SPORTS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction
According to the definition of the dictionary sport is a game, a competition or activity needing physical effort and skill that is played or done according to rules, for enjoyment and/or as a job.
But is this the only meaning that one culture can give to this?
For Americans is more than that, as a very competitive culture is not strange for them sports are more than a game or activity. To they sports mean a way of life, in which they can see the reflection of their own society, mean pride, national confirmation and so on.
And for this is not weird some of the most famous sport people were born there.
This is a culture which gives a lot of importance to sports, as a consequence of this governments invest a lot of money in order to improve and get the best sport people around the world, even more the best sports leagues.
1.A SHORT STORY ABOUT SPORTS IN USA
As everybody know sports play a huge and important role in American society. We could say that they enjoy an enormous popularity but more important is that they are vehicles for transmitting values such as justice, fair play, and teamwork. Sports, at the same time, have contributed to racial and social integration. Even more when they are considered as ”social glue” bonding the country together.
Even in earlier centuries sports were thought as a necessary stuff and exercising human body, as well. All this as part of integrity for human beings. For this reason Benjamin Franklin and the president Thomas Jefferson promoted running and swimming, for example. In the 20th century other presidents kept going with this tradition. Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy continued to encourage physical activity.
Evenmore we can say that team sports were a part of life in colonial North America, even Native American peoples already played a variety of ball games including some that may be viewed as earlier forms of lacrosse.
The typical American sports such as: baseball, basketball and football, however, arose from games that were brought to America by the first settlers that arrived from Europe in the 17th century. And for this reason is possible to say that the idea of sports in USA was incorporated many years ago, we mean before they could get to be a nation.
2.THE VALUE OF COMPETITION IN SPORTS
Many people are inspired to compete for profit or prize, while some revel in the spirit of competition itself because of whatever personal feeling an individual receives when they win, or what meaning the profit or prize has for them. Different people go about competing in different ways, in different arenas, and with different focal points along the way, but in the end, the goal of competition is always to win, and the difference between winning and losing is having the drive to succeed at any cost. The competitors desire to win at any cost is inspired by the results that only winning can give them. Second place is a long way from first, and there are very few people who compete on the daily basis that would ever aspire to just finish in second. Second place does not have the same feeling as when you win, even if your individual thoughts on winning are different from somebody else's, it is hard to imagine anyone showing or experiencing more sensation, more emotion for finishing in second place than they would had they finished in first. This is because, in sports, first place means you are a better competitor than everyone else that went against you in that venue. But what makes someone "better" than someone else? Are they actually a better specific sports player, athlete, or human being? While either of those options could contribute to a person winning over another, there are a number of other things, such as; preparation, dedication, and will that can turn people with limited athleticism into great competitors and winners.
3.SPORTS IN THE UNITED STATES
Sports in the United States is an important part of American culture. The four most popular team sports are:Baseball, American Football, Basketball, and Ice Hockey. The Major Leagues of these sports, Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL) enjoy massive media exposure and are considered the preeminent competitions in their respective sports in the world.
BASEBALL
Baseball is the story of American society, showing how the game has come to symbolize the diversity of this culture. From farm boys to factory hands, grade school dropouts to college graduates; rich kids and poor ones have all made the team. It is the story of American women who have played the game and the wartime success or the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. And it is the story of America's quest for racial equality as reflected in the game's long struggle to let all its players compete on a level field.
Finally, Baseball is the story of American excellence, recalling the legendary giants of the
game.Ty Cobb, perhaps the best player in baseball history, whose driven, bigoted and violent character alienated most of those with whom he played. And Babe Ruth, the game's biggest star, whose unbridled appetites endeared him to fans as much as his colossal achievements. Throughout its history, baseball has give fine athletes who were even finer human beings whose graciousness helped make major league baseball the national pastime it will always be.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
American football emerged from the European game of Rugby in 1879. Walter Camp, a player and coach of Yale University, is recognized as "The Father Of American Football" as the early rules of the game was instituted by him. However, previous to that, the students of Princeton were already playing a game called "Ballown". It was about fisting the ball and then using their feet to advance the ball past their opponents. There were no hard and fast rules that applied and could be stated as the easiest form of football at it's early times. However, the physical aspect of the game was immense and often it turned violent.
American Football has now become a multi-billion dollar industry. With the advent of cable television, the game have crossed the boundaries of America and spread its wings all over the world.
BASKETBALL
Basketball was invented in December 1891 by the Canadian clergyman, educator, and physician James Naismith. Naismith introduced the game when we was an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts. At the request of his superior, Dr. Luther H. Gulick, he organized a vigorous recreation suitable for indoor winter play. The game involved elements of American football, soccer, and hockey, and the first ball used was a soccer ball. Teams had nine players, and the goals were wooden peach baskets affixed to the walls. By 1897-1898, teams of five became standard. The game rapidly spread nationwide and to Canada and other parts of the world, played by both women and men; it also became a popular informal outdoor game. U.S. servicemen in World War II (1939-1945) popularized the sport in many other countries.
ICE HOCKEY
Montreal is at the centre of the development of the modern sport of ice hockey. On March 3, 1875 the first organized indoor game was played at Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink between two sides of nine-player teams including James Creighton and several McGill University students. Instead of a ball, the game featured the use of a puck, the purpose of which was to prevent the puck from exiting the rink, which did not have boards, and hitting spectators. The goals were goal posts 6 feet (1.8 m ) apart, and the game lasted 60 minutes.
4.WOMEN AND SPORTS IN AMERICA
Is very well-known the idea that women in earlier centuries were not able to study and to do any kind of things considered as Men business. Nowadays, the story is pretty different. Probably is because of the Women’s movement of the late 1960s and 1970s with the revolutionary idea of promoted self-empowerment at every level. But it was not until the president Richard Nixon in 1972 declared and guaranteed equal rights for women and girls in aspects like education, including athletics, called Title IX and this one bans unfair treatment based on sex in any program of a school receiving money from the federal government.
This landmark US government legislation is and achievement for every single woman in the States, for this now 2.4 million of women play high school interscholastic sports, and the participation of women in university sports has tripled.
Women now compete in almost every sport, whether the competition is team, individual, or mixed gender.
5.SCHOOL SPORTS IN USA
In the United States sports are very popular since they got into school, from school million of teenagers participate every year in different sport championships. In fact, In 2003, 58 percent of boys and 51 percent of girls in high school played on a sports team.
The most popular sports for boys are: basketball, baseball, football and soccer. And for girls are: basketball, volleyball and softball.
It is necessary to mention some other important sports in the States: gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, tennis, and golf. Which are practise both by women and men, all over the country.
Away from school, teenagers participate year-round in community-sponsored sports leagues. In addition, particularly in the summer, they engage in informal "pick up" games of one sport or another in the streets and parks of their neighborhoods.
6.WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
Americans not only practise sports in summer time, they also do it in winter time, all do we know that some parts of the USA are pretty cold, so the sports they practise are related with snow (snowboarding, ice skating, skiing and so on).
For this reason is not weird to see that Americans participating in the Winter Olympic Games, which are very famous, as well.
The first winter game was held in 1924 in France. In which some originals sports were alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, figure skating, etc. Obviously some other sports have been added and some others have disappeared. This event is celebrated every four years. And it has been hosted in three different continents but never in the southern hemisphere, probably because of the climate.
United States has hosted the Olympic Games four times.
7.IMPORTANT SPORTMEN
BASEBALL
George Herman Ruth, known to the world as "Babe Ruth," was the first sports superstar. He might have become baseball's greatest left-handed pitcher. Instead, he moved to the outfield and became its greatest hitter. After leading the Boston Red Sox to two World Series victories, he was traded to the New York Yankees following the 1918.
conclusion: we have choosen this topic becouse we consider that sport are an important par of everyday life in the american society
BASKETBALL
By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. Although, a summary of his basketball career and influence on the game inevitably fails to do it justice, as a phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar.
Even contemporaneous superstars recognized the unparalleled position of Jordan. Magic Johnson said, "There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us."
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Troy Kenneth Aikman born in November 21, 1966 is a former American Football player for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played 12 consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys. During his career he was a 6x Pro Bowl selection, led the team to 3 Super Bowl victories, and was the Super Bowl XXVII MVP. Aikman was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and to the College Football Hall of Fame on December 9, 2008 in New York City.
ICE HOCKEY
Mario Lemieux, born in October 5, 1965 is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest hockey players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1984 and 2005.
8. SOME AMERICANS WORLD SPORT RECORDS.
Americans are people who really practise and improve sports is why they got many world records in different sports. All those records are ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Records are kept for all events contested at the Olympic Games and some others.
Some record examples
Michael Johnson in August 26th, 1999.
Event: 400 m Progression
Place: Seville, Spain
Kevin Young in August 2nd, 1992.
Event: 400 m Progression
Place: Barcelona, Spain
Randy Barnes in May 20th, 1990.
Event: Shot put Progression
Place: Westwood, United States
Carl Lewis in January 27th, 1993.
Event: long jump
Place: New York City, United States
Michael Phelps in 2002.
Event: 4 × 100 m medley relay
Place: Yokohama
9.MULTI SPORTS EVENTS IN USA
US OPEN
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a tennis tournament which is the modern incarnation of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, with the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881. Since 1987, the US Open has been chronologically the fourth and final tennis major comprising the Grand Slam tennis tournament each year. Rafael Nadal is the most recent men's single winner in 2010.
SUPER BOWL
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the autumn of the previous calendar year.
The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a "conference", and the game was then played between the conference champions.
X GAMES
The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on extreme action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island.
INDIANAPOLIS 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The event lends its name to the IndyCar class, or formula, of open-wheel race cars that have competed in it.
10.THE 1994 FIFA WORLD CUP
In an attempt to stimulate interest in "soccer" FIFA chose the United States as a stage for the largest sporting event in the world. The 1994 World Cup was held outside of Europe or South America for the very first time in its history. Hosting the World Cup was seen as a good marketing move for the future birth of Major League Soccer. The results were below expectation. Surveys taken just weeks before the tournament showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans had no clue that the USA was hosting the cup and most did not even plan to watch it.
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988. Brazil became the first nation to win four World Cup titles when they beat Italy 3–2 in a penalty shootout after the game ended 0–0 after extra-time, the first World Cup final to be decided on penalties. The official match ball was the Adidas Questra
Average attendance was nearly 69,000, which broke records that had stood since the 1950 World Cup. The total attendance of nearly 3.6 million for the final tournament remains the highest in World Cup history, despite the expansion of the competition from 24 to 32 teams (and from 52 to 64 matches) in the 1998 World Cup.
11.BOXING IN USA
What began as combat between Greek and Roman empires somewhere in the neighborhood of 4000 BC has evolved into one of the most popular sports in the history of modern sport, practiced in nearly every country throughout the world. Records allude to pugilistic games and festivals very brutal in nature as combatants fought often to their death, aided by the brutal use of metal studs and spikes. Today, boxing, particularly amateur boxing, is no longer brutal in nature as the sport adheres itself to the strictest of safety constraints, where utmost attention is paid to the safety of the boxer. Amateur boxing now uses gloves without spikes and contests are determined by the use of a computer, rather than by death.
Yet, for all its changes, boxing is relatively unchanged in one satisfying way: it is still hand-to-hand, one-on-one combat, pitting a boxer against someone of relative strength and size both of whom are left to battle for the prize and glory of a nation. Both are skilled in pugilistic technique and the boxer who can combat the other's defenses and offenses shall in turn be declared the winner. As simple and pure as it was in 4000 BC.
Since becoming an organized sport in 1888, Olympic-style or amateur boxing has enoyed a rich tradition of excellence in the United States. The sport has provided competitve opportunities for hundreds and thousands of young men and now young women. When Olympic-style boxing was organized as one of the first sports in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the sport's popularity was mainly limited to the United States. In the early years, amateur boxing's rules were based primarily on professional boxing's regulations.
The popularity of Olympic-style's boxing has spread worldwide since that time and has developed its own identity and rules indepedent of pro boxing.
Since becoming an organized sport in 1888, Olympic-style or amateur boxing has enoyed a rich tradition of excellence in the United States. The sport has provided competitve opportunities for hundreds and thousands of young men and now young women. When Olympic-style boxing was organized as one of the first sports in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the sport's popularity was mainly limited to the United States. In the early years, amateur boxing's rules were based primarily on professional boxing's regulations.
The popularity of Olympic-style's boxing has spread worldwide since that time and has developed its own identity and rules indepedent of pro boxing.
The International Amateur Boxing Association was formed in 1946, creating an international body for amateur boxing. Throughout the sport's development process, the United States has been a world leader among nations in creating competitive opportunities, enhancing the sport's image and making amateur boxing safer for all of its participants.
The sport first gained Olympic inclusion in 1904 and since that time, United States boxers have won 106 Olympic medals: 47 gold, 23 silver and 36 bronze.
The sport first gained Olympic inclusion in 1904 and since that time, United States boxers have won 106 Olympic medals: 47 gold, 23 silver and 36 bronze.
12.SPORTS BETTING
Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome. Sports betting is commonly performed through a bookmaker or through various online Internet outlets.
The legality of Internet gambling can appear to be a complex issue for residents of the United States and for good reason. It is. There are disagreements regarding what the law actually says and until those are cleared up, the picture is always going to be a bit cloudy.
13.MOTOR SPORTS
Historically, open wheel racing was the most popular nationwide, with the Indianapolis 500 being the most widely followed race. However, an acrimonious split in 1994 between the primary series, CART (later known as Champ Car), and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (the site of the Indy 500) led to the formation of the Indy Racing League, which launched the rival IndyCar Series in 1996. From that point, the popularity of open wheel racing in the U.S. declined dramaticall. The feud was settled in 2008 with an agreement to merge the two series under the IndyCar banner, but enormous damage had already been done to the sport.
14.DISABLED SPORTS
Disabled sports are sports played by persons with a disability, including physical and intellectual disabilities. As many of these based on existing sports modified to meet the needs of persons with a disability, they are sometimes referred to as adapted sports. However, not all disabled sports are adapted; several sports that have been specifically created for persons with a disability have no equivalent in able-bodied sports. Disability exists in four categories: physical, mental, permanent and temporary.
AMERICANS HAVE A SPECIALIZED ASSOCIATION FOR DISABLED SPORTS CALLED DISABLED SPORTS USA
Disabled sports USA is a national nonprofit, 501(c)(3), organization established in 1967 by disabled Vietnam veterans to serve the war injured. DS/USA now offers nationwide sports rehabilitation programs to anyone with a permanent disability. Activities include winter skiing, water sports, summer and winter competitions, fitness and special sports events. Participants include those with visual impairments, amputations, spinal cord injury, dwarfism, multiple sclerosis, head injury, cerebral palsy, and other neuromuscular and orthopedic conditions.
15.SPORTS MEDIA
Today, television networks pay millions of dollars for the rights to broadcast sporting events. Contracts between leagues and broadcasters stipulate how often games must be interrupted for commercials. Because of all of the advertisements, broadcasting contracts are very lucrative and account for the biggest chunk of pro teams' revenues. Broadcasters also covet the television contracts for the major sports leagues (especially in the case of the NFL) in order to amplify their ability to promote their programming to the audience, especially young and middle-aged adult males.
Many of the professional sports teams run their own cable networks. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner started the YES Network which broadcasts primarily Yankees games and television shows. His starting of his own network led to almost all teams having a station for their franchises.
We have choosen this topic because we consider that sports are an important part of the american society and it reflects one important value of americans which is competitivity.
