Sports are an integral part of the American culture. Discover them by order of popularity below.
American football
American football is one of the biggest sports in North America, attracting a fan base of 3.5 billion people worldwide. The NFL is the only major American professional league. It has 32-teams whose games account for the most bets, according to the sports portal Oddspedia.
Each team has forty-five players, eleven of whom are only active during a live match. The teams are split into three groups: attack, defense, and a special team of players, which is largely determined by their physique.
The sport culminates in the Superbowl, an annual event that determines the sport’s championships. Superbowl is the biggest sporting event, with nearly half of the Americans live streaming it, and it being televised in more than 150 countries.
Baseball
Baseball in America is a national pastime and remains a spectacular sport for players and spectators.
It is widely played, with amateur leagues ranging from high school to college, and professional teams, ranging from minor to major leagues baseball.
Major League Baseball is the highest competitive level of American baseball and has thirty teams. It has two main leagues: the National League and the American League, further subdivided into East, West, and Central.
The National Baseball Hall of fame and Museum is the pinnacle of baseball as it honors the greatest Baseball players and moments. A regular season runs from early April through late September, and the post-season playoffs are held in October.
Basketball
The simplicity and uniqueness of basketball account for its immense popularity in America. The National Basketball Association is the major professional basketball league in the world, with twenty-nine teams, four in America and seven in Canada.
It has two Eastern and Western conferences, where the teams compete in four different divisions. In a normal schedule, the NBA season runs from mid-October to mid-April.
With the championships being held at the end of the season, the league hosts the ‘all-star game,’ an annual event celebrating the best basketball players.
Hockey
Ice hockey is a famous sport in the US, mostly played in its sunbelt regions. The National Hockey League is the major professional hockey league in North America, although there are other leagues such as the minor professional leagues and Amateur hockey.
It consists of twenty-four US and seven Canadian teams battling for the coveted Stanley cup. With over 2000 ice rinks, Massachusetts, Michigan, Newyork, and Minnesota are the most popular hockey states in the US.
The American soccer
Soccer is ranked as the third- most played sport in the US and has three professional leagues. The leagues include Major League Soccer, United Soccer League Championship, USL League One, and National Independent Soccer Association.
The sport’s popularity can be attributed to MLS, famous foreign players like David Beckham and Wayne Rooney. It currently has 29 teams, with a potential increase in the future.
