saint

Just a thought.

I always used to think it was a bit poor how the sports that New Zealand played at the top levels were generally only played by a handful of ex-british colonial countries round the world (ie cricket, rugby, netball...), but I've just read this entry from Tom Tomorrow (well, Bob Harris guestblogging there), and I've begun to change my mind a little.

It was this snippet that got me thinking... "Besides, cricket is a supremely international game in which national sides tour the planet frequently, often creating the sort of cultural exchange one hopes to see in the Olympics at its very best." ...that perhaps this is what is truly different about these sports - that *national* representative teams are the highest point one can reach, and that *international* competition between teams is the aim. (No doubt another spinoff of them being ex-colonial and all - comparing each other to the other colonies to see who's best and all.)

What I mean is, compare them to a game like basketball, where if a player plays well in a national team like New Zealand's their reward could be to be drafted into the NBA, rather than the other way round, and top NBA players could care less about being in the US national team. Or even soccer, where competitions like the World Cup or Euro 2004 are huge, but the everyday important level of play is at the club - which is how a team like our own can come third in a tournament and therefore not play *any* internationals for the next two years.

That being said, perhaps with the era of professional sports and the rise of franchises like the Crusaders, this will begin to change in our sports. Or perhaps this international spirit is only really there because the sports are relatively small.