Do  you think sports solve political problems better than peace talks?
459986
No.  No sporting event was going to turn back Hitler.  No World Cup Tourney was going to stop Japan from trying to take over the World.  Sometime you gotta put aside diplomacy and kick some ass.
509168
We cannot compare football with cricket both are different games, as so many cricket players not intrested in  playing too much cricket, it is better to reduce the no.of matches. Personally i believe it will helps international cricket or else people will not respond very much for every match.
81417
Yes.  Sports don't cease to be sports just b/c they aren't played on a grass field.  It is more of an individual sport, similar to tennis and golf in that respect.  In fact, some argue none of those are "sports" b/c they don't involve teams.  [except ryder cups, doubles, etc...]
1091514
Basketball has much more action. How can you even compare the two. It is probably more appropriate to compare baseball with golf. Although at least with golf the grass changes.
338502
The leaders of the two countries get together and solv the problem without force.  If hat doesn't work they can duke it out on their own.  If thing opperated like that I bet there would be fewer wars.  It's been a long time since world leaders have been in the battlefield, if this were changed I think war would be less frequent.
988744
Yes. For several reasons.\n\nOne is that you get to see how a campaign is run and you get to see a candidate tackle several issues. You get to know a lot of candidates personally and see them professionally. You learn the issues that voters take seriously and want a candidate to address. You find out why and what people expect. \n\nPolitics is a sport just like basketball and football. When you work on a political campaign you are not just a spectator in the bleachers, you are actually a player. You learn how to run the ball.\n\nOnce you have played the game, it stays with you forever. You end up listening to all the issues all the time. And whether your candidate wins or loses, you never forget how fun the game is.\n\nAlso, candidates learn who you are. They remember you from the other guy's campaign. The more you volunteer, the more familiar your name is in other candidates circles. It helps especially if you are in school.\n\nI started running around the block and canvassing for a neighbor who was running for state legislature. I was 12 years old. Every two years I would circle the block for him, having a bigger and bigger assignment as I got older. When I was 18, I was his campaign manager. \n\nHe paid for my first year's tuition to college because he and his wife were childless and they just wanted to help. \n\nMy sister took over my job when I went to college. \n\nBoth my sister and I have served as members of our city councils and she spent 12 years in the legislature. I teach political science at a high school. \n\nThe younger you start, the more it gets into your blood. You never shake your knowledge of the process.
1055458
Agreed.   \n\n\n   Without a venue to vent frustration in a high paced physical game like hockey, there would be more incidents of stick swinging and potentially more violent injuries.  \n\n  Fighting is not really 'allowed' but tolerated and penaltized.
1164360
I agree that more than one person should decide on the more controversial things but I think that to have 'lasers and more ' is a bit too, cameras yes. For example, some of the Korea vs European sides caused a lot of controversy over some dodgy offsides, not to mention that infamous 'Maradona hand-ball goal'  incident, all could be and have been clarified by the camera. However, soccer is a traditional sport and the humaness of the referee adds to the excitement. Sure, that recent game, I forget which, in which 7 or so yellow cards were handed out and not a single red card, even for the most abtruse tackles was rediculous but I would blame the standard of the referee rather than anything else. Many other referees could have done a better job, it all comes down to experiance. Do you really want a world where everything is controlled by computers and the slightest blow in the fuse could cancel a game? Also, it would completely destroy the chances of some of the poorer, but none the less deserving countries the chances of hosting the cup, restricting it only to places like USA, where the soccer isn't so good, or European countries, who have already hosted numerous times, etc. \n  Also, there are checks and balances, where we do have flag-men, who aide the ref. in his or her decisions, and there is a compensation system, where when Rivaldo got another player 'sent off' by simulation, he got a hefty fine when he was found out.\n\nAll in all, I would just employ the cameras a bit more, the rest I would leave the same.
227073
It's very possible that ALL pro sports are "fixed", but highly unlikely.  There is just too much media scrutiny and someone always talks, just look at the steroids thing in baseball.
646777
Exactly. You got it completely right. The world cup is the place for the communication of civilizations and defining a team by the politics of its country is a unsporting attitude and should be punished right away.\n\nI give you an example, whenever Germany plays in the world cup does this team remind you of Adolph Hitler? If it does, then you got a problem. Exactly same with Iran, Iran's got a national team that plays for the pride of its people and has nothing to do with the government. For the honor of the same people who have been exploited and plundered by Ayatollahs and Arabs for centuries after the fall of Persian Empire. So the most stupid thing that someone can do is to identify a country by its politics in the world cup or like versa.
844764
No. If everyone stops being at war, & starts negotiating, we can reach peace.\n\nAlso, confrontation is not war. You can confront someone with a problem, & then you can work on fixing it. That, for me, is peace enough.
350868
It is pure entertainment. But then again, you could say that ALL sports are a hoax; as there is a lot of match fixing going on between both individuals and team sports. So instead of losing interest in the sport, just take it with a 'pinch of salt' and accept it as it is - PURE ENTERTAINMENT'
398873
The novelist George Orwell said, "Sport is war minus the shooting."\n\nHe was probably right.
321979
Eh, nah. Basketball is better.
279210
That mind set is exactly why we don't have peace. War should only be considered as a last resort peace win/win negotiations should be the stratergy
384292
Their politics have nothing to do with their ability as athletes.  It would be unfair of us to ask them not to play in something they have been working at their entire lives because of politics.
897166
It has always been this contentious.  The reason it has become a political "football" is that the religious fringe has taken control of politics, making this the American Taliban.  Because it is an issue with no middle-ground and, therefore, no real possibility of compromise, it is likely to be a hot issue for a long time.