Brazil probably has their share of great athletes. Unfortunately they all play soccer. And quite a few Major League baseball player come from South America. Its probably the culture. Soccer is popular in all the Latin countries and so is baseball, except maybe in Brazil. I have never heard of a Major Leaguer hailing from Brazil. In the Domincan Republic baseball is THE game. Kids play it even if they can't afford the equipment, using rocks and sticks and having no gloves. Cuba is also well represented in MLB and there would be a lot more Cubans if they were free to move to this country.
I walked into a bar the other night and the bartender asked me if I had any pictures of my wife naked. I told him no. He said, "You want to buy some?"
[quote="Bengal B, post: 1391670, member: 513"]I walked into a bar the other night and the bartender asked me if I had any pictures of my wife naked. I told him no. He said, "You want to buy some?"[/quote] Sounds like a Rodney Dangerfield type of joke.
I have good friends with a son born with autism and other learning disabilities. He turned 40 last January and is still living with his Mom and working part-time as a stocker at Target. They both wonder what will become of him when they are gone. Neither is in position to leave him with a trust fund of any size. He will likely become a ward of the state or homeless depending on the state he finds himself in. There is always a flip side to every shiny coin. It was in the best interests of slave sellers and slave owners to breed slaves for strength and endurance and NOT for running, obviously. They are tearing it up . . . in Brazil, where boxing and football take a back seat to soccer and martial arts. Ever hear of a guy called Pele? The highest scorer in world soccer history. Soccer is huge internationally and Brazil has won the world cup a record five times. Some of the top international names in Soccer are Brazilian. Brazil is a very big in international mixed martial arts. Basketball is the third biggest sport in Brazil and they have won many international basketball championships. Four Brazilians are playing in the NBA right now.
It was in the best interests of slave sellers and slave owners to breed slaves for strength and endurance and NOT for running, obviously. I threw the location of where the slaves came from in because when you consider Africans as a whole that part of the country doesn't naturally exude fast twitch muscle fibers. Your original thesis included Africa in its entirety compared to the United States. The comparison would be even better if it compared only the parts of Africa where we actually got the slaves from. We obviously got slaves from west Africa due to proximity verses selecting slaves "not for running". They are tearing it up . . . in Brazil, where boxing and football take a back seat to soccer and martial arts. Ever hear of a guy called Pele? The highest scorer in world soccer history. Soccer is huge internationally and Brazil has won the world cup a record five times. Some of the top international names in Soccer are Brazilian. Brazil is a very big in international mixed martial arts. Basketball is the third biggest sport in Brazil and they have won many international basketball championships. Four Brazilians are playing in the NBA right now.[/quote] I am well aware of Brazil's dominant role in international soccer, Pele's backward bicycle kick,(I think that is what it is called) his role in bringing soccer to the U.S.--New York Cosmos I believe, but I am not really a soccer fan. Now I should have given more credence to Brazilian MMA, the Gracie's etc., because I do watch that every now and then. Since I have an amateur wrestling background it interests me because most of the American guys were former wrestlers that I saw in college. Still, I don't know if you can completely dismiss Brazil's lack of sprinters in track for example by saying they just aren't interested in it. It doesn't take any special equipment to know if you are fast are not. And with millions to be made, it seems like we would see more champions. Perhaps we will in the future.
Probably the reason for the lack of Brazilian world class sprinters is the lack of widespread interest. In Jamaica where there is huge national interest in sprinters like Usain Bolt and in the USA promising young sprinters get the best coaching and are put on a training and development program from an early age. The right coaching, exercise and nutrition. And lets not discount performance enhancing drugs. In Brazil the steroids are probably reserved for the soccer players
Actually I don't. Back in the day she had a set of melons that would make @red55 's intern blush but sadly time, gravity, maybe some weight loss have all contributed to them being nothing to write home about anymore.
