Most Commonwealth countries, Canada is different because of our close connection with the US.
There’s a group of Indians near me who play cricket every weekend so sometimes I’ll go by and bother them. “You’re playing the game wrong, you know. Have you guys never watched baseball before?” They’re always super nice and will spend ages explaining everything about the sport. They have a level of zeal for the sport which cannot be matched by even us hockey fans. Last summer we went down to the Galapagos and our group was mostly Brits and I would wait until late in the evening after they had started drinking and ask if they play soccer over there, and that is just as much fun to me.
I’m a big guy, so someone decided that I’d be good at Rugby, and I got invited to the high school rugby practice. I had a good time even though the practice was in March and there was a foot of snow on the ground, but to this day, I have zero idea of how to actually play the game.
Also not an expert, just talking from what I remember from history class: in the mid 19th century, Japan underwent a period of rapid westernization and industrialization called the Meiji Restoration. This was at least in part a response to western interference in the region, including a pivotal moment when the US forced the country to sign unequal trade deals by showing up with some big naval vessels.
So it was kind of a love-hate relationship. They didn’t like the westerners invading their country, but they also admired them enough that they not only adopted western tech, but also a bunch of social and political customs.
That’s what happens to colonies. Look at how popular Cricket is in Commonwealth countries.
Most Commonwealth countries, Canada is different because of our close connection with the US.
There’s a group of Indians near me who play cricket every weekend so sometimes I’ll go by and bother them. “You’re playing the game wrong, you know. Have you guys never watched baseball before?” They’re always super nice and will spend ages explaining everything about the sport. They have a level of zeal for the sport which cannot be matched by even us hockey fans. Last summer we went down to the Galapagos and our group was mostly Brits and I would wait until late in the evening after they had started drinking and ask if they play soccer over there, and that is just as much fun to me.
We have Rugby and Gaelic Football as our sports from the Commonwealth. We just suck at them because there’s only 3 months a year to play it.
I’m a big guy, so someone decided that I’d be good at Rugby, and I got invited to the high school rugby practice. I had a good time even though the practice was in March and there was a foot of snow on the ground, but to this day, I have zero idea of how to actually play the game.
I mean, that is where the word came from originally.
I know the story: “association” → “assoc” → “soccer”, but they apparently didn’t get the memo, and there was much arguing.
are you saying that japan was a US colony in 19th century?
Pretty much was after WWII.
iirc baseball was japans national sport before ww2
Really? I’m anything but an expert in Japanese history but weren’t they very anti-western back in the empire’s days?
Also not an expert, just talking from what I remember from history class: in the mid 19th century, Japan underwent a period of rapid westernization and industrialization called the Meiji Restoration. This was at least in part a response to western interference in the region, including a pivotal moment when the US forced the country to sign unequal trade deals by showing up with some big naval vessels.
So it was kind of a love-hate relationship. They didn’t like the westerners invading their country, but they also admired them enough that they not only adopted western tech, but also a bunch of social and political customs.