[Ocassus]

(Original post by Left Hand Drive)
Not solely but partially yes ofcourse! Football is the most popular sport to play in the world. Its played in almost every nation on earth. I can't believe you think its cricket.

Gerp, really? Because yknow, having actually been to many of those countries I can assure you that the majority of the population play Cricket.

Yes sure, they have a national team, but jesus christ, if you think a zealous Celts supporter is a sight to behold, you have not seen a Pakistani Cricket fan on their home turf as malinga bowls their best batsman out.

[Ocassus]

(Original post by pol pot noodles)
Football is the world’s most popular ball game in numbers of participants and spectators. Simple in its principal rules and essential equipment, the sport can be played almost anywhere, from official football playing fields (pitches) to gymnasiums, streets, school playgrounds, parks, or beaches. Football’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), estimated that at the turn of the 21st century there were approximately 250 million football players and over 1.3 billion people “interested” in football
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/...50852/football

Hardly a reliable source that...

BTW, I'm from Thailand, and I can tell you catagorically that football is the number one sport over there and cricket is about as popular as the Roman salute is in Israel. The same goes for Indonesia and Indochina. I can not even begin to fathom where you got that assumption from.

Hmm, thats weird, cause my time on Koh Samui and time in Bangkok lead me to see that pretty much all of the kids were playing together with a plank and a well worn ball.

And don't get me started on Indonesia, stayed with the Ibans for three days, all they did for leisure time was swim the river and play Cricket.

[Left Hand Drive]

(Original post by Ocassus)
Gerp, really? Because yknow, having actually been to many of those countries I can assure you that the majority of the population play Cricket.

Yes sure, they have a national team, but jesus christ, if you think a zealous Celts supporter is a sight to behold, you have not seen a Pakistani Cricket fan on their home turf as malinga bowls their best batsman out.

Perhaps it is in those one mentioned but In the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Czech republic, Greece, Turkey, Rep of Ireland, Austria, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Venezuela , Bolivia, Norway, Denmark... I could go on for a while and I think you get the point. However crazy a Pakistani cricket fan goes is Irrelevant and on a whole cricket crowds are pensioners eating sandwiches....

Ah the classic, when losing neg and run!

[Unsworth]

Football generates more money due to it being seen as a much more interesting, exciting sport (my biased opinion). Football has undoubtedly the biggest sporting competition in the world (world cup). Football is watched across the globe, generally, more frequently and by a far greater number of people than cricket. Football is more popular than cricket across the world, yes you will get your Pakistans where cricket is the life of that country - but there are far more countries where football is this.

It can't be questioned which is more popular, and of course there will be tonnes of opinions for which is better.

If the world cup final and the final game of the ashes were to be played on the same date and both televised, I think it's a no brainer as to which would be most heavily watched..

[pol pot noodles]

(Original post by Ocassus)
Hardly a reliable source that...

Yes, Britannica is globally known as an unreliable source, never to be trusted. Where as your source, which is entirely anecdotal, should be taken as gospel.

From the Economist, detailing how Cricket is the SECOND most popular sport in the world.
WHICH sport is the world’s favourite? The answer, football, feels so self-evident that it is barely worth a post.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gamet...%99-popularity

(Original post by Ocassus)
Hmm, thats weird, cause my time on Koh Samui and time in Bangkok lead me to see that pretty much in all urban areas, kids would get together with a plank and a well worn ball.

And don't get me started on Indonesia, stayed with the Ibans for three days, all they did for leisure time was swim the river and play Cricket

Well I know you've just made that up. I was born in Thailand, I have a Thai mother and an extended Thai family and I have lived a combined total of about five years over there at various stages of my life. Cricket is non-existant over there. Stop lying, you're not fooling anyone. Just do a fricking google search of 'most popular sports in the world'. Football, football, football, football, football, football. It's football man. The beautiful game. Everyone plays it, everywhere. The only countries where cricket is more popular than football is India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and perhaps the West Indies.

[Frankster]

In cricket - you require more skill and stamina ( Test level ) than footballers. I play both at state level. I prefer cricket because although it is longer, for half the day you aren't doing anything - only fielding - where in football there is a lot more active role. Also I have seen in football teams are not that united, whereas in cricket there is a strong bonding between all the team mates.

[Greeny442]

I prefer football to cricket. That doesn't make it a better sport.
The next person to post might prefer cricket to football. That doesn't make it a better sport.

Entirely subjective - and a very pointless topic, really.

[Unsworth]

(Original post by Frankster)
In cricket - you require more skill and stamina ( Test level ) than footballers.

No, I think you will find football at premier league level requires ALOT more skill then cricket in the equivalent league. There is far more competition in England to get into a professional football club than there is of a cricket team - no questions asked.

[Left Hand Drive]

(Original post by Frankster)
In cricket - you require more skill and stamina ( Test level ) than footballers. I play both at state level. I prefer cricket because although it is longer, for half the day you aren't doing anything - only fielding - where in football there is a lot more active role. Also I have seen in football teams are not that united, whereas in cricket there is a strong bonding between all the team mates.

Contradict much?

[Frankster]

(Original post by Left Hand Drive)
Contradict much?

i mean in terms of patience in batting, stamina in bowling.. is greater than football as you are only on the pitch for 90mins...

[Left Hand Drive]

(Original post by Ocassus)
I haven't negged you. :l

My apologises sir!

[Ocassus]

(Original post by pol pot noodles)
Yes, Britannica is globally known as an unreliable source, never to be trusted. Where as your source, which is entirely anecdotal, should be taken as gospel.

From the Economist, detailing how Cricket is the SECOND most popular sport in the world.
WHICH sport is the world’s favourite? The answer, football, feels so self-evident that it is barely worth a post.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gamet...%99-popularity

I'd argue that Britannica is an EDITABLE source, and so that is what I was getting at. The Economist is a much more credible link, so I will credit you on that one.

Well I know you've just made that up. I was born in Thailand, I have a Thai mother and an extended Thai family and I have lived a combined total of about five years over there at various stages of my life. Cricket is non-existant over there. Stop lying, you're not fooling anyone. Just do a fricking google search of 'most popular sports in the world'. Football, football, football, football, football, football. It's football man. The beautiful game. Everyone plays it, everywhere. The only countries where cricket is more popular than football is India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and perhaps the West Indies.

Well I haven't I mean, I spent four years of my life in SEast Asia, and I know they love their Cricket.

And no, Football is not 'the beautiful game', I disagree wholeheartedly. But that is a different argument all together.

[Unsworth]

(Original post by Frankster)
i mean in terms of patience in batting, stamina in bowling.. is greater than football as you are only on the pitch for 90mins...

Well you are talking in terms of mental stamina more than anything I would say. Although you are on the pitch for 90minutes footballers generally run around 5+ miles a game, that is quite demanding and requires a lot of stamina.

[nmudz_009]

lol. Depends on how much time you have to kill Football is definately easier to play in most environments, tho.

[pol pot noodles]

(Original post by Ocassus)
Well I haven't I mean, I spent four years of my life in SEast Asia, and I know they love their Cricket.

Can you show me one source that backs up your claim of South East Asia's love of cricket over football? Especially Thailand. That one I find especially perplexing and dubious, and to try and fob off an actual Thai person I actually find rather insulting.

(Original post by Ocassus)
And no, Football is not 'the beautiful game', I disagree wholeheartedly. But that is a different argument all together.

Football is 'the beautiful game', in as much as that's a popular nickname for it. But regardless, Football is the most popular sport in the world, in terms of professional teams, specatators, televions viewers and player participation.

[Miryo]

(Original post by py0alb)
Nevermind the greatest sport, cricket is the greatest activity mankind has ever invented. The perfect balance of individual and team sport, the intellectual cat-and-mouse of spin bowling juxtaposed against the ever-present threat of violence of pace bowling.

It's no coincidence that all the best sports books are about cricket: its because cricket is a game that truly earns the appreciation of intellectuals. If cricket is the finest wine known to man, then football is a pint of wifebeater that someone's pissed in... and this is from someone who quite likes football.

You sir, are an idiot.

Football is so much more exciting, so much more physical, theres so much passion that senior professionals often resort to violence. Thats how serious our sport is.
Cricket is just idiots trying to act cool on a field

[mc1000]

Cricket. Anyone who claims otherwise is wrong and immoral.

[mc1000]

(Original post by Hackett)
Cricket 100%

Cricket is played by proper sportsman, football is played by a bunch of pre - madonna's

Football is played by a bunch of pre-Madonna's what?

[HumiT]

(Original post by Left Hand Drive)
Perhaps it is in those one mentioned but In the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Czech republic, Greece, Turkey, Rep of Ireland, Austria, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Venezuela , Bolivia, Norway, Denmark... I could go on for a while and I think you get the point. However crazy a Pakistani cricket fan goes is Irrelevant and on a whole cricket crowds are pensioners eating sandwiches....

Ah the classic, when losing neg and run!

I think that only applies to the UK. Have you seen the amount of support that the South Asian, Australia and South African teams recieve... unbelievable.

[Radekal]

(Original post by Ocassus)
Weirdly enough, Cricket.

I take it you haven't been to many places in India, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Africa, Borneo etc, because I can tell you, by and large, that the majority of them all play Cricket for entertainment, or indeed, a crude form of it.

Hell even the bastions of football heartland in Brazil have exhibited this on occasion.

The sport of Cricket extends across the entirety of the former British Empire and beyond.

Weirdly enough, football.

I take it you haven't been to many places in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Russia, Holland, Poland, Serbia, Greece, Romania, Ukraine, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, Czech Republic, Japan, Egypt, Israel, South America etc, because I can tell you, by and large, that the majority of of them all play football for entertainment, or indeed, a crude form of it.

Hell even the bastions of cricket heartland in England/India/Australia have exhibited this on occasion.

The sport of football extends across the entirety of the former British Empire and beyond everywhere.

EDIT: And for the record, I have been to Indonesia, and all the schoolkids ever played was football. And they were awesome at it.