Scotland good at sport?

**OC Richard** · 14th March 15, 05:34 AM

Scotland's bottom-of-the-table position in the T20 World Cup standings, and their identical position in Six Nations, made me start wondering about the sad position of Scotland in the 'wide world of sport'.

Well there's a big Six Nations match today against England! And maybe the Scots can start improving their position.

In football, the qualifying for Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup is so convoluted that I can't comprehend it. Seems that who they play and how they fare in friendlies could impact qualifying? From what I read there's a friendly coming up with Ireland which could decide what "pot" they get into?

This map says it all, about the European Championships

In any case from what I read they're in 3rd place in their group for Euro 2016 and 4th in their group for the World Cup 2018, so there seems to be hope. (Scotland's World Cup history makes for sobering reading, qualifying five straight times 74-90 but making first round exits each time, last qualifying in 98 with a similar result.)

Better yet is that from what I read they have qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup coming up in England in September. My wife and I will definitely watch every match that's televised here.

In Rugby Sevens, Scotland has a nice position in the World Series standings (8th) but I understand that Scotland will lose host nation status due to poor attendance. I recently attended USA Sevens and attendance was the highest ever for this particular event, over 70,000 I believe I read.

Well, it's not like the USA has anything to crow about. We do qualify for the World Cup (football/soccer) every time due to our fairly easy path, but don't get very far. Rugby for us is still 'a work in progress'.

There's a baseball world cup every four years, a recent development, and we don't do very well in that despite baseball being an American sport. The 16-nation tournament has been held three times (06, 09, 13) and the USA's best finish was 4th place in 2009. The USA is second-bottom table in the all-time standings.

It is encouraging to see the USA participate more in various international sports and break out a bit from our traditional sporting isolationism.

**Jock Scot** · 14th March 15, 06:11 AM

I don't really follow team sports, or even sports at all.From what I see though, as far as team sports and Scotland are concerned part of the problem is that it has a small population base to choose a team from. OK perhaps Ireland and Wales probably have the same problem, but I do think a small population is part of the problem. Scotland does have some very successful individual sportsmen and women though. Sir Chris Hoy to name but one. I also think that Scotland in particular, has a natural historical aversion to play as a team unless a major disaster looms.

**tpa** · 14th March 15, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by Jock Scot

I also think that Scotland in particular, has a natural historical aversion to play as a team unless a major disaster looms.

As a Scot with no affiliation to team games, I can see where you are coming from; however football still appears to be popular, if not necessarily for the right reasons. Whether any of the teams are any good, I know not, as I have no interest in it, but it does keep people off the streets on a Saturday afternoon - for a time anyway.

**Liam** · 14th March 15, 04:24 PM

Have you not heard of Andy Murray or Eve Muirhead. Both pretty darn good at tennis and curling respectively.

**tpa** · 15th March 15, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by Liam

Have you not heard of Andy Murray or Eve Muirhead. Both pretty darn good at tennis and curling respectively.

I certainly would not classify singles tennis as a team game, I don't know enough about curling to comment on that.

**Liam** · 15th March 15, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by tpa

I certainly would not classify singles tennis as a team game, I don't know enough about curling to comment on that.

Nor would I, but it is most definitely a sport. Curling is most definitely a team sport made up of 4 team mates. Btw, Canada's Jennifer Jones rink just defeated Scotland's Eve Muirhead rink in round robin play. Curling is a game of Scottish origins, that Canadians have long embraced.

**GrainReaper** · 15th March 15, 07:28 AM

Curling? My wife does that to her hair when we go out on the town, outside of that I have no idea

**Liam** · 15th March 15, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by GrainReaper

Curling? My wife does that to her hair when we go out on the town, outside of that I have no idea

Curling could perhaps be described as lawn bowling or shuffleboard on ice. It is a very strategic game sometimes referred to as chess on ice.

**GrainReaper** · 15th March 15, 09:10 AM

Oh! That's the sport with the brooms right?

Forgive me, I'm not much into organized sports of any sort

**neloon** · 15th March 15, 10:32 AM

Eve Muirhead is also a considerable piper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDv_J8_hpec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwqWlw1Jouc
She has also featured on a curling calendar a bit short of clothes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkQP47_1BdE
By the way, all the GB women's curling team are Scots. In Scotland, curling is called the "roaring game" (from the sound of the stones on the ice) and the best stones are made from Ailsa Craig granite. Used to be more of an outdoor sport but the winters are not often hard enough nowadays!
http://tour-scotland-photographs.blo...d-curlers.html

Alan