You gotta wonder about Cleaver- I’m sure he’s been basically an anti-soccer guy before. Was wondering about subscribing to his magazine- but tbh I can’t really get interested in a lot of the Olympic sports and the more traditional sports that are difficult to get coverage of overseas. And while I always love a decent test match, cricket has long been a mess.
The only thing I thought in his comment here was the lazy comparison, however unintended, between Barstool sports and WelNix. Probably a lack of knowledge. I definitely put him in the category of people who nodded along when all the rowing idiots and Parore slagged off the World Cup All Whites for drawing with Italy. There’s a clear malice/defensiveness towards football in some quarters. I remember a weird comment slagging off football when the ABs won the WC.
Cleaver wrote in a year wrap:
“17. I discovered that even with the best will in the world, I can no longer pretend to be interested in either the A-League or the Australian National Basketball League.
The only thing I thought in his comment here was the lazy comparison, however unintended, between Barstool sports and WelNix. Probably a lack of knowledge. I definitely put him in the category of people who nodded along when all the rowing idiots and Parore slagged off the World Cup All Whites for drawing with Italy. There’s a clear malice/defensiveness towards football in some quarters. I remember a weird comment slagging off football when the ABs won the WC.
Cleaver wrote in a year wrap:
“17. I discovered that even with the best will in the world, I can no longer pretend to be interested in either the A-League or the Australian National Basketball League.
I do worry this makes me a lesser sports junkie, but to make up for it my interest in the NZ NBL has been re-piqued, while my son’s fanaticism has rekindled my love of England’s Premier League, so I'm by no means lost to those sports.
I do believe, however, that Basketball NZ does a lousy job of promoting and marketing the Tall Blacks, who are really good.”