Wednesday, May 09, 2007
F1 is Football backwards
Last weekend we were confronted by a friend who declared that F1 was not a sport. What do you think? His main problem was a common one: the machine. If the best driver had the best car he would win. That, for him, didn't make it a sport. The problem is that there are so many variables in the driver and the car that to call one the best, over the course of a whole season, is very hard. Frequently the best will change from track to track.
An even more significant rebuttal, however, is to argue that men are no different from machines. The human body is a piece of technology, only slightly more complicated, and moister, than an F1 car. It can be manipulated by its manager, its fitness coach, and its other players in a team the same way a car can. If you had the best players all in one team, wouldn't you win? I think the chances are the same as if you had the best driver and the best car. What if you had the best player in the worst team? Isn't that the same as putting Schumacher in a Spyker?
The 'human' element of a sport is a myth, I believe. A group of men might as well be a machine, or men building a machine. In the end, I think the closer you look the fewer boundaries you find between F1 and football, and the less capable you are of distinguishing one from the other, saying that one is categorically better, or purer, as a sport.
An even more significant rebuttal, however, is to argue that men are no different from machines. The human body is a piece of technology, only slightly more complicated, and moister, than an F1 car. It can be manipulated by its manager, its fitness coach, and its other players in a team the same way a car can. If you had the best players all in one team, wouldn't you win? I think the chances are the same as if you had the best driver and the best car. What if you had the best player in the worst team? Isn't that the same as putting Schumacher in a Spyker?
The 'human' element of a sport is a myth, I believe. A group of men might as well be a machine, or men building a machine. In the end, I think the closer you look the fewer boundaries you find between F1 and football, and the less capable you are of distinguishing one from the other, saying that one is categorically better, or purer, as a sport.
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As both Newbie and rampant football fan, I have many things to comment here, but it is late and I need to retire (after an unspecified number of laps).
Whilst I am not sure that a group of men 'might as well be a machine', the loss of an important part i.e. Thierry Henry/gearbox, can throw the result of a match/race into disarray. However, you can make another gearbox. You can't replace an Henry, not outside the transfer window and not without shelling wads of cash. On which note, Chelsea tried having the 'best' players in one team (through the medium of shed-loads of illegally-obtained Russian oil money, er, allegedly) and they have just been knocked out of the Champions' League and pipped to the Premiership. If they fail to win the FA Cup, that's an expensive season for a hobbyist Russian with a yacht fetish.
I'm not saying that football is purer, but eleven men playing as a team is not quite the same as two drivers, a spare car and umpteen support staff, IMHO. So, as previously discussed, F1 is more like cricket...
To be continued!
Whilst I am not sure that a group of men 'might as well be a machine', the loss of an important part i.e. Thierry Henry/gearbox, can throw the result of a match/race into disarray. However, you can make another gearbox. You can't replace an Henry, not outside the transfer window and not without shelling wads of cash. On which note, Chelsea tried having the 'best' players in one team (through the medium of shed-loads of illegally-obtained Russian oil money, er, allegedly) and they have just been knocked out of the Champions' League and pipped to the Premiership. If they fail to win the FA Cup, that's an expensive season for a hobbyist Russian with a yacht fetish.
I'm not saying that football is purer, but eleven men playing as a team is not quite the same as two drivers, a spare car and umpteen support staff, IMHO. So, as previously discussed, F1 is more like cricket...
To be continued!
Obviously I was being deliberately absolutist for the purposes of encouraging discussion, but there are a few things to be said.
It's true you can't replace an Henry, but you can't replace an Alonso either. Your star player is like your driver, maybe?
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It's true you can't replace an Henry, but you can't replace an Alonso either. Your star player is like your driver, maybe?
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