If LD plays LCW at the center of Michigan Stadium, and 110,000 people watching, the people on the upper deck will need a 30x binocular to see the bird.
Haha that is besides the point. They have boxing title fights and basketball games in football stadiums as well and those sell out (and if you're at the far end it'll look like two ants circling each other) ... I don't even remember if Wembley was sold out for the BWF WC2011 final day and that is a 5,000 capacity stadium I believe. Following icehockey from the nosebleed section is probably comprable to badminton but I guess that's why they have jumbotron's up ... [video=youtube;mVtYGqjECOM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVtYGqjECOM[/video]
i remember when the WC was in LA in 2005, the Arrowhead Pond (now Honda Center) is quite close to full house during final. and that's a 17,000+ stadium.
Weren't the sides closed down/ unavailable for seating? Don't remember seeing people seated there ... Would be interesting to find out what the largest crowd ever was for badminton . I see total attendance for the whole week was 40,192 at the Pond, read elsewhere it was about 5000 a day during weekdays in a linejudge's account of the event. But no doubt the final looked well attended (and loud) . Wonder how many would turn up for LCW in Malaysia's national soccer stadium for an exhibition match ...? And a correction: Wembley Arena can apparently house 12,500 (mixed it up with the temp. arena that was supposed to be build but cancelled)
Scenario: exhibition match Malaysia v China reverse Thomas Cup style: 3 MD, 2 MS (in a squash style aquarium at dark). Surely should set a record ... . MAS population: 27 million. Example to follow: Germany vs USA Icehockey World Championship 2010 opening match, Gelsenkirchen ... attendance 77,083 (with of course football being the most popular sport, not icehockey. But I can't think of many other sports which would follow behind so icehockey must still be one of the more popular ones).
[h=2]Drew Brees nearly flawless as Saints pick apart unarmed Colts[/h] NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 23: New Orleans Saints' head coach Sean Peyton walks to the sidline in crutches to take... [TABLE="class: mod-data mod-pbp"] [TR="class: even"] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: even"] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: even"] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] NEW ORLEANS -- Fans sitting in the upper deck of the Superdome turned their backs to the field, where the New Orleans Saints were setting franchise records, and saluted head coach Sean Payton, who was sitting high above in a booth with his broken leg propped up. He might as well have had both feet up by the middle of the third quarter.Drew Brees completed 31 of 35 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns, and the Saints set a franchise record for points and victory margin in a 62-7 demolition of the hapless Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. [h=4]When The Saints Go Marching In[/h] Even with coach Sean Payton up in the booth, the Saints were firing on all cylinders Sunday and it showed in the final score. [h=4]Most Points Scored Single Game, Since Merger[/h][TABLE] [TR] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]2011 [/TD] [TD]Saints[/TD] [TD]Colts[/TD] [TD]62[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]1973 [/TD] [TD]Falcons[/TD] [TD]Saints[/TD] [TD]62[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]1972 [/TD] [TD]Giants[/TD] [TD]Eagles[/TD] [TD]62[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]1985 [/TD] [TD]Jets[/TD] [TD]Buccaneers[/TD] [TD]62[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="colspan: 4"]-- Source: ESPN Stats and Information [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [h=4]Largest Point Differential Single Game, Since Merger[/h][TABLE="width: 328"] [TR] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]2011[/TD] [TD]Saints[/TD] [TD]Colts[/TD] [TD]55[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]2009[/TD] [TD]Patriots[/TD] [TD]Titans[/TD] [TD]55[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]1976[/TD] [TD]Rams[/TD] [TD]Falcons[/TD] [TD]55[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]1973[/TD] [TD]Falcons[/TD] [TD]Saints[/TD] [TD]55[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="colspan: 4"]-- Source: ESPN Stats and Information [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] "I was real proud of how we played tonight, how we handled the week of practice," said Payton, standing on crutches after the game. "We spent a lot of time during the week just talking about us beginning to play our best football, because we really felt while we were 4-2, we hadn't done that."Payton had called offensive plays from the sidelines since he took his first head coaching job with New Orleans in 2006, but that changed after he was caught up in a tackle along the sideline during a loss at Tampa Bay last week and was injured. Payton had surgery on Monday and didn't attend a practice until Thursday.Sitting high up in the Superdome for the game against the Colts, he had to like what he saw down below, where offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. called plays for the first time. Brees had two touchdown passes to Marques Colston and one to Darren Sproles in the first quarter. His fourth and fifth touchdown tosses went to second-year tight end Jimmy Graham in the third quarter.It seemed the Saints (5-2) could do whatever they wanted, also rushing for 236 yards."We had a great game plan. We played with a lot of confidence. Pete did a phenomenal job," Brees said. "It was just our night, one of those games that doesn't come along too often. ... We needed a win like this, especially after the past week and everything we've gone through."The Saints' point total tied the most in a game by any team since the AFL merged with the NFL in 1970. The Saints' previous franchise high for points in a game was 51 on three occasions and their largest previous victory margin was 42 over Denver in 1988.When the large video board in the Superdome showed Payton peering out from the booth, the crowd erupted. By the time the third quarter ended, there wasn't much of a crowd left.Colston had seven catches for 98 yards.Brees wasn't intercepted before he was replaced by Chase Daniel late in the third quarter, a move that prevented New Orleans' starting quarterback from extending his NFL record of four straight games with at least 350 yards passing. [h=4]Newer Isn't Always Better[/h] Not only did Brew Brees have more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4) Sunday night, but his five scores matched the combined total of every new starting QB in Week 7. [h=4]Brees' Pass TDs vs. New Starting QBs Week 7[/h][TABLE] [TR] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]Christian Ponder [/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]Tim Tebow [/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]John Beck [/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]Kyle Boller [/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]A.J. Feeley [/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: last"] [TD]Charlie Whitehurst [/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="colspan: 2"]-- Source: ESPN Stats and Information [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Mark Ingram rushed for 91 yards on 18 carries but limped to the locker room early in the fourth quarter with what Payton said was a heel injury, adding that X-rays were negative. Sproles carried 12 times for 88 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown.The Saints had 557 yards and a team-record 36 first downs.The winless Colts (0-7) are guaranteed to have fewer than 10 victories in a season for the first time in nine years, and at this rate they might not win many games at all."That team played better than we did in every area and we just got whooped across the board," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. "It's one of those things that once you don't do the little things right, there is a lot of bad things that happen to you. Obviously, I have to take responsibility for our team and the way that they played."Colts quarterback Curtis Painter was only 9 of 17 for 67 yards and had an interception returned 42 yards for a touchdown by Leigh Torrence."We just didn't play near well enough," Painter said. "We made a few too many mistakes in the beginning, and any time you're playing a team as good as them, they're going to make you pay. We just kind of got off to a rough start and you've got to credit them. They played well."For the seventh game this season, Colts star quarterback Peyton Manning was forced to watch because of a neck injury that has sidelined him all season.As hard as it had to be for Manning to be a spectator in his return to his native New Orleans, it had to be even harder to see his team's mistake-prone performance. These Colts looked more like the bumbling Saints of old that his father, Archie, starred for three decades ago. Indianapolis fumbled twice in the opening quarter, giving the Saints a relatively short field both times.The first came on the opening drive on a botched snap that linebacker Jonathan Vilma recovered on the Colts 41-yard line.Brees then completed his first three passes, the last a 14-yard scoring strike to Colston, who made a leaping catch in front of defensive back Jerraud Powers to make it 7-0.The Saints then went 81 yards in six plays, including Pierre Thomas's 57-yard gain on a screen pass, and took a 14-0 lead when Brees hit Colston again with a quick 4-yard throw over the middle.The Saints then took over on their 48 when defensive tackle Tom Johnson stripped rookie running back Delone Carter, and Cameron Jordan recovered.Sproles started the drive with a 16-yard run and finished it with a 6-yard touchdown catch.Brees' 26-yard completion to Lance Moore ignited yet another touchdown drive, this one covering 69 yards in seven plays and ending with fullback Jed Collins' 1-yard score on a second-effort plunge through a pile of players.John Kasay added field goals of 23 and 47 yards. The second came as time expired in the half and was set up by Colston's 39-yard reception.Indianapolis trailed 31-0 before scoring on Carter's 2-yard run, capping a seven-play, 80-yard drive that was highlighted by Carter's 42-yard scamper on the opening play.Game notes Pierre Thomas' 57-yard reception in the first quarter was his longest gain from scrimmage in his career. ... RB Joseph Addai left the game after two offensive series because of a nagging right hamstring injury. ... The Colts said reserve TE Jacob Tamme was being evaluated for a possible concussion. ... Saints S Roman Harper left the game in the second half after taking a hit to the head. Harper said he would be fine. Copyright by STATS LLC
London teenager is tipped for NFL stardom in America NY Times article: Recruiters Pounce on British Transfer With No Football Experience - NYTimes.com BBC Article: By Grec Dawzon Newsbeat US reporter "Francis Kallon has only been playing American football for a few months and is still learning the rules. But that hasn't stopped the 17-year-old from becoming the most talked about young player in the US. He's had more than a dozen offers from universities across America to join their teams after playing the game for the first time last spring. Now the 6ft 6in (1.98m) teenager is tipped as a future star of the National Football League (NFL). Francis moved from London to Lawrenceville, Georgia, last year with his family. When he started at his local school he says he had no interest in trying out American football "I didn't even know what American football was about," he admits. "I'd seen it before on the TV but I would just switch it off." Francis was first spotted in the gym at Central Gwinnet High by school coach, Todd Wofford, who believed the teenager had the potential to be a useful player for his team. "I watched him playing soccer and he was phenomenal. His footwork was great and he was so tall and strong," says the coach. 'Something special' It took the coach several months to persuade Francis to give the game a try but he says it was worth the wait. "I looked at my assistant and said, 'I think we just might have something here.'" "Anybody can look at him and see he is something," says Todd. "He has as much potential as anyone I've ever seen - or more." Within weeks Francis had been spotted by scouts across the US and was offered 13 scholarships. Playing college football, as it's known, is a big deal in the US. Games are televised and played in stadiums with as many as 80,000 spectators. (more like as many as 100,000+ ) Francis says he's likely to study in Georgia so he can be close to his family, but after that the next step is the NFL - one of the highest-paid leagues in the world. "My goal is to focus on doing what I've been doing and getting better," he sayd. "And if the NFL comes I'll take it." It's a step Francis's coach believes will happen. "To find someone with so much talent who's never played the game before is rare," he says. "There are guys who've played the game for years who'll never be as good as he is after just a few months." http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/16301581 Funnily enough after only reading the BBC article, Georgia Tech would seem a perfect fit for him. Little did I know he has already commited to Georgia Tech verbally as mentioned in other articles . Of course playing for a "mediocre" school with mediocre opponents will make anyone look NFL calibre . [video=youtube;_u1yGum2wWw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u1yGum2wWw[/video]
A Tom Brady versus Eli Manning (in the absence of Peyton) Super Bowl please! Sorry to sidestep the Ravens and 49ers.
Colts axed Jim Caldwell after dismissing Bill Polian, Peyton Manning must be next. Way to go Jim Irsay for hiring Ryan Grigson to do the dismantling/dirty work knowing full well the Colts is gonna build upon Andrew Luck! Btw, to Ravens fans, sorry you can't win at Gillette Stadium.
Really? Defense wins it huh? We'll see how the Tom Brady-led offense picks apart Raven's bruising defense!
Defense doesn't win it all as most would say by following the norm when they face Tom Brady's team anytime. Of course, a mistake here and there helps the Patriots' cause against the Ravens. My money is on Tom beating Eli at Peyton's house (not Peyton's house anyways this season). Scoreline? I'll get back...
ARE YOU READY?!? Have no preference just hoping for a quality game ... (to make it worth staying up to 4AM and sitting out a Madonna halftime performance )
I 'd like the younger version of Madonna in Lady Gaga! Look out Giants, don't count on that early lead...here we come!
Looks like you and I were dead wrong! MANning, HOF! It's one more for Eli than big brother Peyton. Reshuffling of hierarchies at home.
