I have been following the thread and I think I have reached my limit. Your view of history is rather warped, picking and choosing the facts that best suit whatever axe you are trying to grind. I know very little about New Zealand, so I am not even going to try to figure out what started this thread in the first place. American Football is a sport. It's that simple. It is not a socio-cultural expression of who we are, nor does it have any deeper meaning than just a pass time.
If you want to argue bravery, we have our own storys from the war. Every Congressional Medal of Honor winner has done the equivalent of the impossible. During WWII, Texas soldiers carrier their state flag, and were feared by the enemy because they were believed to be an elite unit from a seperate country that refused to die. Time and time again US soldiers beat the odds without the equipment and machinery you claimed they always had. No, we don't have a national warrior culture, but we have our heroes.
If you want to compare stories, look up the Battle of New Orleans in 1812, the Alamo, the Battle of San Jacinto, Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Manassas, Battle of The Bulge, D-Day, and any other of the war stories. What you will find is men doing the best they can with what they have. Conversely you will also find stories about men making mistakes and losing both the battle and their life. Unlike you, I am more than willing to admit that we are not perfect, either as individuals or as soldiers.
If you want to argue millitary prowess, that is best measured by wins and losses. The US hasn't been beaten. Vietnam is an arguement, but we lost the
PR battle in the press, not the war on the ground. The last time I checked, New Zealand was still a property of the crown. So, while the Maori may have been fierce warriors and brave fighters, they also lost. The US hasn't been a property of the crown since we beat the same army, just as out manned, out gunned and out manufactured as any other colony fighing for its freedom.
Germany had its manufacturing capability destroyed because they chose to pick a fight. So did Japan. Rommel got his tail kicked because he was arrogant and didn't believe he could be beaten. The supply issue was due to his superiors arrogance and when they over-extended their resources fighting a three-front war, one of which was a land-war in Russia (which history showed, yet again, couldn't be accomplished). In spite of all of your pejorative comments about the lack of US courage, intellegence or what ever you feel is lacking, you have yet to put together a cohesive arguement to support your assertions. The fact of the matter is that the US gets involved because we have to, we go in, do the job and ask for enough dirt, to quote Colin Powell, to bury our dead. We want a free world with free markets. That is why Europe and Japan were rebuilt from the ground up by US funds, that is why the US is still the largest provider of humanitarian aid in the world.
Now that we have the politics out of the way, lets address sports for a second. I have never seen the game to which you are referring. I don't know the first thing about it, which puts me at a disadvantage. I know that I enjoy watching rugby and Australian Rules Football, so I assume I would enjoy watching your game as well. You have every right to enjoy, participate in and be proud of your game. American football is a different game and comparing them would be like comparing apples and mangos. They both serve their purpose and they are both fruit, but the similarities end pretty soon after that. To say that one is better than the other is a matter of preference.
This is a Football Official's discussion board that deals in American Football. If you have questions about rules, interpretations, game management, etc., I know that there are lots of officials on here, including myself, that would love to help. If you aren't interested in officiating for this sport, please find a politics board or a general football board that debates these topics.