Thread: Panama's favorite sport

i guess there really is no polo club in panama although i've just found out that birdwatching is a popular pasttime there, is birdwatching a sport?

Originally Posted by nuaeman

I guess there really is no polo club in panama although I've just found out that birdwatching is a popular pastime there, is birdwatching a sport?

No. Birdwatching is a hobby, but it is not considered a sport. Although I imagine if you wanted to make it 'extreme birdwatching,' you could include elements of rock climbing, hang-gliding and other very dangerous sports. Or, you could just run the entire time!

Cheers.

haha... that's a good business idea... survivor birdwatching - only in panama... how about singing while you birdwatch... bird idol?

Well Panama's favorite sport is definitely Baseball, but i have also seen people there crazy for soccer. Besides their are couples of other sports but the favorite is baseball.

How about soccer. I think most people in the world really love soccer right. If they dont like it emm.. maybe something wrong.

Originally Posted by nuaeman

How about soccer? I think most people in the world really love soccer, right? If they don't like it, emm... Maybe [there is] something wrong?

Yes, they all love 'fútbol,' as soccer is called there. Like the rest of the countries south of the U.S., they all love soccer. You can find all the major South American games on t.v., and the World Cup gets more press than local politics.

Cheers.

good guess michael,well americans don't have much problem because the most favorite ones match up,the other favorite soccer is gaining quite popularity and so is surfing.

Of all these sports which are popular over there, which are the ones that Panama excels in it? I think they have good soccer players there.

So far, the only sport that Panama has really achieved any notoriety in is boxing; scroll up or page back in this thread to catch the links. And while Panama does have a national soccer team, they aren't very good compared with the competition. A quick perusal of ESPN will show you that...

Cheers.

I just checked and noticed they have good players but most seems to have retired. I checked the soccer match scores and well at least they better than ours I believe

Originally Posted by nuaeman

...I checked the soccer match scores and well at least they better than ours I believe

Well, compared to Malaysia, Panama has a decent team; both compared to the U.S. are weak teams. Now, that is not to say that the U.S. has a fantastic WC team, just relatively better.


Cheers.

• Boxing
• Baseball
• Soccer
• Basketball

My wife and I were in Panama during the last football (soccer) world cup and it seems that they love the game. They like to do a lot of betting on things.

I've heard about Panama's favorite sport as baseball only and they have Baseball fever too, and they will be eagerly waiting for the next baseball season.According to me, Panama's favorite sport is Baseball.Thats it.

My opinion is that the national sport is baseball, but i don't like it. I would do everything for an hour of quality football with my friends. Have you tried football on beach? (A little tip: It's awesome)

Back in the day, boxing was huge. I seem to recall a fellow by the name of Roberto Durán. And if I'm not mistaken, Panama once had at least three (could've been as much as five) world champions simultaneously.

Just thought I'd mention that.

Judged by what the TVs are tuned to in bars and restaurants, and the attention paid by the local patrons, I'd say futbol (soccer) is first, then beisbol (baseball), then boxeo (boxing). Futbol is certainly the dominant one in terms of newspaper and TV coverage. But in terms of actual ticket sales, I don't know...

Many gringos think baseball is bigger here than it really is, because several Panamanian players have done well in the US leagues -- and that's what gringos watch; they don't watch soccer. But the Panamanian locals don't usually watch US sports; if they watch baseball, it's their own regional teams.

Originally Posted by exilio

...Many gringos think baseball is bigger here than it really is, because several Panamanian players have done well in the US leagues -- and that's what gringos watch; they don't watch soccer. But the Panamanian locals don't usually watch US sports; if they watch baseball, it's their own regional teams.

Panamanians in MLB:

• Rod Carew*
• Hector Lopez
• Rennie Stennett
• Juan Berenguer
• Humberto Robinson**
• Omar Moreno
• Roberto Kelly
• Ben Oglivie
• Mariano Rivera***
• Ramiro Mendoza
• Bruce Chen
• Carlos Lee
• Olmedo Sáenz
• Manny Sanguillén
• Manuel Corpas
• Gil Garrido
• Oliverio Sparks
• Allan Lewis

*Hall of Famer
**First Major Leaguer
***Next Hall of Famer


NOTE: Although it was not my intent to name everyone who made the majors, I apologize for anyone I might have omitted.

I am a big enthusiast of cricket. Every time I am in Australia, I used to play cricket. Here in Panama I have seen a few grounds where cricket is being played.. but never joined a cricket club here...

BOXING: A few Panamanian fighters who became world champions:

• Roberto Durán*
• Ismael Laguna
• Panama Al Brown**
• Hilario Zapata
• Eusebio Pedroza***
• Alfonzo "Peppermint" Frazer
• Enrique Pinder
• Ernesto Marcel
• Jaime Rios
• Alfonso López
• Rigoberto Riasco
• Rafael Ortega
• Jorge Luján
• Luis Ibarra
• Rafael Pedroza
• Alfredo Layne
• Víctor Córdoba
• Carlos Murrillo
• Orlando Soto
• Mauricio Martinez
• Pedro Alcázar****
• Santiago Samaniego
• Celestino Caballero
• Roberto Vasquez
• Anselmo Moreno
• Guillermo Jones
• Ricardo Córdoba
• Vicente Mosquera

*Greatest Latin American fighter ever, and among the top five greatest p4p fighters of all time.

**First Latin American world champion.

***Holds record for most title defences (19) in the featherweight division and longest reign (7 years).

****Died tragically shortly after last fight in which he sustained lethal punishment.

Originally Posted by Panamax

BOXING: A few Panamanian fighters who became world champions:

• Roberto Durán*
• Ismael Laguna
• Panama Al Brown**
• Hilario Zapata
• Eusebio Pedroza***
• Alfonzo "Peppermint" Frazier
• Enrique Pinder
• Ernesto Marcel
• Jaime Rios
• Alfonso López
• Rigoberto Riasco
• Rafael Ortega
• Jorge Luján
• Luis Ibarra
• Rafael Pedroza
• Alfredo Layne
• Víctor Córdoba
• Carlos Murrillo
• Orlando Soto
• Mauricio Martinez
• Pedro Alcázar****
• Santiago Samaniego
• Celestino Caballero
• Roberto Vasquez
• Anselmo Moreno
• Guillermo Jones
• Ricardo Córdoba
• Vicente Mosquera

*Greatest Latin American fighter ever, and among the top five greatest p4p fighters of all time.

**First Latin American world champion.

***Holds record for most title defences (19) in the featherweight division and longest reign (7 years).

****Died tragically shortly after last fight in which he sustained lethal punishment.

Thanks! Nice info! I think boxing is in blood of Panamanians.