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{{B}}American Sports{{/B}}
? ?The United States is a sports-loving
nation. Sports in America take a variety of forms: organized competitive
struggles, which draw huge crowds to cheer their favorite team to victory;
athletic games, played for recreation anywhere sufficient space is found; and
hunting and fishing. Most sports are seasonal, so that what is happening in
sports depends upon the time of year. Some sports are called spectator sports,
as the number of spectators greatly exceeds the number playing in the
game.
? ?Baseball is the most popular sport in the US. It is played
throughout the spring and summer, and professional baseball teams play well into
the fall. Although no other game is exactly like baseball, perhaps the one most
nearly like it is the English game of cricket.
? ?Football is the
most popular sport in the fall. The game originated as a college sport more than
75 years ago. It is still played by almost every college and university in the
country, and the football stadiums of some of the largest universities seat as
many as 80,000 people. The game is not the same as European football or soccer.
In American football there are 11 players on each team, and they are dressed in
padded uniforms and helmets because the game is rough and injuries are likely to
occur.
? ?Basketball is the winter sport in American schools and
colleges. Like football, basketball originated in the US and is not popular in
other countries. Many Americans prefer it to football because it is played
indoors throughout the winter and because it is a faster game. It is a very
popular game with high schools, and in more than 20 states, state-wide high
school matches are held yearly.
? ?Other spectator sports include
wrestling, boxing, and horse racing. Although horse-racing fans call themselves
sportsmen, the accuracy of the term is questionable, as only the jockeys who
ride the horse, s in the races can be considered athletes. The so-called
sportsmen are the spectators, who do "not assemble" primarily to see the horses
race, but to bet upon the outcome of each race. Gambling is the attraction of
horse racing. |
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