[Politics] Donald Trump, US President

[BiffyBoy100]

I began by stating that the viewership worldwide including America is already larger than rugby. I also don't doubt the commercial power of the NFL. However, as I said, its all about the NFL. There will never be a worldwide federal body that is not under the major control of the NFL members. There is and will not be any credible effort to produce international competition and, without that, it will always be a minority sport in World terms.

Yes the financial power of the two sports are incomparable, but in terms of worldwide competition and credibility as a competitive sport, there is, and will never be, any comparison. The organisational model of the NFL has a near total monopoly on the sport and would gain nothing from leagues of similar standard forming in other parts of the world. Its a franchise set up. It will remain a franchise set up as it is far more interested in money than it is in anything else. To say that it is growing faster in the UK market may be true, but is a bit misleading. A quick Google suggests that there are 28,600 US Football players in the UK, compared with 223,000 rugby players. It certainly has more room to grow.

The reaility? American football may have already overtaken rugby in global viewership and commercial domination outside of its traditional base, but the interest is as customers and viewers, not particpants. There is no World body like Fifa, the ICC, or World Rugby that has an interest in spreading the popularity of the game. The NFL, as the only game in town, will do nothing beyond what may line the pockets of its members. To get back on topic, there is no surprise that an organisation with those motives should be cuddling up to president Grandpa Simpson, friend of the 1%.

You’re praising FIFA, the ICC, and World Rugby as if they’re noble organisations growing the game. In reality, they’re just bureaucratic cash machines riddled with corruption, favoritism, and backroom deals.

• FIFA—Bribery, rigged World Cup bids, and officials arrested in FBI stings. They don’t “grow the game”—they sell it to the highest bidder (Qatar?).
• ICC (Cricket)—Designed to favour India, England, and Australia, starving smaller nations of funding. The 2019 World Cup qualification was manipulated to keep “less profitable” teams out.
• World Rugby—Favors legacy teams, manipulated the 2023 World Cup seedings to protect traditional powerhouses, and does little to help emerging nations grow.

And yet, you act like these organisations are somehow more legitimate than the NFL, which at least is upfront about being a business. The NFL doesn’t pretend to be a charity while making backroom deals to benefit insiders.

• UK Rugby vs. American Football Participation
  • Yes, rugby has more players in the UK now (223,000 vs. 28,600), but American football participation has quadrupled in a decade, while rugby participation in England has declined since 2016.
  • The NFL has 13 million UK fans, with 4 million "avid" fans, and London games sell out instantly. That’s a sign of a sport growing rapidly.
  • Meanwhile, rugby participation in England is dropping, with clubs struggling financially.
• International Expansion
  • Germany: 3M+ fans, sold-out NFL games, growing ELF league.
  • Mexico: 2.5M active American football players, 20.5M watched Super Bowl LVII.
  • Japan: Long-running X-League, growing grassroots programs.
• Viewership Dominance
  • NFL outdraws rugby outside of World Cup years and gets more international Super Bowl viewers than any rugby event except the World Cup final.
  • The European League of Football (ELF) is growing faster than any international rugby league.

A corrupt world body isn’t a sign of legitimacy—it’s just a sign of bad governance. The NFL doesn’t need FIFA, ICC, or World Rugby—it’s already bigger, richer, and growing faster than rugby or cricket ever has.

Rugby may have more UK players today, but trends matter more than snapshots—and the trend is American football rising while rugby stagnates.

 

[Rowdey]

You’re praising FIFA, the ICC, and World Rugby as if they’re noble organisations growing the game. In reality, they’re just bureaucratic cash machines riddled with corruption, favoritism, and backroom deals.

• FIFA—Bribery, rigged World Cup bids, and officials arrested in FBI stings. They don’t “grow the game”—they sell it to the highest bidder (Qatar?).
• ICC (Cricket)—Designed to favour India, England, and Australia, starving smaller nations of funding. The 2019 World Cup qualification was manipulated to keep “less profitable” teams out.
• World Rugby—Favors legacy teams, manipulated the 2023 World Cup seedings to protect traditional powerhouses, and does little to help emerging nations grow.

And yet, you act like these organisations are somehow more legitimate than the NFL, which at least is upfront about being a business. The NFL doesn’t pretend to be a charity while making backroom deals to benefit insiders.

• UK Rugby vs. American Football Participation
  • Yes, rugby has more players in the UK now (223,000 vs. 28,600), but American football participation has quadrupled in a decade, while rugby participation in England has declined since 2016.
  • The NFL has 13 million UK fans, with 4 million "avid" fans, and London games sell out instantly. That’s a sign of a sport growing rapidly.
  • Meanwhile, rugby participation in England is dropping, with clubs struggling financially.
• International Expansion
  • Germany: 3M+ fans, sold-out NFL games, growing ELF league.
  • Mexico: 2.5M active American football players, 20.5M watched Super Bowl LVII.
  • Japan: Long-running X-League, growing grassroots programs.
• Viewership Dominance
  • NFL outdraws rugby outside of World Cup years and gets more international Super Bowl viewers than any rugby event except the World Cup final.
  • The European League of Football (ELF) is growing faster than any international rugby league.

A corrupt world body isn’t a sign of legitimacy—it’s just a sign of bad governance. The NFL doesn’t need FIFA, ICC, or World Rugby—it’s already bigger, richer, and growing faster than rugby or cricket ever has.

Rugby may have more UK players today, but trends matter more than snapshots—and the trend is American football rising while rugby stagnates.

Whats the source for these2 stats..?

 

[BiffyBoy100]

Whats the source for these2 stats..?

The NFL playbook for targeting Gen Z fans

mktg.com

2017 London games: NFL announces which teams will be playing

 

[Stato]

You’re praising FIFA, the ICC, and World Rugby as if they’re noble organisations growing the game. In reality, they’re just bureaucratic cash machines riddled with corruption, favoritism, and backroom deals.

• FIFA—Bribery, rigged World Cup bids, and officials arrested in FBI stings. They don’t “grow the game”—they sell it to the highest bidder (Qatar?).
• ICC (Cricket)—Designed to favour India, England, and Australia, starving smaller nations of funding. The 2019 World Cup qualification was manipulated to keep “less profitable” teams out.
• World Rugby—Favors legacy teams, manipulated the 2023 World Cup seedings to protect traditional powerhouses, and does little to help emerging nations grow.

And yet, you act like these organisations are somehow more legitimate than the NFL, which at least is upfront about being a business. The NFL doesn’t pretend to be a charity while making backroom deals to benefit insiders.

• UK Rugby vs. American Football Participation
  • Yes, rugby has more players in the UK now (223,000 vs. 28,600), but American football participation has quadrupled in a decade, while rugby participation in England has declined since 2016.
  • The NFL has 13 million UK fans, with 4 million "avid" fans, and London games sell out instantly. That’s a sign of a sport growing rapidly.
  • Meanwhile, rugby participation in England is dropping, with clubs struggling financially.
• International Expansion
  • Germany: 3M+ fans, sold-out NFL games, growing ELF league.
  • Mexico: 2.5M active American football players, 20.5M watched Super Bowl LVII.
  • Japan: Long-running X-League, growing grassroots programs.
• Viewership Dominance
  • NFL outdraws rugby outside of World Cup years and gets more international Super Bowl viewers than any rugby event except the World Cup final.
  • The European League of Football (ELF) is growing faster than any international rugby league.

A corrupt world body isn’t a sign of legitimacy—it’s just a sign of bad governance. The NFL doesn’t need FIFA, ICC, or World Rugby—it’s already bigger, richer, and growing faster than rugby or cricket ever has.

Rugby may have more UK players today, but trends matter more than snapshots—and the trend is American football rising while rugby stagnates.

So you like American football. Good for you. You know I didn't praise any of them. You know the point I was making and didn't address it, so let's stop the thread derail shall we?

 

[BiffyBoy100]

So you like American football. Good for you. You know I didn't praise any of them. You know the point I was making and didn't address it, so let's stop the thread derail shall we?

That's an assumption. I'm not a big American Football fan at all. I just expected Stato, would have more stats to back up their argument.

Let's get back to steel tariffs:

 

[Stato]

That's an assumption. I'm not a big American Football fan at all. I just expected Stato, would have more stats to back up their argument.

If you want to talk stats, where did you get the 'quadrupled in a decade' stat from? According to this: https://teamukfl.com/blog/ukfl-by-the-numbers-is-american-football-popular-in-the-uk/, Statistica had it at about the same C29k in 2016.

 

[BiffyBoy100]

If you want to talk stats, where did you get the 'quadrupled in a decade' stat from? According to this: https://teamukfl.com/blog/ukfl-by-the-numbers-is-american-football-popular-in-the-uk/, Statistica had it at about the same C29k in 2016.

Let's stop the thread derail shall we?

*While full-contact participation has stayed around 29K since 2016, flag football has surged to around 80K players, with projections hitting 100K by 2025. So combined, participation has more than tripled"

 

[Stato]

Let's stop the thread derail shall we?

*While full-contact participation has stayed around 29K since 2016, flag football has surged to around 80K players, with projections hitting 100K by 2025. So combined, participation has more than tripled"

Fair enough. So it hasn't then.

 

[Zeberdi]

For anyone in the UK still asking what the American election had to do with them

Starmer urged to spell out plan to fight Trump’s tariff trade war

Trump’s tariffs on steel have provoked panic that his administration could soon go after other products

www.independent.co.uk

 

[BadFish]

I began by stating that the viewership worldwide including America is already larger than rugby. I also don't doubt the commercial power of the NFL. However, as I said, its all about the NFL. There will never be a worldwide federal body that is not under the major control of the NFL members. There is and will not be any credible effort to produce international competition and, without that, it will always be a minority sport in World terms.

Yes the financial power of the two sports are incomparable, but in terms of worldwide competition and credibility as a competitive sport, there is, and will never be, any comparison. The organisational model of the NFL has a near total monopoly on the sport and would gain nothing from leagues of similar standard forming in other parts of the world. Its a franchise set up. It will remain a franchise set up as it is far more interested in money than it is in anything else. To say that it is growing faster in the UK market may be true, but is a bit misleading. A quick Google suggests that there are 28,600 US Football players in the UK, compared with 223,000 rugby players. It certainly has more room to grow.

The reaility? American football may have already overtaken rugby in global viewership and commercial domination outside of its traditional base, but the interest is as customers and viewers, not particpants. There is no World body like Fifa, the ICC, or World Rugby that has an interest in spreading the popularity of the game. The NFL, as the only game in town, will do nothing beyond what may line the pockets of its members. To get back on topic, there is no surprise that an organisation with those motives should be cuddling up to president Grandpa Simpson, friend of the 1%.

i can't help but wonder how much of the popularity of the superbowl is about the trimmings rather than the game.

For instance, and for context i have zero interest in any of it so haven't sought out any information about it.

However I know that Taylor got jeered, Trumpngot jeered and cheered, Kendrick got mixed reviews and more people were at the 2019 EFL trophy final than the superbowl.

I dont know who was playing or who won (although I assume Taylor's boyfriend's team were in it because she was there).

This all makes we wonder how much of the draw is from football and how much is the other stuff

 

[BiffyBoy100]

i can't help but wonder how much of the popularity of the superbowl is about the trimmings rather than the game.

For instance, and for context i have zero interest in any of it so haven't sought out any information about it.

However I know that Taylor got jeered, Trumpngot jeered and cheered, Kendrick got mixed reviews and more people were at the 2019 EFL trophy final than the superbowl.

I dont know who was playing or who won (although I assume Taylor's boyfriend's team were in it because she was there).

This all makes we wonder how much of the draw is from football and how much is the other stuff

Yes, I agree with what you're saying—so much of the Super Bowl is about the trimmings rather than just the game. The halftime show, adverts, probably pull in just as many casual viewers as the actual football.

That said, comparing it to the 2019 EFL Trophy Final doesn’t really work. Super Bowl venues aren’t just picked based on size—they need top-tier facilities, corporate hospitality, media, and usually good weather. That’s why it’s not just held in the biggest stadium possible.

Also, when we think of American football in the UK, we tend to think only of the NFL, but college football is huge. Teams like Michigan (107,000+ capacity), Penn State (106,000+), and Ohio State (102,000+) regularly sell out stadiums way bigger than any NFL venue. If it was just about cramming in the most people, the Super Bowl could be played at one of these, but it’s more about the whole production, exclusivity, and corporate side of things.

 

[Zeberdi]

Not sure how this thread turned into a long discussion about American football (I haven’t been following it) but in case anyone is still following the impacts of Trump’s EOs!

• Trump has doubled down on his Gaza plans reiterating that Palestinians would NOT have the ’right of return’ - that was after the Press Office stepped back on that last week:

Trump latest: US president says Palestinians will have no right to return to Gaza - as British industry facing 'devastating' tariff blow

Donald Trump has repeated his idea to take control of Gaza, insisting he's committed to "owning" what he described as a "real estate site". Meanwhile, a new round of tariffs could have an impact in the UK. Listen to the Trump 100 podcast below and follow updates from Washington here.

news.sky.com

• In Africa, the impact of Trump dismembering USAID is already having dire consequences:

“It is a decision that will have serious, real-world consequences - and the impact is already being felt in countries such as Uganda. The health ministry in Uganda has announced its intention to shut all dedicated HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) clinics in the country. Stand-alone pharmacies supplying antiretroviral drugs will also be closed.”

Trump latest: US president says Palestinians will have no right to return to Gaza - as British industry facing 'devastating' tariff blow

Donald Trump has repeated his idea to take control of Gaza, insisting he's committed to "owning" what he described as a "real estate site". Meanwhile, a new round of tariffs could have an impact in the UK. Listen to the Trump 100 podcast below and follow updates from Washington here.

news.sky.com

• His import tariffs are threatening EU and Chinese exports. France and Germany are talking about tit for tat reciprocal tariffs which in turn could trigger a World recession.

Trump latest: US president says Palestinians will have no right to return to Gaza - as British industry facing 'devastating' tariff blow

Donald Trump has repeated his idea to take control of Gaza, insisting he's committed to "owning" what he described as a "real estate site". Meanwhile, a new round of tariffs could have an impact in the UK. Listen to the Trump 100 podcast below and follow updates from Washington here.

news.sky.com

In all of these US policy areas (foreign aid, the Middle East, international trade), this is what it looks like when you have an undisciplined, unhinged and deranged narcissist sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. This is what it looks like when the ‘Leader of the Free World‘ thinks the Office of the Presidency is like being the CEO of an ‘Up-market‘ Real Estate Company whose sole purpose is to buy up land on the cheap to develop into luxury condos with gold plated bathroom fittings; who does not hesitate to evict minorities or indigenous residents that ‘lower the tone of the neighbourhood’; To sack any staff who draw a line at taking his dirty laundry to the dry cleaners and above all, one sole objective: to line the pockets of the CEO himself.

 

[A1X]

 

[clapham_gull]

Strategic genius. Going public with Gaza plans before the all hostages are released.

What a plank. Clearly only interested in a property deal.

 

[BN41Albion]

Not sure how this thread turned into a long discussion about American football (I haven’t been following it) but in case anyone is still following the impacts of Trump’s EOs!

• Trump has doubled down on his Gaza plans reiterating that Palestinians would NOT have the ’right of return’ - that was after the Press Office stepped back on that last week:

Trump latest: US president says Palestinians will have no right to return to Gaza - as British industry facing 'devastating' tariff blow

Donald Trump has repeated his idea to take control of Gaza, insisting he's committed to "owning" what he described as a "real estate site". Meanwhile, a new round of tariffs could have an impact in the UK. Listen to the Trump 100 podcast below and follow updates from Washington here.

news.sky.com

• In Africa, the impact of Trump dismembering USAID is already having dire consequences:

“It is a decision that will have serious, real-world consequences - and the impact is already being felt in countries such as Uganda. The health ministry in Uganda has announced its intention to shut all dedicated HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) clinics in the country. Stand-alone pharmacies supplying antiretroviral drugs will also be closed.”

Trump latest: US president says Palestinians will have no right to return to Gaza - as British industry facing 'devastating' tariff blow

Donald Trump has repeated his idea to take control of Gaza, insisting he's committed to "owning" what he described as a "real estate site". Meanwhile, a new round of tariffs could have an impact in the UK. Listen to the Trump 100 podcast below and follow updates from Washington here.

news.sky.com

• His import tariffs are threatening EU and Chinese exports. France and Germany are talking about tit for tat reciprocal tariffs which in turn could trigger a World recession.

Trump latest: US president says Palestinians will have no right to return to Gaza - as British industry facing 'devastating' tariff blow

Donald Trump has repeated his idea to take control of Gaza, insisting he's committed to "owning" what he described as a "real estate site". Meanwhile, a new round of tariffs could have an impact in the UK. Listen to the Trump 100 podcast below and follow updates from Washington here.

news.sky.com

In all of these US policy areas (foreign aid, the Middle East, international trade), this is what it looks like when you have an undisciplined, unhinged and deranged narcissist sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. This is what it looks like when the ‘Leader of the Free World‘ thinks the Office of the Presidency is like being the CEO of an ‘Up-market‘ Real Estate Company whose sole purpose is to buy up land on the cheap to develop into luxury condos with gold plated bathroom fittings; who does not hesitate to evict minorities or indigenous residents that ‘lower the tone of the neighbourhood’; To sack any staff who draw a line at taking his dirty laundry to the dry cleaners and above all, one sole objective: to line the pockets of the CEO himself.

Its mind blowing, yet not surprising in the slightest. What is equally as depressing is that there are millions of americans who are pig ignorant to all this, and even more worrying and scary - millions who are fully aware of all this yet still hang on his every word/act. As for those this side of the pond who hang on his every word (like those few on here), even though they have an outsider's view on it all, well... the worst of the lot, really.

 

[Bodian]

What do @lasvegan @Crawley Dingo and the other acolytes think of these plans? Have they spoken yet?

 

[BadFish]

Yes, I agree with what you're saying—so much of the Super Bowl is about the trimmings rather than just the game. The halftime show, adverts, probably pull in just as many casual viewers as the actual football.

That said, comparing it to the 2019 EFL Trophy Final doesn’t really work. Super Bowl venues aren’t just picked based on size—they need top-tier facilities, corporate hospitality, media, and usually good weather. That’s why it’s not just held in the biggest stadium possible.

Also, when we think of American football in the UK, we tend to think only of the NFL, but college football is huge. Teams like Michigan (107,000+ capacity), Penn State (106,000+), and Ohio State (102,000+) regularly sell out stadiums way bigger than any NFL venue. If it was just about cramming in the most people, the Super Bowl could be played at one of these, but it’s more about the whole production, exclusivity, and corporate side of things.

yeah i get that, it wasn't my comparison, just some of the limited information i have seen about it.

 

[BN41Albion]

What do @lasvegan @Crawley Dingo and the other acolytes think of these plans? Have they spoken yet?

Of course not. You'll get a laughing emoji though

 

[A1X]

What do @lasvegan @Crawley Dingo and the other acolytes think of these plans? Have they spoken yet?

Bold of you to think they give even the remotest of shits

 

[Eeyore]

What do @lasvegan @Crawley Dingo and the other acolytes think of these plans? Have they spoken yet?

I'm not sure he means that he would own it as he used the words 'this'. He's referring to the US. It may be that he sees himself as some kind of God like figure which falls in line with his statement after the assassination attempt.

But that doesn't make it any better.

The fact is that he cannot achieve this aim when no one bar the Israel government is in agreement. It is a violation of international law.

It is being said in some quarters that he is playing a game, designed to to achieve a hidden foreign policy agenda in other quarters. But to accept that is to assume he is a smooth and smart operator. I find it hard to be convinced of that.

I'm finding myself having to pinch myself at the some of the things he is coming out with now. The concern being that we cannot just dismiss them as some kind of madness over the pond because it's going to affect us all.