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Chapter 11. Sports in America. Watching or attending sports events is an important part of the lives of many Americans. What are some of these sports, and how they affect the lives of people?. Football.
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Chapter 11 Sports in America Watching or attending sports events is an important part of the lives of many Americans. What are some of these sports, and how they affect the lives of people?
Football • Many Americans attend the “tailgate” party for the football game. For those many other thousands not actually attending the game, a party nonetheless is held in front of a TV set. • There are now twenty four teams divided into two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). • Professional sports in America is entertainment, especially football. • Interest in professional football suddenly increased with the advent of color television.
Football • The largest stadium today is the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan with a capacity of a little over 80 000 seats, and the smallest is the Oakland Coliseum in California seating just 50 000 people. Many stadiums today have a large screen visible from the seating area and capable of displaying a television picture. • In addition to professional football, most colleges and universities have a varsity football team, with additional personnel in a marching band and a squad of cheerleaders, whose task is to lead the spectators in cheering for their team. • One reason football is so popular in America may be that the game combines teamwork with individual prowess in a rough, contact competition.
How the Game Is Played • The two opposing teams place eleven players on the field at one time. The team having possession of the football is the offense whose object is to advance the ball over the defense’s goal line. • The offense must advance at least ten yards in four attempts (called downs) otherwise the defensive team gains possession of the ball and thus becomes the offense. • If the offense believes it will fail to make the requisite ten yards, it will usually kick the ball on the fourth down, so that when the defense takes possession it will be that much farther back from their desired goal. This kick is called a punt.
How the Game Is Played • A team scores 6 points for a touchdown, running or passing the ball over the opponent’s goal line. At that stage, the team can earn one additional point by kicking the ball through the goal posts, a Point After Touchdown (PAT). • There are four quarters of playing time lasting 15 minutes for each quarter. At the end of an hour of playing, the team with the most points wins. In college football, there could be a tie. But in professional football, the game will continue for additional 15 minute periods until one team scores.
The Pontiac Silverdome American Football
Baseball Introduction: • Baseball may still be the great American game, even though many other countries are deeply involved with the game. Professional baseball is still “big business”. • Earlier, before television and air travel, professional baseball was confined to a few cities mostly, but not exclusively, on the East coast. • Today, the largest baseball stadium is the home field of the California Angels, Anaheim Stadium, which holds almost 65 000 spectators. While older Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox, hold only 34 000 fans.
Baseball Development: • Before WWⅡ, there were two major leagues, or groupings, of baseball teams, The older National League and the American League. A third professional grouping was the Negro League, a reflection of the segregation policies prevalent then even in Northern cities. • There was a period of hero worship, the era of the Lone Eagle, Lindbergh, who conquered the Atlantic Ocean. And in the present, sports heroes could also serve to remind Americans that talented individuals can succeed through hard work.
Baseball • The radio announcers broadcasting descriptions of the games, and newspaper columnists writing about the games, exaggerated the exploits on the field and idealized the personal lives of players, thus actually creating many of the colorful heroes of this time. • After WWⅡ , great changes in the game took place. 1. There was the demolition of the color barrier, starting slowly with the hiring of the superb athlete, African-American Jackie Robinson. 2. Gradually all teams have become integrated. The courage and determination of Jackie Robison will never be forgotten.
Baseball • Improved transportation led to the wider distribution of teams; cities that formerly had two teams lost one to cities that had no local baseball team. A modest number of new teams were created. • The baseball season now begins with Spring Training in February at places such as Florida and Arizona. • Major league baseball stadiums have gotten larger and larger in recent times.
How the Game Is Played • Baseball is one of the few team sports that is not controlled by a clock; the location of the ball determines the play of the game. • The pitcher of the defensive team throws the ball towards the home plate at a speed often over 150 km/hr. • A single player of the offensive team, the team at bat, attempts to hit the baseball somewhere in fair territory outlined by the lines running to the right over first base and to the left over third base. • Scoring occurs when a batter travels around all the bases and returns to home plate.
How the Game Is Played • The visiting team is at bat first. When the batting team registers three outs, the two teams switch positions. • Home runs are always exciting, especially when there are additional players on the bases. • There are other rules and regulations for the game of baseball. Baseball is a game of strategy within the framework of rules, so a full appreciation of the game requires a detailed knowledge of the rules. Still, one can always enjoy the drinks and snack food on a hot, lazy summer afternoon.
Basketball • Basketball was deliberately created in 1891 by a physical education teacher in Massachusetts, Canadian-born James Naismith, to provide an indoor sports activity during the snowy winter months when outdoor playing fields could not be used. • In recent times, a new rule requires a team to try to score within a brief time: 35 seconds in the collegiate game, 30 seconds in international play, and 24 seconds in American professional play. Basketball therefore is a fast game, which does not permit leisurely snacking. • Invented in 1891, basketball had its first professional team in 1896. but it wasn’t until 1950 that the National Basketball Association of professional team was established.
Basketball • In 1979 two college players, Larry Bird of Indiana State University and Magic Johnson of Michigan State University motivated an increased interest in the game through their friendly rivalry. Bird subsequently joined the Boston Celtics, and Johnson the Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams dominated the professional game through the 1980’s and even into the 1990’s. • At the collegiate level, teams play a schedule of games based on both the geographical location of the university and its size and resources.
How the Game Is Played • A basketball court can vary slightly in dimensions, but all approximately 26m long and 15m wide. At each end a basket is fixed to a board about 3.1 m from the floor. • The object of the game is to drop the basketball into the net, usually by shooting the ball into the air so that it drops in. • If a player sinks a basket by throwing the ball from a distance of about 6m, the team is awarded 3 points. If a player is closer than that, the team receives 2 points. • Players commit a foul if they touch another player. The player receiving a foul is awarded a free throw from a distance about 4.6m in front of the net.
How the Game Is Played • The challenge in the game arises from the rule that players may not carry the ball. A player can throw the ball to a team mate, or he can bounce the ball on the floor as he moves around the court. • The defensive players naturally try to intercept a pass, or steal the ball while it is being dribbled. The defense also tries to prevent the offense from shooting the ball before the shot clock expires. • There are five players on each team, and collegiate games last forty minutes, while professional games go on for forty eight minutes. All games are broken into quarter periods of play measured by a game clock. • If the score is tied at the end of the regular game period, additional overtime periods are played until one team emerge as the winner.
Other Sports Activities • One sport that has been gaining in popularity is ice hockey. • Americans support racing of all sorts: horses, dogs, automobiles, and bicycles. • The intensely individual sports of golf and bowling • Professional wrestling, and boxing, etc. Ice hockey
Discussion • 1.Why do you think a lot of people love sports? In what way do sports reflect American culture? • 2.Football, baseball, and basketball are the three most popular sports in the US. Are they popular in China? why/why not? • 3.Comment on the role of television in sports competition. Do you like to watch a match via television at home or would you prefer to watch in the stadium?
