Sports in America (Essay Sample)

Sports in America
Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Synopsis
Just like other countries in the world, the United States has is among those countries that have always been crazy about sports. However, anyone would doubt if there is any other country in the world whose design and meaning is evident in its sports. In many odd ways, has a rich history in sports. The country has different sporting activities, ranging from those with a big fan-base to those with a very small fan-base. Those with a big fan-base are the major American sports while those with a small fan-base are the minor American sports. This research project therefore presents some of the findings on American sports and how they have evolved to be liked by Americans. The widely discussed sports in this project include soccer, basketball, cricket, baseball, and boxing among many other sports.
Methodology
Information used in this project was gathered by carrying out a detailed research on different sports in America. Some of the most important sources of information include published articles and books. In addition, other sources of information included interviews and administering questionnaires. Different sportsmen and women were interviewed about their views on different sports they played. Also, fans for different sports were sampled and interviewed one-on-one while some had the option of answering designed questions on questionnaires. Through this, it was easier to collect data about how different sports were liked in America. A sport with few numbers of fans was then deemed to be a minor sport while that with many fans was a major sport. Books and other published articles were a rich of information about the history of sports in America.
History of American sports
As noted in the synopsis, America has a rich sporting history. Dating back from the late nineteenth century to today, both professional and school sports have proved to be the two most important community-building institutions in the United States (Winfield, 2009). They have greatly helped in defining American identity in the same way Hollywood and the American political system are defined in the grassroots. Many Americans feel it is not good to ignore sports owing to the fact that they are living in a nation that is struggling with problems such as racism, increasing waves of immigration, and undergoing fast-paced economic changes different from other countries in the world (Naison, 2015). Sporting is the only source of happiness for Americans when they are going through many hardships in life (Ferguson, 2004). It has therefore given Americans a lasting connection their country’s traditions and cultural values. In this respect, America is regarded as the home of sports in the whole world.
The United States is an exceptional nation in the world. Research shows that unlike other nations in the world, Americans do not identify themselves as “Americans” through religious or ethnic affiliations (Murray, 2014). Rather, all Americans are bind together by their civic identify. Since time immemorial, what have helped Americans establish this identity are sports. Each year, Americans commemorate the signing of the Declaration of independence. As they celebrate this, most Americans feel it is always important for them to examine one or two sports that have helped them improve on their identity. For some, however, feel some sports have been there for so long to the extent of being neglected. For example, while baseball is one of the America’s most dominant sports, its relevance in binding Americans has diminished considerably. Baseball played a crucial role during the American Civil War. Also, this sport has always played a key role in the modern Civil Rights movement (Naison, 2015).
The role played by sports in the U.S
All sports are important to the American society. Important, they all have a good fan-base and their popularity has continued to improve tremendously. Additionally, studies have shown all American sports serve as an important tool for transmitting values in a society. Some of the values transmitted through sporting events include teamwork, justice, and fair play. Through sports, the U.S has been able to comfortably undertake social and racial integration and has also acted as a bond for the diverse cultural values of all Americans.
Because of the role played by sports in America, the government has found it important to avail more opportunities to Americans to engage in sporting activities. These opportunities are always available for both participants and spectators. During colonial times, the most common sporting activity was team sporting. Native Americans dominated in playing a variety of ball games, some of which are today viewed as a form of lacrosse. The most common and widely played sports in America include football, basketball, and baseball. Nonetheless, settlers introduced more sports in the United States. These sports were reviewed and became among the most popular American sports in the course of the 19th century (Murray, 2014).
As a result of the growth in the number of sports, there have been more rituals being done during sporting events. When there is a basketball game or a local school football, residents from different communities feel they can easily access the event of the week by attending such events. Thousands of fans gather in stadiums and other social places to watch professional championship games, especially football and baseball (Shackelford, 2009). Importantly, many baseball fans will flee from winter in the north for a week or two purposely to watch how their favorite players prepare for the forthcoming baseball season during spring.
Popular American sports
This research found that many sports in the U.S have come to limelight because all along they have received support from the government. Unlike other countries where every sport is an independent entity, American sports are managed and sponsored by the government and other private enterprises. The government ensures that every sport reaches standards that can attract enough support from fans (Shackelford, 2009).
Of all the principal American sports, baseball is the only sport which is which termed as the most elegantly designed and the easiest sport to account for as far as appeal is concerned (Winfield, 2009). The game is played under very strict rules and dimensions. Indeed, the rules are unbending and with very few expectations, these rules have not changed for many years. This is because, unlike sports like basketball, baseball is independent of the size the player, but rather on fact that humans do not change much as outlined in human evolution.
If baseball represents nearly all qualities of the country at equilibrium, basketball and football have the ability of showing where ...