Americans love sports!  Though the same could be said truthfully about elsewhere, it is especially true here.  The reasons for this are manifold.  The fact that television, which gave spectator sports to the masses, was invented and first popularized here no doubt played a large part.  Capitalism may have been a Dutch invention but crass Capitalism (which includes sports-oriented consumerism) is a decidedly American one.

Association football, or as it is more commonly known throughout the world, football or soccer, has never quite attracted the crowds here that it has in other countries.  This is no doubt due to the fact it has a lot of competition for the hearts and minds of Americans.  Baseball has been called ‘America’s pastime’ and historically has been thought of as this country’s most popular spectator sport.  It may surprise many, however, to learn the most popular sport in America, in terms of both participants (at the high school and college level) and spectators overall is American football.  Americans like to refer to Association football as ‘soccer’ while reserving the name ‘football’ for its beloved pigskin-kicking sport.