Sports in the United States of America

The major team sports in America are home-grown. American football, baseball (often called “The National Pastime”), auto racing (especially NASCAR), and basketball, are the top four main sports in America. Ice hockey is also popular in the U.S., especially in Minnesota and the Northeast. Soccer does not have a particularly large following in the U.S. (in contrast to its extreme popularity in most other countries), but nevertheless, the U.S. did host the World Cup in 1994. Soccer continues to grow in the U.S., and is currently one of the most played sports amongst youth. The majority of the world’s highest paid athletes play team sports in America.

The United States also hosts large followings of traditional European sporting events. Horse racing is popular in the United States as a gambling event, and the United States hosts several world renowned horse racing events, including the Kentucky Derby. Other European sports such as polo have minor leagues.

The United States hosts some of the premier events in other sports such as golf (including three of the four majors), and tennis (the U.S. Open). The most popular form of auto racing is NASCAR. Formula One, while dominant in the rest of the world, has only made limited inroads into the U.S. market. The only Formula One event currently in the U.S. is the United States Grand Prix. However, the visually similar Indy 500 is the nation’s most famous racing event, and both the U.S. Grand Prix and the Indy 500 currently take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In the 20th century, the United States became the center of the two most popular Western combat sports-boxing, which is popular as both a spectator sport and a gambling event, and professional wrestling, which is more scripted entertainment than a true sport. The United States has produced many champion boxers who have become public figures in their own right.

Other combat sports based on Asian martial arts, such as karate competitions, maintain large national leagues and hold frequent competitions.

The United States is also credited in creating the three popular board-based recreational sports - surfboarding, skateboarding and snowboarding. While first practiced by native Hawaiians, Americans were almost solely responsible for creating surfboarding’s worldwide popularity. Skateboarding and snowboarding are completely modern American inventions, and all three have given rise to national competitions and a large dedicated subculture. Snowboarding is the only one of the three to become Olympic event, beginning with the Winter Olympics in 1998.

Eight Olympic Games have been hosted in the U.S., more than in any other nation. The United States generally fares very well in the Olympics, especially the Summer Olympics: in 2004, the U.S. topped the medals table with a record 103 medals (35 gold, 39 silver and 29 bronze). For details see United States at the Olympics.

During times of extreme popularity certain teams have been (unofficially) crowned “America’s team.” The New York Yankees, the Chicago Bulls, and the Dallas Cowboys are examples of teams that have reached this status.

American college sports are nearly as popular as professional sports, particularly college football and college basketball. American colleges often support wide-ranging sports programs, including track and field and more eclectic sports such as water polo, as well as the more popular sports such as football and baseball.

Baseball

Baseball has a huge following and is referred to as the “national pastime”; Major League Baseball teams play almost every day from April to October. Professional baseball began in the United States around 1865, and the National League was founded in 1876 as the first true major league. The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport’s postseason each October. It is played between the pennant winner of the American League and the pennant winner of the National League. The Series winner is determined through a best-of-seven playoff. Notable baseball players include Babe Ruth, Sandy Koufax, and Albert Pujols.