Is professional cycling different than all other sports ?

[Ganymede]

All excellent suggestions (other than Wendyball - not even sure this exists) - but I still think that cycling is different than them all.

Just fyi, Wendyball is a derisory nickname for football.

Netball may only allow 2 players to score the goals but the goals are attributed to the team, not the individuals.

 

[Chromatic]

How about yacht racing. In the America's cup for instance doesn't the skipper get all the kudos but he has a team doing all the work too?

 

[cisamcgu]

Kudos is different than actually winning the race - in cycling the winner (team leader) has, as well as winning the race, also beaten all of his team-mates - not sure if this happens anywhere else

 

[jarlrmai]

Cycling is still different because the victory is attributed to the individual within the team.

 

[jarlrmai]

It's why the superdom is the fan favorite.

 

[cisamcgu]

Superdom ?

 

[MisterStan]

Superdom ?

Super Domestique - Richie Porte for Froome or indeed Froome for Wiggins.

 

[BrumJim]

Nothing like the cycling team supporting the individual winner, but there appear to be some parallels in the BBC article about Boxing's Journey Men, i.e. people who are paid, and whilst not actually contracted to avoid winning, understand that attempting to do so will harm their near-future money-earning potential. Their job is to help and support the star, and to put any personal desire to win to one side as a result.

 

[rich p]

Just fyi, Wendyball is a derisory nickname for football.

.

A pathetic one, IMHO, but not her?

 

[rich p]

Blimey, the answer to the OP is yes, despite people trying to shoe-horn other square sports into a round hole

 

[400bhp]

Perhaps, some of the long distance running events. The Kenyan's and Ethopians vs Paula Radcliffe for instance.

But it's not as obvious.

The closest parallel is probably the world of work.

 

[oldroadman]

Nothing like the cycling team supporting the individual winner, but there appear to be some parallels in the BBC article about Boxing's Journey Men, i.e. people who are paid, and whilst not actually contracted to avoid winning, understand that attempting to do so will harm their near-future money-earning potential. Their job is to help and support the star, and to put any personal desire to win to one side as a result.

So when Bill Bloggs has a contest with the latest "great hope", best not to bet against a "great hope" win, then. Which is almost the same as, er, fixed??

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Wait a minute, what about that sport where there are people, like real people and not pretend ones, where something happens and then someone does something and then they fall down and help each other, and then a monster appears and a unicorn. And then an old man in a cloak dies but lives on in the form of another person that was in the film...oh no, wait a minute, that was a film. Sorry.

 

[Backonmybike]

Politics. A large team helps a politician win a seat - he gets a well paid part time job with lots of opportunities to make a bit of cash on the side. The team get a few words of thanks and then everybody forgets about them. A few of the SDs get rewarded with jobs on various govt bodies. I'm sure doping is involved somehere too.

 

[themosquitoking]

Wait a minute, what about that sport where there are people, like real people and not pretend ones, where something happens and then someone does something and then they fall down and help each other, and then a monster appears and a unicorn. And then an old man in a cloak dies but lives on in the form of another person that was in the film...oh no, wait a minute, that was a film. Sorry.

Which film is this? Tell me quick so i can never watch it.