Hey to you all, is this a place to talk about Maori (or Aotearoa or New Zealand) football, or is it American football only? Wanted to know if there are any Ki-o-Rahi leagues ooutside of New Zealand? Any ex-pat kiwis spreading the game? Hey great site!

Any arguments to Ki-o-Rahi being the absolute toughest, mentally and physically, of all the football codes?

Well let me ask you something , you guys have PSK ?

This is for American Football.

Isn't Taha Maori some type of marinated meat that you put on skewers and barbecue?

Oh, and we have our own version of Ki-o-Rahi; it's called WWF and not related to football (only to politics aka Ventura)!!

Happy Trails!

Thanks for the great welcome JMN, yes Taha Maori could be marinated meat, and in that case you'd be cannibalistic - I understand how names from a foreign culture such as ours may be easily derogatorily interpreted, honest mistake (I hope?)

James Neil could you fill me in with the meaning of PSK please?

In ki-o-rahi football we don't use any protective gear and there is no tackle rule, hence if you get hit well it is usually lights out! When did the protective gear start coming in with American football?

After the first few deaths. '25 or so. Deaths have been decreased dramatically since.

Hi ABoselli, thanks for the info but I would have thought it was more a consumerism thing if only (relatively speaking) 25 have died.Do the companies like their gear to be displayed and do the players like to be all suited up (for whatever reasons?)

Besides the sport of Ki-o-Rahi which was banned by missionaries in NZ in the early 1800's because it was so rough (it basically went underground and has now resurfaced in a much tamer form), we also play rugby union which is a high contact game and claims on average 6 lives EVERY year (since its inception here over 100yrs ago). If you compare our population stats with Americas our 'death rate' is far higher and yet our players still fearlessly play the game without armour or protective equipment. And Ki-o-Rahi is far more brutal than rugby (still no armour worn)!

Just over the ditch our Australian neighbours play their version of rugby, called rugby league and that too is as punishing on the body as rugby - yet still no armour is worn! And farther afield in Italy their version of football is called couchio where it is legal to punch and hack and yet still no armour is worn?!

Is it our psyche or are their other reasons for so much protective gear worn in the American version of football?

[Edited by Taha Maori on Jan 31st, 2003 at 03:48 PM]

Have you ever seen Shaq play basketball? That's often as brutal as you describe without any armour.

'25 meant 1925 was the advent of equipment (or around there) which cut the number of deaths signigicantly. The threat of mortal injury tends to disuade young people from taking up certain sports. So American football would not have to be forced 'underground', a modicum of safety was introduced.

It helped. It's pretty popular these days.

to watch or play?
 

Hi, is American football popular going by the numbers of kids & adults playing it or by the numbers of 'bums on seats' who watch it being played? & what exactly is PSK? Eager to know!

If you freakin' guys are so tough why don't you go take out Iraq and North Korea instead of being like the rest of the world and leaving it up to the "wimps" of the USA who play some sport wearing protective equipment???

You want us to say."Gee you dudes are tough!!!" ? OK, I'll say it. "Gee, you FOOLS are tough!!!"

PSK refers to a concept of post scrimage kick enforcement which applies to a special way of enforcing some fouls which take place during a scrimmage kick. But, since your "sport" apparently does not involve much refereeing I doubt there is anything similar to the concept.

PS: The reason we wear equipment is called "civilization".

Thanks for that TXMike, I thought as a "civilized" country the US wouldn't go to war, where deathrates will be enormous, just to grab someone elses oil? So I guess it depends what you mean by "civilised"?????? Or is "civilised" just used in the context of sport here?

But your wide of the mark with what I am actually talking about and what other posters are up with.

Its why certain populations choose to participate in the sports of varying degrees of physical contact. It is really an academic exploration into the psyche of nationhood.I'm discussing the 'toughness' of the sport that has evolved not questioning your manhood or ability to play sports of varying 'toughness'.

And goodluck to the forces in the Persian Gulf I'm sure that will be one tough assignment! Like the Dallas Cowboys taking on Vermont elementary school?

P.S. has the oil pipeline been finished yet, from Russia across Afghanistan to the sea port?




[Edited by Taha Maori on Feb 1st, 2003 at 07:28 AM]

Maori, this is a football board for officials of the American Football game. I know nothing about the Maori version of rugby, nor do I care to. Not that it is bad, it just doesn't interest me.

On another note, you need to get your facts straight before casting perjorative comments about the U.S. role in world politics.

First, the U.S. doesn't need any more oil. If we did, it would be far easier to get in Russia, around the Caspian Sea and in our own Alaskan and Gulf of Mexico reserves, which are estimated as some of the biggest in the world. Second, the U.S. didn't ask to be the world's policeman. We fill the role for the U.N., as we are the only country with the armed forces to do it. The Iraq issue is very simple. They invaded a country illegally. The U.N. (not the U.S.) removed them from that country, decimated their military and negotiated 16 resolutions over a period of 10 years as a way to keep from having to take over the Iraqi infrastructure. Saddam Hussein and his government have broken every resolution, each of which would be a justification for the U.N. to complete the war that the resolutions postponed. Finally, Iraq has a bunch of nasty stuff, which they have no problem using, that has yet to be accounted for in accordance with the resolutions they violated. In other words, they are hiding it. They agreed to give it up and didn't. They also happen to be in bed with terrorist groups that are trying to kill western (US, EU, Austrailia, etc.) people.

If you feel better demonizing the U.S., then go ahead. We have made our share of mistakes as a country, just like the rest of the world. But please get your facts straight and do some research before you regurgitate what the media is feeding you.

As to equipment in football, it is pretty simple. Players are an investment in time, effort and money. Equipment protects the investment and allows for a better product on the field. Rugby is rougher, but the collisions in American Football are much more violent, because of the strength, size and speed of the players. The are very different games, and it's kind of like comparing apples to oranges.

sleeper I couldn't agree with you more. first of all ruby or whatever type of football maori is doesn't have no where near the contact hits we have here in america. american football is much faster then rugby thats for sure and the hits are much harder. heck I still see kids playing tackle football without equipment everyday in the parking lots and streets here in philadelphia. rugby is a game of chase the football more then tackle the runner anyway, hell most tackles aren't even hard hits in rugby. I'm willing to bet that this guy is an american who is just trying to get people mad, hell how else would he have known that the cowboys couldn't beat a vermont high school team.

I don't know, it's pretty common knowledge that the Cowboys couldn't been a good JV team this year, much less a varsity team :). It appears, from his note, he is an ex-pat here in the U.S. I don't debate rugby is rough, but it is a different sport. Rugby is a game of endurance and continuous contact. American Football is a game of speed and agility with less contact, but higher impact collisions. I think he is showing his ignorance on several levels.

Hi team, accept this as a sincere apology, I may have gone too far in my past rhetoric, but how did this strand get onto politics...

TXmike "If you freakin' guys are so tough why don't you go take out Iraq and North Korea instead of being like the rest of the world and leaving it up to the "wimps" of the USA who play some sport wearing protective equipment??? (end quote)

I have merely 'surfed' onto this site and wasn't sure if it was open to all-types of football or just one form. I have read some of the other postings now and realise my mistake. In no way was I inferring that certain people are tougher (and more macho)because of the type of contact sport they play, it was really a reflection on why coountries prefer their types of football and the advent of armour.

I may have taken the bait (sinker and all) as you may see with the warm welcome I received earlier.

Yes I agree ki-o-rahi, rugby and American football (when did it change from gridiron?) are very distinct codes. Ki-o-rahi and rugby are perpetual-motion type games of 1hr and 1hr 20min respectively - therefore they are immensely aerobic in nature. AF is anaerobically based with 5 - 10sec (even 20 sec?)bursts of play with many stoppages and timeouts.

But again I was more interested in the how and why certain people and cultures arrive at their chosen football code.




[Edited by Taha Maori on Feb 4th, 2003 at 05:55 AM]