why do english commentators say

bubthatub · 01-09-2006 05:37PM #1

why do english commentators say that sports people from other countries are english when they win something or are doin well in an event. e.g eddie irvine when he would win a grand prix they would say that he has done england proud. i know he is from northern ireland and that is part on the the british isle but eddie irvine thinks of himself as irish. or when the british number one in tennis andy murray when asked how it was to be englands next best thing he replied im scottish not english

Terry · 01-09-2006 05:40PM

because they are idiots.

GreenHell · 01-09-2006 05:41PM

I always figured that they were always grasping to be proud of something british and sometimes that filtered down to stuff wrongly being called English.

Ruu_Old · 01-09-2006 05:42PM

Eddie Irvine is the crazy Irishman when he crashes out or gets in a fight. :rolleyes: Its a pity more sportsmen and women don't stand up for themselves like that chap you mentioned, OP.

Trinity · 01-09-2006 05:43PM

No they do it with bands/musicians/actors etc when they are doing well in the charts or hollywood.

often heard it on the radio - westlife english? I think not.

they just wanna take all the credit

Wertz · 01-09-2006 05:46PM

lol I just brought up the exact same point in the "British isles" thread.
They just love to hang on to any chance of victory in anything.

Flukey · 01-09-2006 05:47PM

It is more a case that they use British when they are doing well and from their own countries when they are not. So if they are being described as Scottish, that means they are not doing well. There is the famous description of "Barry McGuigan, the British boxer that won the world title" and "Barry McGuigan the Irish boxer that lost the world title." While he did win the British title, he was not even from one of the 6 counties. In Snooker they say that Cliff Thorburn of Canda was the last "overseas" player to win the world title. He won it in 1980. Now last time I checked, Ireland is overseas from Britain and in that time Alex Higgins, Dennis Taylor and Ken Doherty have all won it.

OctavarIan · 01-09-2006 05:47PM

English people are gluttons for that. Sports commentators especially. I couldn't watch the world cup on english channels because of the constant and unrelenting referances to 1966.

"Best team since 1966"... They say that every ****ing time, it's been 40 years, let it go. ****.

GreenHell · 01-09-2006 05:50PM

I think this raises an interesting point, if we didn't watch so much English TV, would we even care? Its like the whole soccer, world cup thing. We all regularily watch their media and then get annoyed about things we don't like in it.. But its not put on air to keep us Irish happy.

Rb · 01-09-2006 05:54PM

julep wrote:

because they are idiots.

QFT.

OctavarIan · 01-09-2006 05:58PM

GreenHell wrote:

I think this raises an interesting point, if we didn't watch so much English TV, would we even care? Its like the whole soccer, world cup thing. We all regularily watch their media and then get annoyed about things we don't like in it.. But its not put on air to keep us Irish happy.

Irish television isn't great though, to put it nicely. The only television I ever watch is the football (premiership) which RTE cover from time to time. The english coverage would be a last resort for me.

I think if Ireland had better sports coverage there wouldn't be as much complaining. RTE2 is trying to satisfy everyone, but it can't. There needs to be another channel or two.

stipey · 01-09-2006 05:58PM

Anybody see Kate Thornton's interview with Samuel L. Jackon when himself and colin farrell were promoting SWAT - it typifies the OPs point..... Fair play to SLJ though - handled it very well.

* Thornton: What was it like working with Colin (Farrell), cos he
o is just so hot in the U.K. right now?
* Jackson: He’s pretty hot in the U.S. too.
* Thornton: Yeah, but he is one of our own.
* Jackson: Isn’t he from Ireland?
* Thornton: Yeah, but we can claim him cos Ireland is beside us.
* Jackson: You see that’s your problem right there. You British keep claiming people that don’t belong to you. We had that problem here in America too, it was called slavery.

muckwarrior · 01-09-2006 06:00PM

Reminds me of that Samuel L Jackson story re Colin Farrel.

bubthatub · 01-09-2006 06:03PM

Yeah That Was Classic

mike65 · 01-09-2006 06:03PM

Why do the Irish claim so many, not born here, as Irish esp so called "Irish-Americans"? All countries do this and why is AH full of anti british/english threads today?

Mike.

GreenHell · 01-09-2006 06:08PM

Its the 1st of sept, thats international - We used to be a colony and still have a chip on our shoulder day.

Terry · 01-09-2006 06:13PM

mike65 wrote:

Why do the Irish claim so many, not born here, as Irish esp so called "Irish-Americans"? All countries do this and why is AH full of anti british/english threads today?

Mike.

i never do that.
i hate that irish-american crap.
they're american and that is that.

also, regarding the threads here, i don't think they are anti-british.
disagreeing with aspects of a certain culture does not mean you are against that culture.

mike65 · 01-09-2006 06:26PM

Don't worry by midnight and the Friday post pub brigade it'll be a bearpit.

Mike.

bubthatub · 01-09-2006 06:31PM

mike65 wrote:

Why do the Irish claim so many, not born here, as Irish esp so called "Irish-Americans"? All countries do this and why is AH full of anti british/english threads today?

Mike.

i have never heard anyone say that family friends tv radio no one not one person

Terry · 01-09-2006 06:36PM

mike65 wrote:

Don't worry by midnight and the Friday post pub brigade it'll be a bearpit.

Mike.

don't worry. i'll be here to clean things up.

mike65 · 01-09-2006 06:42PM

i have never heard anyone say that family friends tv radio no one not one person

Really, sure any RTE programme with an American guest featuring an Irish surname or indeeed first name will be greeted as she/he sits down with some blather about "So with a name like O Reilly you're one of use then!" Guests then smiles and explains how her great-great-great grandmother fled these shores having been hunted down by English infantrymen for daring to teach as Gaeilge while wearing an Up teh RA! lapel brooch in 1821 (cue round of applause). Okay I exaggerate a bit.

Mike.

Dirk Gently · 01-09-2006 06:46PM

mike65 wrote:

Okay I exaggerate a bit.

You do exaggerate sometimes actually, just a little though

clownbag

Caco · 01-09-2006 07:06PM

Trinity1 wrote:

No they do it with bands/musicians/actors etc when they are doing well in the charts or hollywood.

often heard it on the radio - westlife english? I think not.

they just wanna take all the credit

They do this with Pierce Brosnan aswell, just because he lived there since he was 11. But he still calls himself Irish and was born here. (Though Wikipedia say he's Irish-American

)

mike65 · 01-09-2006 07:14PM

(Though Wikipedia say he's Irish-American )

Have'nt you heard? His great-great-great Grandmother...etc!

Mike.

Mossy Monk · 01-09-2006 07:31PM

Caco wrote:

(Though Wikipedia say he's Irish-American )

don't believe everything Wikipedia tells you. lots of inaccuracies there

Raekwon · 01-09-2006 07:32PM

This reminds me of the golfer Darren Clarke. He is from County Tyrone but always insists that he is British. But when Europe won the last Ryder Cup, Clarke was walking around with the Irish tri-colours and celebrating with Padrig Harrington and Paul McGinley.

Bit of a hypocrite :rolleyes:

Terry · 01-09-2006 07:34PM

i don't really see much harm in that.
half the people in the north class themselves as british. however, they are also entitled to Irish citizenship, should they want it.