Sports in America

1
Sports in America

• Different ways to look at
• a great phenomenon

Based on US Society and Values Sports in
America. An electronic journal of the U.S.
Department of State, Volume 8, Number 2,
December 2003.
2
Why Americans play ball games

• Americans are crazy about their sports Baseball,
  Football and Basketball were invented in the USA
• America adores its sports heroes because the
  country does not have the long history of Europe,
  Asia or Africa
• America as well as its sports focus on an
  individual rising to the top and taking others up
  with him towards a victory for everyone

3
Baseball

• the games rules almost have not changed in a
  hundred years
• the game as well as the country of the United
  States improved with the integration of
  African-Americans
• it is about the individual player who scores
• it represents all the countrys different
  qualities in a well-balanced way

4
Football

• the game represents Americas qualities in an
  exaggerated way it is a wild and chaotic game
  with
• it belongs to the working class
• like baseball it is a game of individual progress
  unlike baseball progress is gained in very tiny
  steps (inch by inch)
• the quarterback is the president of the game
• it makes one think of military operations / war
• it represents Americas attitudes towards war 1.
  reluctance to get into war, and 2. the desire to
  win and get out as soon as possible

5
Basketball

• the games structure largely depends on the
  players size
• rules and dimensions have changed often due to
  the players getting taller and bigger
• integration took less time than in the other
  sports ? popular inner city game which even the
  poorest child can play
• balance between individual and team play that has
  changed within recent years

6
American games around the world

• American sports is known and valued all over the
  world
• in the past American trainers helped athletes in
  developing countries for the love of the game
• today sports agents recruit talented athletes
  from all over the world to play ball in the US
• basketball superstar Michael Jordan transformed
  American sports into a global phenomenon
• (cf.Sports in America, p. 10)

7
Women and Sports

• 1972 Title IX of the Education Amendment Act
  signed by President Nixon ? guaranteed equal
  rights for women in the field of education,
  including athletics
• results scholarships for female athletes, rise
  in mainstream intercollegiate athletics for women
• problems challenges remain (mostly male coaches,
  more women as consumers needed, financial
  problems, see Womens United Soccer Association,
  etc.)

8
Disablilty and Sports

• federal legislation acts have opened doors for
  people with disabilities
• many disabled athletes participate in
  recreational and competitive sports
• Paralympic Games receive more attention in
  Europe than in the USA they are the second
  largest sporting event in the world

9
High School Sports

• there coexist physical education (PE) programs,
  intramural and competitive sports
• Intramural sports substitute the lack of a
  traditional club sports system as it exists in
  Germany for example
• the schools athletic teams play an important
  role for its image
• school athletic events are of high social
  importance for the identity and culture of the
  community
• Successful high school athletes can apply for
  university scholarships

10
Sports and Economics

• The big four professional sports leagues (NBA,
  NFL, MLB, NHL) are about 10 -15 billion in
  revenue ? small part of US economic output
• the economic market of sports differs from other
  economic sectors uncertainty is important to
  maintain the fans interest, teams need
  competitors to produce revenues, etc.
• Sports provide (media) entertainment, engagement,
  and positive community identy

11
Sports and Language

• Several sport terms have become a part of
  standard American speech and are used commonly
• General example A whole new ball game a new
  set of circumstances
• We found our way around D.C., but NYC is a
  whole new ball game!
• Baseball example Off base unrealistic,
  inexact, wrong
• His cost estimate was completely off base!

12
Sports Wit Wisdom

• When I was a small boy in Kansas, a friend of
  mine and I went fishing. I told him I wanted to
  be a real Major League Baseball player, a genuine
  professional like Honus Wagner. My friend said
  that hed like to be president of the United
  States. Neither of us got our wish.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)
• US President 1953-1961