Is It My Imagination...or Are We Kicking Ass All Of A Sudden At Sport?

[sp1814]

I am infamous amongst my mates at being completely ignorant of most sporting events (except the Men's diving at the last Olympics obv)...

But am I right in thinking that all of a sudden, British sports is 'on the upswing'?

Apparently, a Brit has won the Tour De France, and then there was Andy Murray, then there was something with rugby a couple of weeks ago and if I'm not mistaken, for once, my cricket-loving colleagues aren't gnashing their teeth in anger.

Is it time for us to unfurl our flags?

Or would that just be jinxing whatever competition is up next?

[mikey4444]

We have always punched above our weight in the sporting arena. Well, nearly always....we seem to have lost our magic touch when it comes to football.

Most of the sports played around the world originated in this Sceptered Isle, so maybe we shouldn't be too surprised. We even invented baseball, although its rather pointless in debating this with our American cousins !

[emmie]

i don't give two whatsists for football, that lost it's magic, if it had any, when they started paying footballers mega bucks, it lost its soul along route. The likes of Bobby Moore, and the Charlton brothers were great players, and they played with a passion, particularly for their country, can you honestly say the same about most of the modern day players.

[emmie]

don't tell them it was rounders, they have a fit if you do...

[mikey4444]

American Football started as rugby and proper football...another subject best avoided when drinking in a Pittsburg bar ( from personal experience ! )

[jno]

the Prince of Wales played in the first recorded baseball match in 1749, in Walton on Thames.

[mikey4444]

And in 1749, America was still one of our Colonies !

I can't help thinking that we should tried harder to hang on to our American cousins. Think about the tax revenue !

[jno]

it was the tax revenue that made them leave

[ichkeria]

Not sure I'd count the Ashes or the rugby, or at least get too excited at beating a smaller nation population-wise in a two-horse event :-) . Cycling success is built largely on cash and Murray's success was based on his early exile to Spain.

The reason is probably has a lot to do with the Atlanta Olympics fiasco (fiasco in lots of ways) where one gold medal was won. Since then lottery funding has helped especially in the Olympics.

[brionon]

TTG I agree -Football is the most important sport to many of us and England is Rubbish !!

[zebo]

Like that the wrongest (?) answer is deemed best! "However I have to congratulate you upon your grasp of mathematics. Yes, England are two thirds of the way there because they need to win 3 Tests, out of 5, to be sure of retaining The Ashes."

Surely that makes it two fifths done and three fifths still to go?

[LazyGun]

2/3 of the way to the target for winning; 2/5 of the way through the series....

[Clanad]

... and a Hip, Hip, Hurrah for Brit Matthew Ashton! Well done, indeed...

(Leading name suggestion for new 'Royal' baby boy here in the U.S. is Lenny, BTW)

[craft1948]

If we draw one of the test matches we'll still retain the ashes............

[ichkeria]

It's 123 years since England won the first 2 tests of a series v Australia. That seems like another of those really unlikely statistics.