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Post by SportsFan19 on Aug 2, 2021 21:13:58 GMT
They made a deal with the Aliens.
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Post by bluerisk on Aug 2, 2021 22:19:44 GMT
The one thing I'd add is that, unlike the US, which either rejected English sports or made up their own versions, Australia took on most English sports. This is significant because many of the Olympic team sports are commonwealth sports. We then started to embrace US Sports like basketball and, to a lesser extent, baseball in the 20th century. Part of this is also a lot of people playing two sports, one in summer, one in winter. So people who play cricket in the summer then play field hockey or baseball in the winter. Or they play basketball in summer and AFL in the winter. Then you get to the age to pick a career you take the sport where you can be paid millions a year or get government training and support through the AIS because it's an Olympic sport. Australia has won her most medals in Swimming followed by rowing - no particular English sports. Money! That's why you are good.
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Post by Hairynosedwombat on Aug 2, 2021 23:00:04 GMT
Westi nailed it. The government puts lots of money into elite sports for coaching, all the way down to local sports for facilities. Ths funding goes up and down. After the Montreal Olympics where Australia scored no golds, there was much spending, as also in the several years before the Sydney Olympics. Unlike in the USA, sport doesn't play a big part at university but scholarships are made to several sports institutes where much elite training happens. Oh so you don’t have universities competing in sports against each other? Probably but not at any elite level. Sydney University once had a team in the national basketball league but I think that team has been sold. They also have a rugby team in the amateur Sydney competition. When I went to University I helped set up a boomerang throwing team but that was to get sports funding and we spent it on a keg at the end of the year.
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Post by oftrollorigins on Aug 2, 2021 23:17:35 GMT
Thank you all for the responses. It seems like it’s a combo of government funding, which I now wish the US would do, and a sports culture, which the US has as well.
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Post by oftrollorigins on Aug 2, 2021 23:20:23 GMT
Oh so you don’t have universities competing in sports against each other? Probably but not at any elite level. Sydney University once had a team in the national basketball league but I think that team has been sold. They also have a rugby team in the amateur Sydney competition. When I went to University I helped set up a boomerang throwing team but that was to get sports funding and we spent it on a keg at the end of the year. I’m really impressed with Oz’s basketball skills. We now have NBA players from Australia and their Olympic team is clearly elite. They must make noise in FIBA. |
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Post by Hairynosedwombat on Aug 3, 2021 1:26:18 GMT
Probably but not at any elite level. Sydney University once had a team in the national basketball league but I think that team has been sold. They also have a rugby team in the amateur Sydney competition. When I went to University I helped set up a boomerang throwing team but that was to get sports funding and we spent it on a keg at the end of the year. I’m really impressed with Oz’s basketball skills. We now have NBA players from Australia and their Olympic team is clearly elite. They must make noise in FIBA. They are mostly white and they CAN jump!
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Post by NJtoTX on Aug 5, 2021 6:51:55 GMT
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Post by Aj_June on Aug 5, 2021 7:02:44 GMT
I have said it before, with 5 cricket world cup, 3 hockey world cup and 2 rugby world cup titles, Australia is indeed the greatest sporting nation ever. They have 10 tiles in 3 of the 4 major world sports. It doesn't matter what they do in Olympics. They are already the best.
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Post by Carl LaFong on Aug 5, 2021 9:12:40 GMT
Looks like they’re going to finish above GBNI in the medals table.
Cycling and Rowing have let us down compared to the previous two or three Olympics. Other countries have caught us up (and passed us.)
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Post by loofapotato on Aug 5, 2021 19:25:09 GMT
When you grow up having to box kangaroos and outswim great whites you're bound to be pretty athletic. We also have to run from snakes and dodge drop-bears when walking to school.  I'm so terrified of drop bears. More than encountering an emu! 
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