Sports in USA Notes

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1.

American Football
While baseball will forever be America's favourite pastime, it is a distant second to American
Football in terms of popularity. In fact, if you add college football as a separate category in
this ranking, baseball could easily fall to third place. That's how popular American Football is
in America. The annual Super Bowl is the most anticipated game in America. Heck even the
Super Bowl's halftime performance is more anticipated than the NBA Finals. The NFL is the
most popular league in America. NFL quarterbacks like Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana, Dan
Marino, Brett Favre and Tom Brady are the most popular names in the sport.

SPORTING EVENTS
1. The Super Bowl is North America's single biggest sporting event and is shown in
over 200 countries around the world. There's no greater draw in sports in the United
States and 2021's version will be no exception. Taking place in Tampa, FL ( new
home to 6 - time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady ), the NFL's championship game will
attract a big crowd not only for the event but also for the sunny Florida weather.
2. The NFL Draft began in 1936 as a way to disperse college players to NFL teams
equitably. Jay Berwanger, the first Heisman Trophy winner the previous fall, was the
first player picked. He elected not to pursue a professional football career. The draft
has always been held in New York. The 2010 NFL Draft was the first one held in
primetime. Although tickets are free, fans must arrive early and wait in long lines to
see who the next great NFL stars might be. The first draft was nine rounds. There
were as many as 17 rounds in the 1970's. , The NCAA Tournament began in 1939.
When it first began, the NCAA took a back seat to the more prestigious, and East
Coast-based National Invitation Tournament. The NCAA Tournament wasn't televised
until 1962. Only a condensed version of the championship game was aired on ABC's
Wide World of Sports. This was after the semifinals were edited out.

2. Baseball
There is only one American pastime and it's baseball. It's popularity began in the early 20th
century and has never gone far from America's conscience. If you base your argument on
history and culture, baseball is America's favourite sport. Jackie Robinson broke the racial
barrier while Babe Ruth captured the imagination of fans. The New York Yankees are the
most popular team in all of baseball and even during the 90's era tainted by
performance-enhancing drugs, baseball remains a solid #2 on this list with current stars like
Aaron Judge, Clayton Kershaw and Mike Trout breaking records and dominating opponents.

SPORTING EVENTS
1. World Series - This popular annual championship is also called Fall Classic where
champions of American League and National League, the two popular professional
baseball leagues of North America, compete for the title.
2. The original All-Star games first occurred on July 6, 1933, at Comiskey Park in
Chicago. The game was created by Chicago Tribune sports writer Arch Ward. The
idea was that the game would coincide with Chicago's Century of Progress
exposition. Lefty Grove earned the win and Bill Hallahan was charged with the loss.
Babe Ruth hit the first All-Star game home run and Frankie Frisch hit the National
League's first HR. The 1934 game was remembered for pitching. Carl Hubbell struck
out five Hall of Famers in succession. Ruth, Gehrig, and Jimmy Foxx in the first and
Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin in the second. Each league has also gone on long
winning streaks. The American League won 12 of the first 17 games. The National
League won 26 of 29 games between 1960 and 1985. The American League had a
13 - game unbeaten streak, which ended this year. The Home Run Derby was added
in 1985, and the Futures game in 1999. The most All-Star games have been played
in Chicago and New York .

3. Basketball
Both collegiate basketball and professional basketball are very popular in the United States.
That's because most of the stars from the college ranks are the ones who get drafted by
NBA teams in the annual NBA Draft. This interconnection makes basketball among the Top
3 most popular sports in the United States. Michael Jordan took the NBA into another
stratosphere. He made the NBA into one of the most lucrative professional leagues in
America. With Kobe Bryant and now LeBron James keeping the fire alive and the arrival of
international players on the scene, the NBA isn't just one of the most popular sports in
America. It's one of the most well-loved sports all over the globe.

SPORTING EVENTS
1. Final Four - The tournament began to gain steam when John Wooden and UCLA
rose to prominence. This led to NBC televising parts of the tournament beginning in
1969. In 1971, the Final Four was played at the Houston Astrodome. This was the
first time it was in a domed stadium. The 1979 game between Magic Johnson and
Michigan State and Larry Bird and Indiana State put college basketball and the Final
Four on the map as one of the biggest sporting events in the United States. It
remains the highest-rated college basketball game ever. Three years later, the Final
Four returned to a dome. Michael Jordan announced himself to the basketball world
by hitting the game-winning shot for North Carolina at the Superdome in New
Orleans. This Was Also the first tournament telecast by CBS
2. NBA Finals - annual championship series of the National Basketball Association.
The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series
to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awarded the
Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, which replaced the original Walter A. Brown
Trophy in 1977, though under the same name.
4. Ice Hockey
Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky are Canadians. So was Mario Lemieux. Lemieux played
for the Pittsburgh Penguins while Howe for the Detroit Red Wings so the Americans were
also endeared to ice hockey. Not to mention that while Gretzky began his career for the
Edmonton Oilers, he reached mega-star status while playing for the Los Angeles Kings. The
New York Rangers are obviously, a team from New York who play at the Mecca of Sports-
the Madison Square Garden as their home arena. The Rangers are the first American team
to win the Stanley Cup and they've won it four times, the latest being in 1994. With these
American connections, Ice Hockey sits pretty at #4 on this list.

SPORTING EVENTS
1. Stanley Cup playoffs - is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League
(NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series to determine the league
champion and the winner of the Stanley Cup. Eight teams from each of the two
conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season points totals. The final
round is commonly known as the Stanley Cup Finals, which matches the two
conference champions.

5. Soccer
In the olden days, soccer was very popular globally but not so much in the United States.
But after Team USA's great run at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, new TV ratings were set. With
Major League Soccer continuing to grow a global competition, Soccer continues to flourish in
the United States market. David Beckham's arrival in Los Angeles upped the bar for
American soccer. From being mere casuals, fans went all in. Although it will never surpass
American Football as the most popular foot-driven sport in America, soccer will remain one
of the most popular, even rivalling the so-called Big 4 North American Sports.

6. Boxing
The Greatest boxer of all - time is American. Muhammad Ali was the greatest fighter the
sport ever saw. He didn't just float like a bee and sting like a butterfly. Ali was gifted with the
gift of gab that made him boxing's first true superstar. It helped that his chief rival Joe Frazier
was also American. In the '80s three of the four horsemen of the middleweight division were
Americans: Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns When boxing reached
the Pay Per View era, the biggest pay-per-view draw in the history of the sport was
American - Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather broke one pay per view record after another.
He made boxing more than a sport by adding entertainment value to it. Americans bought
Mayweather. Just look at the PPV records.
7. Golf
Golf is a trendy sport in the USA, with Tiger Woods being arguably the most popular
contemporary Golf figure in the States. Apart from this, he also ranks high among the
greatest golfers of all time that contributed to making America very proud and famous. It is a
fact that Golf is also the 8th most popular sport in the globe. Based on the factors explained
earlier, there is absolutely no room for debate that Tiger Woods has taken Golf to great
heights than even the fantastic Arnold Palmer and rival Jack Nicklaus ever tried to make it
to. But the same way Woods himself brought the sport to the top, he almost pulled down
altogether by himself. The controversies, scandals, and every negative stuff that came from
Tiger hurt the game, from the American point of view at least. I find it very important to
mention that about half of the current Top 10 golfers in the PGA Tour are Americans today,
including the number 1 Dustin Johnson and number 3 Jordan Spieth. But although these are
amazing golfers, none of them does have the star quality and sheer brilliance of Palmer or
Woods that makes viewers tune in to watch T.V. on Sundays. Golf is still searching for the
next American superstar who can replace Woods, and until that time, it is always going to be
the back end of the Top 10 that we'll be seeing.

SPORTING EVENTS
1. The Masters is not only one of the top sporting events in the US, it's widely
considered to be the best golf tournament to attend. It's a true bucket list event for
those that are passionate about golf. Watching the tournament on television is a thrill,
but attending the event in person is a totally different experience. When you walk the
hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club you get a sense of the course that
the cameras just cannot capture. And to feel the atmosphere during Masters week
there's simply nothing like it
2. The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the
annual open national championship of golf in the United States. It is the third of the
four major championships in golf and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour
and the European Tour. Since 1898 the competition has been 72 holes of stroke play
(4 rounds on an 18-hole course), with the winner being the player with the lowest
total number of strokes. It is staged by the United States Golf Association (USGA) in
mid-June, scheduled so that, if there are no weather delays, the final round is played
on the third Sunday. The U.S.
3. US PGA (PGA Championship) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the
Professional Golfers' Association of America . It is one of the four men's major
championships in professional golf. It was formerly played in mid-August on the third
weekend before Labor Day weekend, serving as the fourth and final men's major of
the golf season. Beginning in 2019, the tournament is played in May on the weekend
before Memorial Day, as the season's second major following the Masters
Tournament in April. It is an official money event on the PGA Tour, European Tour,
and Japan Golf Tour, with a purse of $11 million for the 100th edition in 2018.
8. Auto Racing
With the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 among the most prestigious races in the world, auto
racing is one of the most popular sports in America. But while auto racing comes in many
forms, stock car racing tops the field in the United States with NASCAR being the biggest
brand in all of racing. Mario Andretti and Phil Hill are the only Americans to win an F1
championship. Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt are the biggest names in NASCAR.
There's something about racing that drives Americans crazy. It's more of the machines rather
than the man. The adrenaline rush and the need for speed.

SPORTING EVENTS
1. A highlight of every February is the Daytona 500, NASCAR's premier event. Florida
is a perfect destination for a mid-winter getaway and getting to experience one of the
biggest car races in the United States at the same time makes it that much better.
The Daytona International Speedway, which hosts the event, offers an incredible fan
experience, even more so after its massive " Daytona Rising " renovation.
2. Dubbed " The Biggest Spectacle in Racing, " the Indy 500 ( usually ) takes place
every spring at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's the largest single-day sporting
event in the United States and has a long history, dating back over a century. The
2021 Indy 500 will mark the 105th running of this popular major sporting event and
also a return to its traditional Memorial Day Weekend date after the 2020 race was
rescheduled due to COVID - 19.

9. Tennis
Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King helped tennis
capture the imagination of the American public. But it was during the days of Pete Sampras
and Andre Agassi that tennis peaked in the United States. Before Federer, Sampras was the
yardstick for Grand Slam success. Agassi became the sport's rockstar. Back in those Golden
days, half of the Top 100 men's tennis players on tour were Americans. As of May 2017, only
Jack Sock at # 14 was American. Good thing the women's side has the Williams sisters.
Venus is ranked 5th in the world and while Serena is now just # 22, that's because she just
gave birth. Still, because of the successful history of Americans in pro tennis, it's still among
the Top 10 favourite sports in America.

SPORTING EVENTS
1. This major tennis tournament is a highlight of every tennis season. The US Open is
the last grand slam on the calendar and takes place in Flushing Meadows, New York.
One of the best parts of this event is its incredible host city. There are few cities more
exciting to visit than New York, especially as it hosts one of the top sporting events in
the world. When you combine New York's entertainment, dining, and shopping with
some of the best tennis in the world, it makes for an incredible sports travel
experience
10. Mixed Martial
Mixed Martial Arts has made the successful leap from underground circuits to mainstream
sports. It can thank the Ultimate Fighting Championships for that. The UFC has placed MMA
on the global map and its helped MMA become one of the fastest-growing sports in America.
With 11 weight classes including two for women ( a third one is coming up soon ) , the UFC
holds regular pay-per-view and TV events. The UFC reached its peak in 2016 with female
champion Ronda Rousey and Irish superstar Conor McGregor helping the promotion break
attendance and PPV records. Because of its popularity, the UFC was bought for $ 4B last
year, the biggest such sale in the history of sports.

11. Volleyball
Volleyball is known to be a notable sport in the United States, especially at the university and
college levels. Unlike some other Olympic games which are sponsored basically at the
collegiate level for the two sexes, the support for college volleyball over the years has
become skewed in favour of the women's teams. During the 2011-12 school year, there were
over 300 schools in the NCAA Division I alone, which is also considered as the highest of
the three NCAA tiers, which is sponsored by women's volleyball at the university level .
Although there are fewer than 100 schools in all of the three NCAA divisions combined,
there are only 23 of them in Division 1. This is basically because of Title IX; as a
female-oriented sport like volleyball which helps to bring balance to a college's athletic
opportunities for women instead of those for men. Recently, the men's volleyball team has
experienced progressive growth in the non - scholarship NCAA Division Because of this, as
of 2019, there are over 100 schools which sponsor the sport at that particular level. The
men's national team has accumulated three different gold medals at the Olympic Games,
plus two FIVB Volleyball World Cup, one FIVB World Championship, and finally one FIVB
World League, Although, the women's national team has in its place won one FIVB World
Championship plus six other editions of the FIVB World Grand Prix. Beach volleyball as a
sport is increasingly becoming more popular in the United States, basically because of the
role media exposure is playing during the Olympic Games.

12. Athletics
Held every year on Patriots ' Day - the third Monday of April - since 1897, the Boston
Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon race. The race attracts top male and female
runners from across the world but is also open to amateurs. The 100th running of the Boston
Marathon set a world record for the number of participants, which included 38,708 entrants,
36,748 starters, and 35,868 i. In addition to the many runners, the race also sees as many
as 500,000 spectators line the route, which meanders past many of Boston's top attractions.
13. Horse Racing
The Kentucky Derby is so much more than a thrilling day of horse races. It has all the buzz
of a major sporting event plus fashion, tradition, and celebrity. It's such a fun event and the
festivities go on all week long. As the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown ( followed by the
Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes ), there's a lot on the line and the excitement is
in high.

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