Why do Americans call themselves world champions when they win a national sportscon.

[mypally]

Whats the best Hockey League? NHL
Whats the best American Football League? NFL
Whats the best basketball League? NBA
Whats the best baseball league? MLB

If a team wins the championship in any of these, they are the best team in the world. Its like a A team saying that the AAAAA that won the state championship cant say they are the best team in the state cause they didnt play every team in lesser leagues. You wont here a MLS team (thats the North American version of the premier league) saying they are the best in the world, cause they arent the top league. The ones listed above, however, are, so they do.

[Deleted]

Because those sports are mainly played in the United States. In Europe, footbal (the one that you play with your feet) is the most popular sport and other sports are largely ignored.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

Typically here in the states when you say "National" Champion it refers to college level sports, while "World" Champion refers to professional level sports. When you get down to high school level it becomes "State" Champion.

So in a weird way what word you say distinguished which level of sports your talking about. I don't think its a "WE RULE THE WORLD AMERICA F--- YEAH!" statement this time. Although it's ok to think that upfront because well.. yeah.. AMERICA F--- YEAH!!

[Tradu]

Though I admit it seems odd at first, we encompass the best competition in the world. There are no organized teams which are on-par with the US in terms of ability and organization. When great players do arise in other countries, guess where they go? There is a reason that (for example) our over the hill NBA stars go play in Europe.

The American leagues would have to allow foreign teams to play in them before it would be at least a little bit logical to call it world champion.

Players also come from all around the world, and people playing in other leagues throughout the world strive to make it to the NBA. It's the highest level of play for the given sport in the world.

That logic just doesn't work, as has been pointed out already, because VERY few teams in different sports leagues around the world only have players from the country the league is based in. Even terrible danish soccer teams have foreign players. That doesn't mean that winning the best danish soccer league(can't remember the name) makes you world champion just because the players are from all over the world.
Even winning one of the leagues that actually matter in soccer(afaik the spanish, english and german ones are the "best" leagues at least in Europe) doesn't make you world champion.

[Xanjori]

Im from Norway, and I understand why at least they pronounce themselves as "World Champions" within NFL/Superbowl and perhaps even baseball and basketball, due to the low amount of competition for these sports around in the rest of the world. Hockey, different story, they actually compete properly as nations since the sport is VERY big in multiple nations outside of NA. There are most likely no team in the world who'd beat any NFL team, outside of America, if there was, we'd probably hear about it. Same goes for basketball and baseball as well.

Erm while not a huge hockey fan I was under the impression that not only do most Finnish/Swedish hockey players play in the NHL, that they did beat Candanian and US teams composed of players all from the NHL too?

[Nerph-]

Apparently, it does, actually. Why does a "world" championship have to feature national teams and not the best players from all over the world?

Because thats what a world championship is about? Different nations competing against each other from all around the world? If a championship only features teams from one country, it's a national championship. I don't see what players nationalities in the championship have to do with it? They play for an American team. I mean that's like saying the winners of the Barcleys Premier League (England's Main Football (or Soccer for the Americans here) League) are World Champions, because their team has players of different nationalities in it. Sorry but that makes no sense to me what so ever.

[Kulanae]

In all seriousness......they are not called World Champions here in the US. If you win the Superbowl you are the NFL Champion XXX'ers. If you win the title in the NBA, you are the NBA champions, etc. Not sure where you are getting World champion from, the only sport using that is Boxing.

[Biged781]

I've hated this ever since I was a child. I'm in America now and on the NBA finals they called Miami the world champions, sorry, but it's only American teams competing in their league, you don't have the right to say that you are world champions, typical American behaviour.

Typical foreigner jealousy (see, I can make gross over-generalizations as well!). Please tell us in the US about these highly skilled basketball teams that are not a part of the NBA. Where are they? Why don't we know about them?

[Deleted]

Because America thinks it's still king of the world.
They are ... when it comes to hand-egg and basket ball, since nobody else takes part.

[Three]

The idea of the worlds best players play in the worlds best league makes them world champions makes no sense to me
Take Australian Rules football for example. It only exist outside of Australia in a tiny way, but the AFL grand final winning team doesn't call themselves World Champions. They call themselves AFL Premiers.

As for American leagues, I believe the winning team in the NHL refers to themselves as Stanley Cup champions, but MLB, NBA and NFL I've seen been called world champions. Why the difference?

[Nerph-]

Whats the best Hockey League? NHL
Whats the best American Football League? NFL
Whats the best basketball League? NBA
Whats the best baseball league? MLB

If a team wins the championship in any of these, they are the best team in the world. Its like a A team saying that the AAAAA that won the state championship cant say they are the best team in the state cause they didnt play every team in lesser leagues. You wont here a MLS team (thats the North American version of the premier league) saying they are the best in the world, cause they arent the top league. The ones listed above, however, are, so they do.

Looking at it this way, I can see why people could claim winning the NFL makes you the 'world champions', but then what about Football (Soccer)? Which league of all the leagues is the best and are the winners of that league then "World Champions"?

[Deleted]

Looking at it this way, I can see why people could claim winning the NFL makes you the 'world champions', but then what about Football (Soccer)? Which league of all the leagues is the best and are the winners of that league then "World Champions"?

Champions league on the team level.

World cup on the nationnal level.

Nothing complicated.

[Deleted]

Players also come from all around the world, and people playing in other leagues throughout the world strive to make it to the NBA. It's the highest level of play for the given sport in the world.

True, but it's the same with our Football, for example players from all around the world play football for Barcelona, when they win the Spanish league they don't call themselves world champions, when they win the European Cup (Champion's League - highest level of club football in the world) with teams from all of Europe competing, they still don't call themselves world champions, even though they are the best of the best.

It's the highest level of play for the given sport in the world, there is more pride in calling yourself what you actually are in being European champions rather than gloating you are World champions whilst only competing against teams from your own nation.

I guess it's because America have less history in their sport, less passion, and less pride.

(using Barcelona as an example, Real Madrid are Spanish champions and Chelsea are European Champions currently)

[Feezee]

Basically, its just different cultural values. Americans think its perfectly reasonable and normal to boast and self-promote, whereas other cultures place a lot more importance on humility. If you grew up with american parents and the american school system, where kids are constantly told they are THE best (not one of the best, THE best), you would have a me-first sense of humility, arrogance, and entitlement too.

Infracted

[Nerph-]

Thinking a bit more about it I think I can't compare Football (Soccer) with the main American sports as Football is a very world wide played sport while the American sports are "rarely" (they are played in other countries, but not at Americans level) played in other countries.

Meh dunno. Still think the correct term would be National Champions.

[RollTide]

Because America thinks it's still king of the world.
They are ... when it comes to hand-egg and basket ball, since nobody else takes part.

You are aware there are professional basketball leagues all over the World?

[Bigbamboozal]

Weird. Normally when a heavily favored team stacked with the greatest players in the world barely beats a far inferior opponent in overtime, you wouldn't say they "handed them their asses", but what do I know?

And I hate to break it to you, but the NHL is an American league and the best players in the world reside there. Make sense now?

WAIT JUST A SECOND HERE guy....stop lying, if the americans are one thing in sports, it's a heavily favored team stacked with the greatest players.. and we WON that game. Truth be told, if your guys won, you'd still be rubbing it in, parading through the streets and calling me a loser.

So I guess what I'm saying is you sound VERY VERY butthurt.
But hey that IS the way it's done there right? Win and you shout and stick both arms up in the air and act like you are the king of the universe....lose and you turn into....well...this LMFAO!
I don't WANT to say typical-butthurt-ameri-fag...but if the shoe fits

Yup, I will get another ban for this, but cbf sugar coating it for yet another american douche on mmochamp who can disbelieve anything in his favor. ESPECIALLY REALITY!
Well I GUESS you'll be okay with old age dementia, since you live with it already from the looks of things.
Best of luck on a darwin award.

(I know you guys can't see me since it's an internet board, but I AM giving you the finger.)

Infracted

[Nerph-]

Champions league on the team level.

World cup on the nationnal level.

Nothing complicated.

Well then isn't the Superbowl the "Champions League" of American Football? Seeing as only 1 nation take part in the NFL, it can hardly be considered a world championship can it. Doesn't World literally mean "multiple nations"?

edit: I take that back, NFL and Superbowl etc can't be considered the same as the Champions League has different nations football teams play against eachother and only American Teams play in the NFL.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

Who care who likes more of what. Find what you like and just go with that. But since everyone ignored me before:

State Champions = high school or lower age group sports
National Champions = college level sports
World Champions = Professional sports / WORLD class athletes

I has nothing to do with geography or arrogance. It is just an easier way to talk about the difference levels. So you dont have to say "college's national champion" and "the nba's national champion" they can just say "the National Champions" or "the World Champions" and people that know sports know the who and the what. Really not much more then that.

[RollTide]

Who care who likes more of what. Find what you like and just go with that. But since everyone ignored me before:

State Champions = high school or lower age group sports
National Champions = college level sports
World Champions = Professional sports / WORLD class athletes

I has nothing to do with geography or arrogance. It is just an easier way to talk about the difference levels. So you dont have to say "college's national champion" and "the nba's national champion" they can just say "the National Champions" or "the World Champions" and people that know sports know the who and the what. Really not much more then that.

I absolutely adore the fact people are using the way a very small group of people phrase a championship as an excuse to bash America. For the most part, American's never refer to teams as World Champs. Usually they are referred to as (League) Champions.