The Rusk said:
One of your points I would completely disagree with. From what I know, America's college system is by far one of the most corrupt college systems in the world. It doesn't matter how smart someone is, if they don't have the money to get into the top end universities/colleges then they're not going to. It's a system that basically helps the rich people stay rich.
That's not corrupt, it's called capitalism and it's one of the reasons why America's colleges are the top in the world.
And you are very wrong on another point. Universities grant TONS of scholarships and full rides if you are smart/hardworking enough, so your whole point of "it doesn't matter how smart you are" is complete bullshit. I know you probably want to cry out, "OH THE OLD MAN IS JUST KEEPING THE WORKIN' CLASS DOWN" but that's largely an exaggeration. How hard you work in life is far more important than what school you go to. I know plenty of kids who have graduated from top universities but failed in their jobs because they didn't work hard enough. Likewise, I know of people who attended community colleges (where the costs are much cheaper) and have gone on to great jobs because of how hard they worked.
So I don't want to hear the excuse that it's just a way of keeping the rich in power because it largely isn't. If you are smart enough and
you work hard enough, you can succeed in your career even if you can't afford to go to a big university.
The Rusk said:
Just another little thing I wanted to ask was whether or not you've watched any rugby? If I'm being honest I've never sat down to watch a game of American football, but from what I've seen it seems fairly similar to rugby, minus all the padding and helmets.
Quick little history lesson on American football for those of you who don't know.
American football has gone through significant changes since it's appearance in the late 1800's. When the first game of American football was played, the only way you could score was by kicking it; holding or passing the ball was not allowed. This is why the game got it's name football. The earliest games of football were almost exclusively played by colleges against one another.
In the beginning, two different types of the game were played: a version of the game that was similar to soccer and a version of the game that was similar to rugby. However, the version of rugby proved to be the most popular version and the soccer version was largely phased out. It was during the late 1800's to the early 1900's that the game expanded and it's rules began to change. The forward pass was added in the early 1900's because large amounts of fatalities in the game began to pile up.
The game of football continued to morph and change while also gaining larger popularity on a nationwide scale. Eventually the game morphed to what it is now. Instead of kicking the ball, as it was originally played, it has morphed into a game of physical contest of moving the ball on the ground and in the air.
So to answer your question: yes, American football has many similarities to modern rugby because American football started as a mix between rugby and soccer.
And for you foreigners who have never sat down to watch a game, you really should some time. It's a fantastic game that features not only physical strength, but also speed, precision, teamwork, and huge amounts of strategy. I'm not joking when I say that it's pretty much the equivalent of chess in the sports world.
