American Sports

Popular Sports In USA

Golf



Pebble Beach in California is perhaps the most iconic golf resort in America. The main course, Pebble Beach Links, overlooks the ocean and is a "must play" for anyone on a golf holiday in America. With astonishing views and a variety of challenges offered on every hole, it definitely shouldn't be missed.

A less well-known course in the resort is the superb Spyglass Hill, believed by those in the know to be one of the best courses in the world. Each hole is named after a Treasure Island character but don't be fooled into thinking that this isn't a serious golf course - this beautiful and brilliantly laid out course can cause problems to even the very best of players.

Baseball



The passion for fantasy baseball today came from a group of men who grew up playing baseball board games, namely APBA (American Professional Baseball Association) and Strat-O-Matic. APBA, invented by Dick Seitz in 1951, was the first baseball board game to base its results on statistics of actual major league players. Strat-O-Matic, invented by Hal Richman, followed with its new game in 1963 and a new phenomenon was born. If you grew up in the 60's or 70's, you no doubt played one of these baseball board games. (I still have a set of Strat-O-Matic game cards from the first season my brothers began playing in 1966).

Tennis



Ball games can be traced back for hundreds and thousands of years. Usually played for entertainment or during religious ceremonies, ball games became highly popular in countless civilizations worldwide. European monks probably created the game of tennis. The players quickly found out that instead of hitting the ball off walls they had better control using their hand. A leather glove was soon created, and not long after, an adapted handle completed the first racquet. As the racquets evolved, so did the balls that were used. A bouncier type stuffed with bran material soon replaced the first primitive wooden balls. The game became highly popular amongst monasteries all around Europe during the 14th century. At one time, the church considered forbidding the game.

American Football



Some of the arguments posted on the website include that cable companies stifle competition and have double standards. This is one of the "points" made on the website: "Cable has a double standard when it comes to sports channels. Channels they own, like Versus and the Golf Channel are included in the basic lineup. Independent channels like NFL Network get left out in the cold. This is unfair and anti-consumer. Consumer interest should decide what channels get carried - not inside deals among cable companies."

Basketball



Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, (born April 16, 1e947 Fredrick Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.) An American NBA All-Star basketball player considered one of the best players of all time. His career spanned over 20 years from 1969-1989. His incredible 7 ft 2 in height made him a force to deal with. His record breaking 38,387 points made him the highest total scorer of any player in the league. Kareem was known for his famous skyhook shot and was awarded six Most Valuable Player Awards.

Kareem was picked for the 1969 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. Karem remained a dominant force for the Bucks scoring 38 points per game and helping the Bucks to division leaders for four straight years. By 1973, Kareem had won three MVP Awards and one of the top NBA players in scoring.

Soccer



With it's primary goal to be the world's most competitive and prestigious soccer league, along with one of America's premier sports and entertainment properties, Major League Soccer is a large part of worldwide soccer news and is making great strides toward accomplishing it's objective. With 6 teams making up the Eastern Conference and an equal number featured in the Western Conference, Major League Soccer is going strong with 12 clubs in only it's 11th season.

However, soccer news recalls that the league has made great achievements since it's inception in 1993. It's inaugural season began in 1995 and soccer news stirred around the new formation of teams, event locations and new players. In 1996, soccer news reported the League's first player draft and spring training. As attendance continued to grow, ESPN began televising soccer news and popularity soared across the nation. During this year, more soccer news reports and members of the media began covering MLS events. Supporters turned out in large fashion to catch a glimpse of their favorite teams and players.