 2008 • 1275 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Why do Man U play warm-up games in Asia every season?

    But soccer is big in Asia. There's big money for Man U to go play in Asia, and it suits Man U. to go there and raise their profile and sell craploads of red shit. Not the case with NFL and London.

    Plus, there's a massive difference between warmup games, which don't matter, and one of the largest one day sporting events in the world.

    (I've been thinking about pre-season games a lot recently. My goal for the next 10 years is to get a pre-season NHL game played at the Dunedin Ice Stadium).

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • LegBreak,

    If the NFL just bunkers itself down in the US nothing will ever change.

    And you can’t expect TV update to grow in just 2 years. These things take time, and it’s not as if it’s a sport that will appeal instantly.

    Basketball is a world sport. Has been for years.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report

  • LegBreak,

    But soccer is big in Asia

    In recent years, yes. That’s not a coincidence either.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report

  • Hadyn Green,

    Kyle's right about pre-season games. the MLB play in Japan, NHL play in Scandinavia.

    Why do Man U play warm-up games in Asia every season?

    Why wouldn't Man U ever play a cup final in Asia? It's one thing to play exhibition or pre-season matches in another market, but not the final.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report

  • LegBreak,

    Since it’s such an isolated sport there’s probably more need to take it on the road.

    Anyway, London’s perfect. Spoilt for choice in the Aging Rock-star department for Half Time Entertainment.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report

  • ScottY,

    Only in the UK would they let a tied game be decided by a penalty shoot-out.

    Wouldn't it have been less painful for all concerned to have just tossed a coin?

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Rich Lock,

    Ricky Hatton had a reasonable career, by all accounts. He just should have retired rather than fight his last two fights.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report

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