[real saxophonist]

Don't cricket matches last for days? And I bet that's the only thing on TV in those countries. So when there's nothing else to watch, I guess it would be popular.

I knew a guy, big black guy, built more like a football player than a basketball player, but he was a basketball player.

He went to Ireland to play professionally. When I heard that I thought, Ireland?!?!... But apparently it's pretty big over there.

Right next to Hurling...

[FewsOrange]

“He went to Ireland to play professionally. When I heard that I thought, Ireland?!?!... But apparently it’s pretty big over there.”

I wouldn’t say pretty big but big enough to be able to get a semi pro American for the top teams. They would be fixed up with a job, and that, combined with playing and maybe some coaching money would be good enough to live on for someone just out of college.

[dfwgator]

Gaelic Football is a great game. It’s close to Aussie Rules, only with a round ball, and you can kick it soccer-style.

[hanamizu]

Don’t cricket matches last for days?

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They can last for days. But cricket has developed variations where a complete game can finish in 3 hours or so. But cricket is wildly popular in South Asia. If you haven’t watched it, you might give it a try. It’s a little like baseball, but imagine trying to hit the ball and every pitch in in the dirt. And the bowler (pitcher) can get a running start to deliver the ball. You are out if the bowler can manage to hit the wicket behind you, or if you hit the ball and it is caught—only one fielder gets to wear gloves. Some batters score over 100 runs (a century) before getting out.

And there is strategy involved as well. If the other team can’t seem to get your team out, you can choose to stop batting—because if they can’t get in their innings before darkness or rain—the game ends as a tie. England may have lost the Ashes because rain interrupted a game they were winning against Australia.