"Football is to rugby what the English language is to the French language". Discuss.

[Tooting Carmen]

Football is the truly universal sport. Wherever in the world you go, someone will either play it or follow it. In contrast, rugby is prominent in just over a dozen or so countries but not much beyond them. Hence the analogy with the English and French languages respectively.

[Tooting Carmen]

bump

[The Blade]

Agreed.

[Tooting Carmen]

Agreed.

Having said that, I am sure I read that there was a time in Bulgaria and several other Balkan countries when French was as or more studied than English.

[The Blade]

Having said that, I am sure I read that there was a time in Bulgaria and several other Balkan countries when French was as or more studied than English.

There was such a tendency in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Popularity of English ironically increased during the communist period.
During those times most studied were Russian and English followed by German.
In our current era English prevails over any other language in its use in Bulgaria (both in education and daily life communications with foreigners), German and Spanish sharing the second place. After this come Russian, French, Greek and Italian.

[Tooting Carmen]

There was such a tendency in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Popularity of English ironically increased during the communist period.
During those times most studied were Russian and English followed by German.
In our current era English prevails over any other language in its use in Bulgaria (both in education and daily life communications with foreigners), German and Spanish sharing the second place. After this come Russian, French, Greek and Italian.

Well yes, American power has led to this all over the world (for good and for ill). Now as for sports, apart from football what are the most popular team sports in Bulgaria? Basketball and hockey? Rugby is big in Romania though.

[Tooting Carmen]

I am a qualified Francophile, and for me the gradual decline of the importance of French globally is actually quite sad, especially because (for now at least) it means there is no other language to keep the dominance of English in check.

[Creoda]

Australia/NZ/South Africa speak English and play/watch Rugby more than Football, and Americans/Canadians play a modified form of Rugby.

Also Football is a more fluid game than Rugby, and French is (seemingly) more fluidic than English.

Football and Rugby are more like English and German, both being of the same family/origins, German/Rugby more resembling those origins, and German/Rugby being less fluid, more jarring.

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

I am a qualified Francophile, and for me the gradual decline of the importance of French globally is actually quite sad, especially because (for now at least) it means there is no other language to keep the dominance of English in check.

Spanish has taken that role.

[Tooting Carmen]

Spanish has taken that role.

Although in terms of the number of first-language speakers it has, there are still infinitely fewer people who learn/speak Spanish as a second language than English. One main problem is that nowhere in the Spanish-speaking world - not even Spain or Mexico themselves - comes close to being a genuine global power.