The Ashes

[Colin]

So, does anyone else think that the BBC hyping up Englands triumphant winning of the Ashes as the biggest sporting achievement since (groan, didn't you know this was coming) 1966 is a little premature?

[DrAlex]

I do feel like they're jumping the gun a bit with all these victory things planned (like the booking of Trafalger Square), but I disagree with your football comparison. This is perhaps the best England cricket team since 1980-something when we last won it, certainly, but I feel that our greatest trimuph since 1966 was the Rugger World Cup!

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[Colin]

The football comparison was the BBC's, not mine. I am one of the many non-English Brits who wish they would shut up about 1966...

...although the Northern Irish have (briefly) silenced the over confident lot who were talking about England winning the cup in Germany next year.

Back on the cricket, I agree that the current England side is good, and it has been a very good series. Great stuff to watch. Looking forward to another close match, although it does look like the Aussies have the upper hand.

[flarewearer]

One of the more positive things to come out of this Ashes series is that it has pushed football off the back pages of the newspapers and down the schedule in the TV news. BREAKING NEWS! OTHER SPORTS EXIST AND ARE POPULAR!

The Media treat football like it is the only sport that exists and anyone cares about, even though ever fewer people even bother to go to matches, and it is just a predictable charade of a few hyper-rich teams and their overpaid, underperforming twats of players. The sports coverage on the TV at weekends is just like football, oh, and maybe a few other things thrown in when we aren't endlessly debating with some washed up pundits. The Scottish TV news is terrible for this, they should just rename their "sports" section as "Ranger and Celtic" news.

It's about time they realised that football isnt the universally popular beautiful game, and there are other, more interesting and less money-driven sports out there. IT's just unfortunate the ECB have sold their soul to Sky Sports, but from what I can see, none of the terrestrial channels were willing to pay anything for cricket, "cricket!? who likes THAT?!". I bet they are kicking themselves now.

Anyway, rant over, C'mon England!

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[A66]

It's happening thought because Murdoc(sp?) now has the rights, he will use his papers to build cricket make the people who used to not care think they are the biggest fans of cricket and therefore they'll be willing to pay per view cricket next year.

I'm a cricket fan (have been for years and unlike the new fans have been to county games and tests from before the current winning run) but football is more popular no one will care about cricket in six weeks like happened with the boring egg chasing game. Who cares about that now? Not all those people that got so into it back at the last world cup.

Quoting flarewearer from 18:27, 8th Sep 2005
One of the more positive things to come out of this Ashes series is that it has pushed football off the back pages of the newspapers and down the schedule in the TV news. BREAKING NEWS! OTHER SPORTS EXIST AND ARE POPULAR!

The Media treat football like it is the only sport that exists and anyone cares about, even though ever fewer people even bother to go to matches, and it is just a predictable charade of a few hyper-rich teams and their overpaid, underperforming twats of players. The sports coverage on the TV at weekends is just like football, oh, and maybe a few other things thrown in when we aren't endlessly debating with some washed up pundits. The Scottish TV news is terrible for this, they should just rename their "sports" section as "Ranger and Celtic" news.

It's about time they realised that football isnt the universally popular beautiful game, and there are other, more interesting and less money-driven sports out there. IT's just unfortunate the ECB have sold their soul to Sky Sports, but from what I can see, none of the terrestrial channels were willing to pay anything for cricket, "cricket!? who likes THAT?!". I bet they are kicking themselves now.

Anyway, rant over, C'mon England!

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[Colin]

Lets face it, the country would suddenly be full of life-long Bulgarian Midget Wrestelling fans if it suddenly looked like England could be the world champions at it.

[Ashley]

Quoting flarewearer from 18:27, 8th Sep 2005IT's just unfortunate the ECB have sold their soul to Sky Sports, but from what I can see, none of the terrestrial channels were willing to pay anything for cricket, "cricket!? who likes THAT?!". I bet they are kicking themselves now.

Anyway, rant over, C'mon England!

I think that's a wee bit harsh on C4. When they bought the rights a few years ago they were taking quite a risk -England for one were at rock bottom, shite, and bottom in the rankings. It's paid of the last few years though; we've actually got good. The problem for 4, which did put in an offer, was the ECB were greedy, indeed selling their soul to Murdoch and his deep deep pockets.

Here's to hoping England can make it though. They should. Even if it is inappropriate to compare this to '66 and to proclaim cricket is the new football. But that's the media for you, always looking for the next big frenzy and of a country, desperately seeking some form of sporting success.

Cricket in the summer: entertainment for the unemployed since 1877.

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[Prophet Tenebrae]

Funny how the popularity of a sport can often correlate directly to the success of a national team... Nope, no shallowness there.

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[David Bean]

Quoting flarewearer from 18:27, 8th Sep 2005
One of the more positive things to come out of this Ashes series is that it has pushed football off the back pages of the newspapers and down the schedule in the TV news. BREAKING NEWS! OTHER SPORTS EXIST AND ARE POPULAR!

Absolutely. Besides, cricket has better personalities than football. Why have David Beckham when you can have Andrew Flintoff? Or Owen versus Vaughan? Please, there's no comparisson. Freddie once bowled a beautiful ball that his team-mate dropped. Did he turn his back, stamp his feet? Not on your life - he stood and applauded the fielder for getting to the catch in the first place. And what did he do after England won its first match of this series? Knelt down and commiserated with Brett Lee, that's what. That's what I call sportsmanship.

I'm tempted to believe that Freddie is possibly the greatest sports personality in history, but then one remembers Lord Coe... How the devil will thee BBC be able to pick between those two for its Sports Personality of the Year?

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[DrAlex]

See that thing in the lunch break about Flintoff being a champion shit-talker? I love it!

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[NeilSJFC1884]

Have to laugh everybody talks about being a sport being the "new football". Its same every big event. Everybody goes and gets their tennis rackets out during wimbledon, there snooker ques during the world championships, their golf clubs during the open etc. Fact is football is, and always will be, the national sport.

It annoys me that non-football fans constantly complain about too much football on the box. I do not like soaps, however there is hours of television time given up for them. I accept this becuase its obvious they win ratings and that, at the end of the day, is what tv companies are after. Tennis, Rugby, Athletics, ultimate frisbee, whatever...wont bring the same number of viewers as say a big england world cup game.

I still cant believe people say other sports deserve the same coverge and recognision as football. Football is still the prodominant working class sport, the game for the masses. Any school, pub or workplace up and down the country 90% of the conversation is still dominated by football.
I like watching most sports on tv, but still cant really understand why some people reckon the majority of population should really care too much how many medals we win at rowing, yatching etc. Why should we not get more carried away by professional football in britian, the dream for millions of children, than fringe sports who are lucky if thousands of people get the chance to play them?

[DrAlex]

Neil's right, we have to make Ultimate Frisbee a more popular sport!

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[flarewearer]

What a morning's cricket!

Flintoff and Hoggard have destroyed the aussies, seeing Warne go out for a duck put a big smile on my face ;>

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[DrAlex]

Flying Freddie Flintoff is my hero

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[flarewearer]

WINNAR!

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[DrAlex]

That's it then, slightly anti-climatic, but a smashing result nonetheless!

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[Colin]

I was really hoping England would be out about an hour earlier to give the Aussies a near impossible, but still worth a go, target. Would have been great fun watching them go nuts in 20-20 fashion and just failing to reach the target

Still, great last day (apart from the mucking about at the end with the light), and great fun series in general.

[Rocky]

That was absolutely fantastic. Heroes. So proud tonight.

[David Bean]

Fantastic! Magnificent! Wonderful! Brilliant! Stupendous! Who would have thought it? I remember reading an article in the programme for the Trent Bridge match against South Africa the other year - the match that changed the course of English cricket - which featured a potential England victory in this Ashes. Nobody even dared to hope that it might come true, but now - now it has!

The Olympics and the Ashes in the same year. 2005, eh? What a great year for Britain!

So, knighthoods all round?

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[niall]

Quoting David Bean from 19:08, 12th Sep 2005

The Olympics and the Ashes in the same year. 2005, eh? What a great year for Britain!

no, a great year for england (i'm still very sceptical about what scotland/wales/N.Ireland will get out of the olympics)

So, knighthoods all round?

it would be a really shame if they did (while i assume you are joking, there will be people who arent)

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