# A major sport totally dying out **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 14, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457 "2013-07-14T04:11:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/121 "2015-01-12T14:34:40Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Anyway, I think this is the crux of it. And so it’s not accurate to say that Mayweather is famous “everywhere.” His popularity–and I’m not denying that he’s popular–is based much more on fans outside the US than on fans inside it. Oh, he’d make a good living if boxing only existed in the US. It’s certainly not dead yet, or even on life support. But he’d make nothing like what he does with the whole world at his disposal. This is utter nonsense. He’s never even fought professionally outside the United States. _Boxing_ is more popular globally than it is in the US. _Mayweather_ is not. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/122 "2015-01-12T15:38:19Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > The hardy souls known as the [Hash House Harriers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers) keep the tradition alive. Beer means that **everyone’s** a winner! 😃 Even I have done this. If you have an expat posting and are short of things to do or organized exercise you will usually find an local Hash House. I got fined for stretching before the run - a tin straight down - which gave me the burps for the next few miles. Generally regarded as a pastime for drinkers with a running problem. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/123 "2015-01-12T15:58:32Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > 33 in all of Southern California and three of those are within a ten minute drive from my house. Two of those are close walking distance from one another. I must live in the lawn bowling capital of the world and I didn’t even know that those places existed. I am literally within a stones throw of the two close ones two or three times a week. There’s at least 297 greens in Northern Lancashire, [apparently](http://www.online-bowls.com/greens/greens.php). It’s a moderately popular game in the UK (and Australia and New Zealand, I believe), especially with old retired men who go apeshit if kids step onto the green. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/124 "2015-01-12T18:01:49Z")
I’ve been in Scotland the past ten years or so and have noticed that lawn bowls is extremely popular here and with a wider participation than the one you quote for England (although I suspect you may be a little out of date even there). I’ve just looked it up and modern lawn bowls appears to have been codified in Scotland in the 1860’s so maybe that has something to do with it. I was amused to read the games popularity has been put down to the contemporaneous invention of the lawn mower! ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/125 "2015-01-12T18:31:36Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > - The Olympics coverage of boxing as a main attraction is just about nonexistent. That may have to do with the fact that Olympic boxing is a boring game of pattycake. IIRC can you guess at the total number of matches in the Olympics in 2012 that ended in a knockout? One, and it was in the women’s division. > [@](#): > > Ali certainly transcended boxing, probably transcended sport. Even Mike Tyson did that to some degree. Evander Holyfield–that’s a name I remember. Mayweather? Nope. Means nothing to me. I might not have been able to tell you anything at all about him before I read this thread, including that he is a boxer. Mayweather is not going to transcend anything for several reasons [ul][li]He’s an asshole. Not an entertaining asshole like Ali, not a “gotta watch the trainwreck in slow motion” asshole like Tyson, not a wink-and-a-nod asshole like some fighters are to pretend at grudge matches - just a plain, garden-variety nasty-talking, woman beating, “let’s see how much I can get away with” asshole.[/li][li]He is boring to watch. He cannot knock out anyone he doesn’t hugely outclass.[/li][li]He ducked the obvious match - Manny Pacquiao - for years because he was scared of him, and this became so clear with Mayweather’s various jerking-demands that everyone understood that he was never going to allow himself to be seriously tested. Now that Manny has been badly knocked out, Mayweather is do his cock-teasing again. [/li][li]He is grossly over paid for the amount of entertainment he offers in the ring.[/li][li]Did I mention he was an asshole? [/li][/ul]Boxing needs a charismatic champion, hopefully a heavyweight, to bring back the days of Ali or the Fabulous Four (Hagler, Leonard, Duran, and Hearns) but fighters like that come along once in a generation. And the Klitschko robots don’t fit the bill. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/126 "2015-01-12T18:41:30Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Boxing needs a charismatic champion, hopefully a heavyweight, to bring back the days of Ali or the Fabulous Four… We had Lennox Lewis, but the other heavyweights kept ducking him. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/127 "2015-01-12T19:04:25Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > _Everywhere_. He’s unquestionably the most famous active boxer in the world. Hell, he’s the [highest-paid sportsman in the world](http://www.forbes.com/profile/floyd-mayweather/) of any kind. There are only [15 athletes in any sport](http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1120724-twitter-the-top-20-athletes-with-the-most-followers/page/6) with more Twitter followers, and only 177 people. This proves **NOTHING**. Take the guy with the 15th most Twitter followers among athletes, one notch above Mayweather. Cesc Fabregas. OK, how many Americans have the faintest idea who this is? I rest my case. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/128 "2015-01-12T19:39:04Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > This proves **NOTHING**. > > Take the guy with the 15th most Twitter followers among athletes, one notch above Mayweather. > > Cesc Fabregas. > > OK, how many Americans have the faintest idea who this is? > … One of those guys who makes intricately decorated and be-jeweled eggs? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/129 "2015-01-12T20:09:21Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > 5 had so much potential. Too bad it was unrealized. Yeah, I noticed that. > [@](#): > > _Forza Horizon 2_ is amazing, don’t miss out on that. Already plan to pick that up when I get paid again. How do I get into that Rewards thing? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/130 "2015-01-12T22:48:47Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > This proves **NOTHING**. > > Take the guy with the 15th most Twitter followers among athletes, one notch above Mayweather. > > Cesc Fabregas. > > OK, how many Americans have the faintest idea who this is? > > I rest my case. Right, because the world ends at the US border. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/131 "2015-01-12T22:57:35Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > This proves **NOTHING**. > > Take the guy with the 15th most Twitter followers among athletes, one notch above Mayweather. > > Cesc Fabregas. > > OK, how many Americans have the faintest idea who this is? > > I rest my case. Most of the ~50 million who tuned in to watch the World Cup, probably. What _is_ your point? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/132 "2015-01-13T03:04:55Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > How do I get into that Rewards thing? Get Forza Hub for your XBox, link your Live account to it, and enjoy. Otherwise, do it on your laptop. Go to the Forza website, click on Rewards in the menu bar, log in to your Microsoft account, and then claim your rewards. You get more the further you’ve progressed in the games (2, 3, 4, and the Horizons all count towards progress). ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/133 "2015-01-13T03:46:06Z")
There was a surge of interest in Calvinball, but before it could go national the official committee had to agree on the rules. I was optimistic when they agreed on the mask in 3 days. But after that, it’s been what, 15 years now and all they’ve agreed on is that they each want separate pizzas for lunch except for the guys who want Chinese and the guys who want subs and the guys who want salads. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/134 "2015-01-13T04:19:43Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Get Forza Hub for your XBox, link your Live account to it, and enjoy. Otherwise, do it on your laptop. Go to the Forza website, click on Rewards in the menu bar, log in to your Microsoft account, and then claim your rewards. Yeah, found that right before you posted. Thanks for telling me about it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/135 "2015-01-13T09:33:56Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > This proves **NOTHING**. > > Take the guy with the 15th most Twitter followers among athletes, one notch above Mayweather. > > Cesc Fabregas. > > OK, how many Americans have the faintest idea who this is? > > I rest my case. He’s one of the most famous players in the most widely watched sport in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/136 "2015-01-13T11:37:13Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Cesc Fabregas. > > OK, how many Americans have the faintest idea who this is? There are 7 billion other people in the world. > [@Amateur Barbarian](#): > > 41 posts and no one’s mentioned Roller Derby? From what I understand, this was a huge sport in the early days of TV, if strictly a blue-collar one. There have been a couple of attempts to revive a women’s league but I think they all fizzled out. I’m told it’s big in New Zealand. And largely played by women. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/137 "2015-01-13T13:47:21Z")
Roller derby as it existed post-WWII was largely fakery/theatre and so was not a sport in the technical sense. There’s real roller derby out there, but it’s a recreation of the original sport, not a continuation of the WWE-like stuff we saw a few decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/138 "2015-01-13T15:53:59Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > This proves **NOTHING**. > > Take the guy with the 15th most Twitter followers among athletes, one notch above Mayweather. > > Cesc Fabregas. > > OK, how many Americans have the faintest idea who this is? > > I rest my case. In addition to the billions of other people in the world statement that has already been made, I’m betting a lot more people than you know in the US realize who Fabregas is, especially considering that the Premier League on NBC is actually doing pretty nicely in the ratings (definitely better than NBC originally expected). ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/139 "2015-01-13T16:10:57Z")
FTR for our American fans, Cesc Fabregas is a Spanish International soccer player and one of the most successful ones in recent times. [QUOTE=RNATB] Most of the ~50 million who tuned in to watch the World Cup, probably. What is your point? [/QUOTE] But Fabregas had a pretty poor World Cup. If you mean 2010, then well he did sweet fuck all then, except provide the cross to Iniesta for the winning goal in the final. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457/140 "2015-01-13T16:43:48Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > But Fabregas had a pretty poor World Cup. If you mean 2010, then well he did sweet fuck all then, except provide the cross to Iniesta for the winning goal in the final. That makes sense as I watched a ton of World Cup matches in 2014 and 2010 and I’ve never heard of him. If you’d said Arjen Robben (though he may not even man any of his three “Official” Twitter accounts), then maybe more people would recognize it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-major-sport-totally-dying-out/663457.md?page=8)