<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">
Wight
Posts: 228</TD><TD><img src=http://members.attcanada.ca/~kind1/beregond.jpg WIDTH=60 HEIGHT=60></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Modern World references in Middle-Earth
You have raised a lot of good points! Football could have meant anything, but I still think it might have been meant to be modern football. Tolkien could have added in something familiar, to create more interest in the book, especially due to the popularity of football. People would think, "Hey, Thorin knows about my favorite game!." Things like that can bond the real world with a fantasy world, not just in Tolkien's work, but also in lots of other books.
Other than that I agree with you on all points! <img src=wink.gif ALT="

">
</p>