"World" Champion?? Please define....

[xcan28]

Flipping through the channels tonight and lo and behold I saw another (primarily) US sports show cheer on the Miami Heat as the Champion of the basketball world...

Now my question is how?? I'm not going to debate that the NBA has the greatest atheletes in basketball..you can't. But why make such global claims??

If there is anyone in Europe who can answers this feel free. When the European championship is claimed in football do they say "World" champion???

In an extremely Canadian influenced world of hockey the NHL champion is the Stanley Cup Champion.

I don't get why MLB, NFL and NBA championship teams are being proclaimed "world" champions...please define.

 

[Cyclops]

Because we're Americans, dammit! And we've inherited the title of Most Arrogant Country in the World from France.

 

[xcan28]

Because we're Americans, dammit! And we've inherited the title of Most Arrogant Country in the World from France.

Atleast you are aware..but wrong! France still holds that title

France to me is the Wal-Mart of North America. Hate them, but you have to respect their ideals of mataining a French way of life.

African-American?? Whatever! In France you're a FRENCH-African...French first baby...

 

[Danger Mouse]

Been wondering about that myself. I mean, seriously, World Series?

 

[Slipknot]

Flipping through the channels tonight and lo and behold I saw another (primarily) US sports show cheer on the Miami Heat as the Champion of the basketball world...

The Miami Heat are the champions of the NBA... some may say they are the champion of the world in basketball and well, can you really argue that they aren't? The best basketball players from the world usually dream about playing in the NBA... and a lot of foreign born players actually do play in the NBA. The NBA is just the host for all of these players to come and play the sport of basketball. There really isn't any other basketball league in the world that can compete with the NBA drawing players and such.

Now my question is how?? I'm not going to debate that the NBA has the greatest atheletes in basketball..you can't. But why make such global claims??

Can you really name a particular team in the world that can beat the Miami Heat? I mean a team in a league such as the NBA, not a national team or anything like that. The NBA hosts the greatest players in the world... so shouldn't they be able to call the champion of that league the best in the world? If there was another league out there that was very competitive witht he NBA and had great teams like the NBA does then I wouldn't argue your point... but there really isn't any such league out there right now.

If there is anyone in Europe who can answers this feel free. When the European championship is claimed in football do they say "World" champion???

It is much different in football (soccer) than it is in say... basketball, or baseball. They cannot say they are the best team in the world because there are so many different football (soccer) leagues out there in every country. It is much different with football (soccer) because almost every single country in the world plays the sport. The same cannot be said about basketball, baseball, hockey, or American footbal. I seriously doubt you will ever see the MLS declaring the champion of that league the "World Champion" anytime soon.

In an extremely Canadian influenced world of hockey the NHL champion is the Stanley Cup Champion.

Uhhh... you know the NHL has teams in Canada right? You also know that all the players from Canada play in the NHL right? Hockey players from all over the world... all of Europ especially come to play in the NHL. I think people seem to think leagues like the NHL, MLB, NBA, etc are all totally United States leagues or something. Yes, these leagues are primarily based in the U.S.... but they have teams in Canada too. Also, we don't just have American born players playing in these leagues, it is the entire world coming to play here. The U.S. and Canada only hosts the best league and players in the world. The NFL might actually end up with a team based in Mexico soon. These leagues could never have teams located in Europe or in different far off parts of the world due to travel and whatnot.

I don't get why MLB, NFL and NBA championship teams are being proclaimed "world" champions...please define.

Well... they are the world champions within their sports. When a league arises that can compete and draw players from all over the world like the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL does then they won't be able to call themselves "world" champion.

 

[Mr. Walters]

I always thought that was pointless. Only when a team wins at a World CUp can they technically be the world champions. Yes, the Carolina Hurricanes are the Stanley Cup Champs (Lord Stanley's Cup in a land with out ice!!!! No!!!) but Team Sweden (Olympic Gold Medalists) ar emore "world" champs than the 'Canes. Basically it's that "We're Americans so we're the best" attitude. Same attitude that makes us so popular in the Middle East. In all hoensty, if I wasn't an American, I'd hate us too. Anyway, I think that is why in America we proclaim our teams "world champions"

 

[Tangled Web]

Put the NBA champs against any team in the world. The champs will win. You may say "Uh TW, why didn't teh US win the gold in basketall then?" I'll tell you, it's because we didn't send the NBA champs. We sent a nunch of guys who couldn't work together. Even the NCAA champs could compete with the best that the world has to offer.

 

[Mr. Walters]

Put the NBA champs against any team in the world. The champs will win. You may say "Uh TW, why didn't teh US win the gold in basketall then?" I'll tell you, it's because we didn't send the NBA champs. We sent a nunch of guys who couldn't work together. Even the NCAA champs could compete with the best that the world has to offer.

I disagree. Take the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men's Hockey team's victory over the Soviet team as proof. While I won't argue that some "champion" teams could beat other teams nine out of ten times, it is not a certainty that anyone is a "world" champion until they have beat the teams that the world, not just the NBA or NHL or whatever has to offer.

 

[Tangled Web]

I disagree. Take the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men's Hockey team's victory over the Soviet team as proof. While I won't argue that some "champion" teams could beat other teams nine out of ten times, it is not a certainty that anyone is a "world" champion until they have beat the teams that the world, not just the NBA or NHL or whatever has to offer.

True that anything can happen. I'm just saying that a team unit that is a proven champion can defeat any nationalist all star team.

 

[Mr. Walters]

True that anything can happen. I'm just saying that a team unit that is a proven champion can defeat any nationalist all star team.

I agree 100% but only if this nationalist team is not also a team unit that is a proven champion in their own league.

 

[Tangled Web]

I agree 100% but only if this nationalist team is not also a team unit that is a proven champion in their own league.

The quality of an NBA champion would have to be better than the quality of a champion of another countries' team. The best players of any European team play in the NBA, so obviously they wouldn't be playing for a championship team from that country.

 

[xcan28]

SLIP: You can only be called a WORLD championship team when you compete against the world....silly I know, but I judge that by my global standards

WALTERS: I hear ya.

Fortunately professionals are competing in the Olympics, World Cups (Football and hockey) and the recently invented...jeezz is it called World Cup of Baseball?? (which the U.S. didn't win hence no World Series champion in the good ole U. S of A) there is a TRUE world champion.

So in short, until there is a TRUE world championship....stop giving the attitude of being one

 

[Mr. Walters]

The best players of any European team play in the NBA, so obviously they wouldn't be playing for a championship team from that country.

Ah, technicallities. Point well taken. You win, buddy.

 

[Tangled Web]

Ah, technicallities. Point well taken. You win, buddy.

Yay! U S A !!!!

 

[Mr. Walters]

So in short, until there is a TRUE world championship....stop giving the attitude of being one

They oughta though. Take the league champions from every country and have them play or an actual "world" title.

 

[xcan28]

The Miami Heat are the champions of the NBA... some may say they are the champion of the world in basketball and well, can you really argue that they aren't? The best basketball players from the world usually dream about playing in the NBA... and a lot of foreign born players actually do play in the NBA. The NBA is just the host for all of these players to come and play the sport of basketball. There really isn't any other basketball league in the world that can compete with the NBA drawing players and such.

Don't for a minute assume that all international players come here dreaming to play in the NBA.... it's all about the $$$ for many.

Ego plays a part in proving they are the best, no doubt, but MANY come here to provide a lifetime of finacial savings for their family and "F" the need to become part of the NBA bling machine

 

[xcan28]

No European contributrors??

 

[Mr. Walters]

"F" the need to become part of the NBA bling machine

Good point. The NBA seems to be mroe about image and money than any actual love for playing the game.

 

[Tangled Web]

Good point. The NBA seems to be mroe about image and money than any actual love for playing the game.

That's exactly why I like College basketball more.

 

[Mr. Walters]

That's exactly why I like College basketball more.

I used to be an NBA fan but then it turned into bull shtick. But I can't get into college basketball too much because their rosters change every so many years. You know as guys graduate or give up to make NBA cash. I only follow hockey now. Not as image based...yet.

 

[Qoèlet]

Hey, at least the NBA, NHL, NFL etc. are actually universally recognized as the top professional organizations in their respective sports. The best compete in these organizations, so the best in them are the best in the world... makes sense. In boxing, on the other hand, a long list of seperate organizations all have their own "world champion". Same deal with MMA. Of course, it's tough to get champs from different organizations to fight, so where's the "world champion" there (well at least there's the remote possibility that MMA may have a legit world champion at 205 pounds in Novermber, but I'm not counting on it)?

 

[Tangled Web]

I used to be an NBA fan but then it turned into bull shtick. But I can't get into college basketball too much because their rosters change every so many years. You know as guys graduate or give up to make NBA cash. I only follow hockey now. Not as image based...yet.

I know what you mean. I guess I love college ball because I've been associated with UCLA my whole life. Supporting UCLA in all sports is a very special thing for me. Getting into preparation to go to a UCLA game is like a war game. Just so much pagentry. The NBA even tried to rip off college basketball by having fans wear the same shirts for playoff games. It was like a wanna be student section.

 

[Slipknot]

SLIP: You can only be called a WORLD championship team when you compete against the world....silly I know, but I judge that by my global standards

Uhh... from your definition we would basically have to have the winner of a particular league play a team put together by each and every country in the world and win each one to be able to call themselves world champion? I don't think you understand sports leagues around here. They are so large all over the world that they draw the very best players from all around the world. The MLS does not do this... so therefore they cannot call the winner of the league the "world" champion. Is it so hard to understand that the U.S. and Canada simply hosts these leagues for the best players in the world to come here and compete?

Fortunately professionals are competing in the Olympics, World Cups (Football and hockey) and the recently invented...jeezz is it called World Cup of Baseball?? (which the U.S. didn't win hence no World Series champion in the good ole U. S of A) there is a TRUE world champion.

It isn't called the "World Cup of Baseball." It is called the "World Baseball Classic." You can't really compare a national team winning compared to a league team. The majority of the time... the winner of the Olympics, World Cup, World Baseball Classic, etc are NOT the best team in the world. Everything ends up depending on how long the team has been together and such. In world competitions it is hard to judge a team seeing as though they don't get a whole entire season and then a long playoff season to see who truly is the best team in the world. Japan won the World Baseball Classic even though they lost to South Korea like three times before beating them in the finals... I mean, what the hell? The World Baseball Classic was horribly run in the first event... atleast in my eyes it was. You had a U.S. team who played together for about a week before going into the damn event. Not exactly the kind of cohesiveness you need playing national teams such as Cuba who have been playing together for quite sometime now. The World Cup this year had Italy winning. Do you think they are truly the best team in the world? They got the easiest ride to the semi-finals I have ever seen. They played friggin Australia and Ukraine while France played Spain and then Brazil just to make it to the semi-finals. Then you have the Olympics... heh, just the same as the two above. I think a team who plays in the best league in their sport and wins the championship after a long season and playoffs is more of a "world" champion than any national team who have barely played enough games together to call themselves a true "team."

So in short, until there is a TRUE world championship....stop giving the attitude of being one

Can you really say that the NFL champion is not the "world" champion of football? Who is the winner of the league supposed to play? Is there even any other American football league in any other country other than NFL Europe... which is basically just a minor league NFL affiliate.

 

[Slipknot]

Take the league champions from every country and have them play or an actual "world" title.

That's kind of dubious if you ask me. How do we do this with every sport? Football (soccer) is the only sport that is played on a global level. That is played all around the world... but baseball, american football, hockey, and basketball don't have this type of following all around the world. Can you even name any other large baseball, american football, hockey, or basketball league outside of North America? If a large league arises out there that can rival either the MLB, NFL, NHL, or NBA then I say fine.... do it if you can arrange such a thing. But until then, what are we supposed to travel all around the world in the players offseason to play every league in every different nation?

 

[November Rain]

it's just made to make it seem more important. nothing is done to truelly earn that right, it's assumed and that's where the problem lies.