http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...258553807.html
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should have waited until after this fortnight to conduct that poll
in fact just do it again in a fortnight and see what the changes are.
Please spare us,
was that survey conducted in Cafe en Seine :confused:
I'd say it had something to do with the fact that the rugby lads did something that hadn't been done since the 40s. If they won it again and the footballers qualified for the world cup, the Iconic Moment would be Tony Cascarino's last-minute winner against France, after his shock call-up to the squad.
International sports are always going to get more popular support than domestic anyway. Everyone in Ireland could appreciate O'Gara's drop goal, but Kerry could have won that title with only 3 players on the field, all of them suffering from terminal cancer, and still you wouldn't find anyone in Cork who'd vote for them.
Misleading headline.The main point of the article is about these categories.Quote:
soccer... was rated as the favourite sport of participants, with a following of 25.4 per cent compared to 23.2 per cent for rugby and 21.8 per cent for Gaelic football
Can anyone objectively put a football alternative above any of those?Quote:
Brian O’Driscoll rated as “Ireland’s Greatest Sports Star”, Ronan O’Gara’s dropped goal away to Wales in Cardiff deemed the “Most Iconic/Memorable Sporting Moment” of 2009 and Ireland’s Grand Slam success rated by 70.6 per cent of those surveyed as the “Greatest Achievement” of the sporting year.
Football is by far the most popular sport in the country. Everyone with eyes knows that! Everyone plays football... a fraction of population play rugger!
With the Rugby, we won the grand slam this year - an amazing achievement thats obviously going to take center stage for 2009!! (unless we qualify for the wc ;) )
Of course we're all still on a high from that, the artical is tripe...
Its also by far the most played sport in the country. Particpation levels show that - not even taking into account astro...Quote:
soccer... was rated as the favourite sport of participants, with a following of 25.4 per cent compared to 23.2 per cent for rugby and 21.8 per cent for Gaelic football
I think thats the point being raised by tets, lets wait another week and see what the reaction is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Schumi
Women had a big say in that, most women dont care for soccer but enjoy watching rugby. The old adage of big burly men getting down and dirty must be true even if the women of the 21st century dont admit it.
Having said that its still a cup that was won, as oppossed to just qualifying for a world cup, if ye see it objectively.
But I think a last minute winner from a robbie keane header would definitely be hte big acheivement. Peoples memories are short, and the more recent memory is generally the bigger memory!!
People have already forgotten the mauling of england at croker that "famous" day.
I only scanned the article in about 3 seconds but did it say that rugby was more popular, or that the most rated sporting achievements during 2009 were rugby related? Hardly any surprise there.
The win in Cardiff was probably the most enjoyable moment of 2009 for me (3 minutes against Italy aside!) and BO'D is probably the biggest sports star.
The same question in 2008 would probably have had Harrington as the outstanding performer and star.
Permbroke Consultants wouldn't be in Donnybrook, D4, per chance? :)
Sorry, just saw Schumi's post above!
an_ceannaire - this is your second or third attempt at declaring this "fact". This one is a shocker even by the standards set by your earlier efforts. You can't even summarise an article properly. Back to school with you (or have you left yet?).
I do find it funny that when I left Ireland in early 98 nobody gave a sh*te about rugby. I don't think I can recollect seeing anyone in town on a night out with a rugby jersey on. Strangely enough Ireland were not much use at rugby back in those days. We failed to qualify for the world cup I think later that year.
However when I now go back their seem to be more and more rugby 'fans' everywhere I go, even some heads I grew up with in the north inner city (a traditional hotbet of rugby support if ever there was one) are now 'fans'.
Muppets. They'll be back supporting football if Ireland qualify for the world cup and the rugby team start to falter next year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by youngirish
Spot on...down here in the sticks!! its the very same 10 years ago it was all Ireland or English premiership jerseys aswell as GAA not a rugby fan in sight..now during a match the pubs are full of jersey wearing Rugby "experts" shouting at the screen when it's clear(in the vast majority of cases)most of them dont even know the rules or the names of the players!!....for me the rise in popularity of Rugby coincided with the celtic tiger aswell as the National teams success..the nouveau riche crew couldnt be seen at "rural" GAA or "working Class" soccer games anymore instead the SUV's and BMW made their way to the "rugger" with their Tommy Hilfiger jumpers around their necks..it wasnt restricted to D4 anymore it happened all over the country...
also it was the Irish Times..what other sport was going to top the poll!!
Football is and will always be the greatest sport on earth..rant over:)
It's worth pointing out that Soccer is the most played sport in the USA too. That doesn't say squat about its popularity into the professional game.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buller
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Soccer is the 4th most popular sport in the country now and us qualifying for this world cup is imperative or it goes from a big sport at a low ebb to a bigger problem, less tv coverage, less kids playing the game all due to reduced interest.
I'd agree with that murfinator and ive said the same all along.
YI i know what ye mean, i can remember losses in the rugby to wales in low scoring games in the mid 90s and being gutted and no one too concerned, and the loss to argentina in France and how low the whole thing was and on one giving a sh1te. I was as big into the rugby then as I was soccer, but the whole thing since Ive left (6 years ago, though was in the states the year before that too) its everyone is rugby, the hardcore gaa element are now all Rugby fans. As the popularity of the sport increased i started to feel less drawn to it, the irish mindset really does **** me off like that. I still watch Ireland in rugby and like to see them do well but its nothing close to what the soccer is.
Murfinator ive also said, it will be interesting to see if we do qualify for this world cup, will the reaction be anything like even 7 years ago?! I dont thin it will. Again the only way I see it is if they start to be crap again like the mid 90s.
CarrickFan, carricks increase is down to the regeneratoin of yer rugby club there in carrick. Boyle and carrick are seeing an increase double fold because of that. I spose they knew with the increase in popularity of rugby down there and around the country that they would get the followers to start hte club up again.
There haven't been any truly great moments in football yet this year.
The survey still states
"Interestingly, soccer – which was rated as the favourite sport of participants, with a following of 25.4 per cent compared to 23.2 per cent for rugby and 21.8 per cent for Gaelic football"
The sporting highlight of the year so far has to be the Grand Slam win and Brian O'Driscoll clearly is the sportsperson of the year so far although Katie Taylor is surely very close.
In just over 7 days time the above will hopefully be wrong.
The football highlight of the year anyway was probably Pats beating Kryla.
Well right now I get the feeling the country doesn't really believe our team is much good. People like Souness throwing around claims that we're a limited side well managed doesn't exactly entice people to run out onto the street waving banners in their support either.
If we beat France though I think it'll make the doubters sit up and take note, you'll see a change in attitudes then.
And I hope so too, I know people who'd remind me days beforehand about the Real Madrid v AC Milan game or Chelsea/United, then I'd ask them where they're watching the game on saturday and they'd asked me with a puzzled look "Who's playing?" It's not just reduced soccer interest in the country, there's people who actually follow the game and don't watch the national team play anymore. :(
Not unlike this thread started by you. Are you Laughing Bill O'Herlihy in disguise? Throw in some random statement/poll result and see what happens:Quote:
Originally Posted by an_ceannaire
http://foot.ie/forums/showthread.php?t=123944
Hi Paul...the people i was referring to would never have stood on a rugby pitch in their lives and are probably unaware that there is a Rugby team in Carrick again..i see the terms "barstooler" and "sunshiner" used on this site alot and i guess these are the people i mean..also it's not just around here i think it's a nationwide phenomenon...
also you mention about GAA fans are now Rugby fans also...very true..but how come soccer is "a dirty foreign sport" (a direct quote from a Gaa/rugger fan) and Rugby is not?...pathetic reasoning.
gspain..for me the 90 seconds or two minutes between St Ledgers goal and Italys equaliser was my greatest sporting memory of 2009(along with Blinkhorns header and the Bohs cup replay)but as you said hopefully next week we will have a new memory!
We have world beating club sides in Rugby for one, comparatively a LOI fan will be doing well if their club team is still in existence the following year. Fans of other sport would see it as there being no other reason to support soccer than to support it with teams in other countries.
may i ask what this post is in reply to?..Quote:
Originally Posted by Murfinator
Also When you say WORLD beating clubs sides the WORLD u refer to is France and the UK?