A vexed question Peter. Bound to create many sleepless nights around the world as we struggle with the enormity of the conundrum.

And demonstrably more important than the starving millions or the absolutely absurd level of generational endemic poverty in the world's richest economy?

Or indeed the disgraceful power price gouging here at home by some with "official' assistance, at the highest or most incompetent levels. Along with veritable rivers of the BS needed to accomplish that? Yes, its all about priorities and getting them right.

Truly we can say, there is nothing more important to the starving millions or the poor beggers eking out a subhuman existence around the world, than what ought to be the world game?

As I see there are three obvious choices here Peter. This or that?
Alan B.

//So what should be the world's football? There are two possibilities – Gridiron or American Football or Australian Rules. Gridiron is a highly spectacular sport, but it has a penalty shootout too.//

You are joking, right? Gridiron is the world's dullest sport. It takes about four hours to play a game because they constantly stop the game to faff about. How the hell it ever became popular baffles me.

And judging by the silly costumes they prance about it, they must be the girliest girly men in all the world. What I wouldn't give to see gridiron players in a game of Union. I daresay there'd be tears before bedtime.

But really, if you're after an exciting sport forget football and watch ice hockey.

Alan B. If you don't like Football , why not just say so ?

Why pick a game like soccer where there is frequently more happening in the stands or in the commentators' box than there is action on the pitch?
Why pick Aussie Rules as a world football when it has taken 150 years to have successful franchises across Australia?
Why pick gridiron when it takes 4 hours to play an 80 minute game?
Why pick Rugby League, a game for gentlemen played by thugs? Just listen to some former league players whose throats have been tackled once too often?

The one true world football is, believe it or not, Rugby Union with a steadily increasing crop of tier 2 and tier 3 nations being developed out of the profits of each Rugby World Cup. Rugby's World Cup ranks after the Olympics and FIFA's world cup but the gap is narrowing.

Each year more nations discover Rugby, the game they play in heaven, the game with the ethos of fair play that cricket forfeited, the game for players of all sizes, the thinking man's and woman's sport!

This discussion has now finished.

Brian of Buderim...............Spot on !

I had to sit through soccer games when my son was playing it at school. Bloody awful way to spend an afternoon. He liked it so it might be better to play than watch.

I played union at school, great game to play, but like soccer , lousy to watch.

Didn't mind watching league, but the way it is played today leaves me cold.

Ozzy rules yuck, netball & basketball Ho Hum, Golf or Cricket no thanks.

If you want a real ball game try Polo. Now there is a real man's game, that surprisingly, ladies can play on equal terms, but I was only interested in playing not watching.