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28 Posts
I haven't noticed any threads about anywhere on this forum (or maybe my search skills suck
)
But one can't wait but notice that one of France's obsessions is the sport of football (or soccer to Americans).
I mean no sport that I knew about while living in the US had the same following as soccer does with the French. I always sort of joked that the average French person's life was so mediocre and mundane that the boredom would be off set by the score of a goal in a soccer match.
I grew up in the US with the NFL, NHL, MLB, and the NBA. But no Americans ever had passion for a sport as much as a euro does with football (soccer). Well....of course some Brits fist fight @ matches (called hooliganism)...
Another random thought about soccer, I remember over 1 year ago how some people accused Laurent Blanc (national coach of their soccer team) of racially profiling and weeding non whites for their formation (training centers) in the country. I don't see how it is that much different than non sports careers. It's tough for Arabs, Blacks, and Asians to obtain jobs in the administrative field ( travail de bureau) .
But check this...lol...imagine if they lowered the number of Black athletes in basketball. lol @ that....Most French basketball players in France and in the NBA are black descent and even France's beloved hero Tony Parker is not even French per se. His dad is Afro American and his mother is from the Netherlands (though both live in France now). Tony didn't get naturalized as French citizen until he was 15 years old.
This brings another issue....what constitutes being a French athlete? I know Joakim Noah was born in NYC, USA and yet he is being referred to as a French athlete. He has triple citizenship (sweden, USA, and since 2007 France). The French claim him like he belongs to them. Joakim's dad is Yannick that;s true but his basketball training was done entirely in the US (from HS to college @ U of Florida).
I guess speaking French (even some of it) and living in the country for about 3 years makes you French?
I am somewhat familiar with Marine Le Pen's policy of "droit de sol" vs "droit de sang" .... and in her definition....none of France's sports stars would be allowed to be French citizens (minus Joakim who is all of 25% French)
but really what would their sport hero culture be without their foreigners? Zidane is Algerian descent, their heavy weight judo champ is a guadeloupean 7 footer, and even the names "Platini" and "Cantona" soundsmore Italian than French. Former judo star David Douillet admitted he was part Viking.
Sorry if this rant went digressing in many directions.
But one can't wait but notice that one of France's obsessions is the sport of football (or soccer to Americans).
I mean no sport that I knew about while living in the US had the same following as soccer does with the French. I always sort of joked that the average French person's life was so mediocre and mundane that the boredom would be off set by the score of a goal in a soccer match.
I grew up in the US with the NFL, NHL, MLB, and the NBA. But no Americans ever had passion for a sport as much as a euro does with football (soccer). Well....of course some Brits fist fight @ matches (called hooliganism)...
Another random thought about soccer, I remember over 1 year ago how some people accused Laurent Blanc (national coach of their soccer team) of racially profiling and weeding non whites for their formation (training centers) in the country. I don't see how it is that much different than non sports careers. It's tough for Arabs, Blacks, and Asians to obtain jobs in the administrative field ( travail de bureau) .
But check this...lol...imagine if they lowered the number of Black athletes in basketball. lol @ that....Most French basketball players in France and in the NBA are black descent and even France's beloved hero Tony Parker is not even French per se. His dad is Afro American and his mother is from the Netherlands (though both live in France now). Tony didn't get naturalized as French citizen until he was 15 years old.
This brings another issue....what constitutes being a French athlete? I know Joakim Noah was born in NYC, USA and yet he is being referred to as a French athlete. He has triple citizenship (sweden, USA, and since 2007 France). The French claim him like he belongs to them. Joakim's dad is Yannick that;s true but his basketball training was done entirely in the US (from HS to college @ U of Florida).
I guess speaking French (even some of it) and living in the country for about 3 years makes you French?
I am somewhat familiar with Marine Le Pen's policy of "droit de sol" vs "droit de sang" .... and in her definition....none of France's sports stars would be allowed to be French citizens (minus Joakim who is all of 25% French)
but really what would their sport hero culture be without their foreigners? Zidane is Algerian descent, their heavy weight judo champ is a guadeloupean 7 footer, and even the names "Platini" and "Cantona" soundsmore Italian than French. Former judo star David Douillet admitted he was part Viking.
Sorry if this rant went digressing in many directions.