Sport in the USA

Nature of Sport in America

Backgroud

• High population that is Young and Powerful
  • Native Indians
  • Large 'pool' for talent
  • Can select people for different sports
  • Large population
• Marginalisation of British Sports
  • Rugby to American Football
  • Netball to Basketball
  • Rounders to Baseball
• Some sports reflect frontier / pioneering sports
  • American Football
  • Tough and Physical
• 'Big Four' dominant sports
  • Ice Hockey
  • American Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
• Sport is a vehicle for achieving the 'American Dream'
  • Rags to Riches
  • Opportunity to become welthy and/or successful
  • 'Land of the Free' - democracy
• 'Win at all Costs' / 'Win Ethic' / Competitve / Lombardian Ethic
  • Do whatever you have too to win - such as violence in American Football
  • "Winning isn't the most important thing, it's the only thing" - Vince Lombardi
• Evidence of deviance or match fixing, due to the importance of winning
  • Violence to Win
  • Drug-taking to win
  • Such as…