Why are Australians so good at sport?
Discussion
Although they were not as good as they were in 2006 -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games...
I think this is because of the country's outdoor lifestyle, which means a lot of people spend a lot of time outdoors not being frozen/peed on) access to funding (as Australia has boundless mineral resources they are pretty rich, which they can spend on sports), which in turn engenders great national pride), and they are quite early on in the lifecycle of a developed country, meaning that there are a lot of keen Aussies who have pride in getting off their arses and representing their country.
Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it. National pride is diluted by incoming migrants who to them the idea they are English or British is ridiculous. And finally, the UK has so many social and economic issues to deal with, no natural resources or primary industry to speak of, so there's no extra cash to seek out and nurture the talent that is undoubtedly there. I heard a statistic that there are 7 olympic sized swimming pools in the UK to train in. In Australia (with less than a 1/3rd the population) there are about 250.
Edit to add - many Aussies might say they are also on this same slippery slope - with immigration and idle youth causing a decline in national pride and sporting prowess. However they've got diamonds, bauxite, uranium, gold etc, huge flat space to expand into, plus direct access to the Asian markets, which is a very nice place to be in.
Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it. National pride is diluted by incoming migrants who to them the idea they are English or British is ridiculous. And finally, the UK has so many social and economic issues to deal with, no natural resources or primary industry to speak of, so there's no extra cash to seek out and nurture the talent that is undoubtedly there. I heard a statistic that there are 7 olympic sized swimming pools in the UK to train in. In Australia (with less than a 1/3rd the population) there are about 250.
Edit to add - many Aussies might say they are also on this same slippery slope - with immigration and idle youth causing a decline in national pride and sporting prowess. However they've got diamonds, bauxite, uranium, gold etc, huge flat space to expand into, plus direct access to the Asian markets, which is a very nice place to be in.
Edited by prand on Thursday 14th October 09:10
prand said:
I think this is because of the country's outdoor lifestyle ..
Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it.
So why is Australia the fattest nation in the world?Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it.
Bibbs said:
prand said:
I think this is because of the country's outdoor lifestyle ..
Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it.
So why is Australia the fattest nation in the world?Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it.
You go to a british beach and it's like an elephant seal colony, families scoffing fish & chips and ice-creams, all pasty and blubbery.
There are quite a few olds on their verandas who might have put on a few pounds or two.
Partly this...
someone said:
They're not as paranoid as current UK parents are about letting their kids play in the streets, so they're encouraged to participate too.
Mostly this..someon also said:
The gradient of sporting prowess is directly proportional to lack of intelligence
Edited by Cactussed on Thursday 14th October 09:24
prand said:
Bibbs said:
prand said:
I think this is because of the country's outdoor lifestyle ..
Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it.
So why is Australia the fattest nation in the world?Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it.
You go to a british beach and it's like an elephant seal colony, families scoffing fish & chips and ice-creams, all pasty and blubbery.
There are quite a few olds on their verandas who might have put on a few pounds or two.
The latest figures show 4 million Australians — or 26% of the adult population — are now obese compared to an estimated 25% of Americans. A further 5 million Australians are considered overweight.
Edited by Bibbs on Thursday 14th October 09:31
prand said:
I think this is because of the country's outdoor lifestyle, which means a lot of people spend a lot of time outdoors not being frozen/peed on) access to funding (as Australia has boundless mineral resources they are pretty rich, which they can spend on sports), which in turn engenders great national pride), and they are quite early on in the lifecycle of a developed country, meaning that there are a lot of keen Aussies who have pride in getting off their arses and representing their country.
Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it. National pride is diluted by incoming migrants who to them the idea they are English or British is ridiculous. And finally, the UK has so many social and economic issues to deal with, no natural resources or primary industry to speak of, so there's no extra cash to seek out and nurture the talent that is undoubtedly there. I heard a statistic that there are 7 olympic sized swimming pools in the UK to train in. In Australia (with less than a 1/3rd the population) there are about 250.
Edit to add - many Aussies might say they are also on this same slippery slope - with immigration and idle youth causing a decline in national pride and sporting prowess. However they've got diamonds, bauxite, uranium, gold etc, huge flat space to expand into, plus direct access to the Asian markets, which is a very nice place to be in.
]
What a load of st.Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it. National pride is diluted by incoming migrants who to them the idea they are English or British is ridiculous. And finally, the UK has so many social and economic issues to deal with, no natural resources or primary industry to speak of, so there's no extra cash to seek out and nurture the talent that is undoubtedly there. I heard a statistic that there are 7 olympic sized swimming pools in the UK to train in. In Australia (with less than a 1/3rd the population) there are about 250.
Edit to add - many Aussies might say they are also on this same slippery slope - with immigration and idle youth causing a decline in national pride and sporting prowess. However they've got diamonds, bauxite, uranium, gold etc, huge flat space to expand into, plus direct access to the Asian markets, which is a very nice place to be in.
]
Just give it a fking rest will you?
THis is a thread about sports, not BNP polices. Jesus christ. Some people have nothing better to think about than tabloid stories.
SC7 said:
Because they're raised as winners.
Over here, we're plagued by the "subdue-the-excellent-to-give-the-useless-a-chance" attitude.
What a load of st.Over here, we're plagued by the "subdue-the-excellent-to-give-the-useless-a-chance" attitude.
Just give it a fking rest will you?
THis is a thread about sports, not BNP polices. Jesus christ. Some people have nothing better to think about than tabloid stories.
Bibbs said:
prand said:
Bibbs said:
prand said:
I think this is because of the country's outdoor lifestyle ..
Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it.
So why is Australia the fattest nation in the world?Unlike England, and perhaps the UK as a whole, which is is much further down the line, it's a tired, spent country, where 95% of the population don't give a cr*p and prefer to watch football on TV than go out and play it.
You go to a british beach and it's like an elephant seal colony, families scoffing fish & chips and ice-creams, all pasty and blubbery.
There are quite a few olds on their verandas who might have put on a few pounds or two.
The latest figures show 4 million Australians — or 26% of the adult population — are now obese compared to an estimated 25% of Americans. A further 5 million Australians are considered overweight.
Edited by Bibbs on Thursday 14th October 09:31
Edited by GilbertGrape on Thursday 14th October 09:44
GilbertGrape said:
How accurate is that though? Perhaps Australians carry more muscle than some populations. You know, from all the muscle building sports they participate in. BMI index doesn't account for extra muscle as far as I'm aware.
The only people who are "fatter" are samoans and cook islanders .. but they don't count as western I suppose.Believe me, not all aussies are rugby front rowers.
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