Sport(s) in America I

Sport has unarguably had a huge impact on society in our world.  Just about every person in every country has somehow at one point related to a sport; whether that be soccer, jogging, playing catch, or even a friendly game of tag.  We all understand what sport is, but can it be properly defined in today’s day and age?  In chapter 1 of Coakley, he states, “there is no single definition that precisely identifies sports in all cultures at all times.”  Our world is very diverse; it makes sense that not one definition could fit such a broad word.  Yet, moving forward in the chapter, Coakley shares the definition that many scholars choose to pair with ‘sport’.  This precise definition defines sports as “well-established, officially governed competitive physical activities in which participants are motivated by internal and external rewards.”

By looking at these two definitions, it is clear that sports are most likely different in many places, but share many of the same characteristics.  For instance, when looking at professional sports in the United States, football, baseball and basketball seem to dominate, while the rest of the world associates more with soccer.  Not only are the sports different, but the ultimate goals for the athletes seem different as well.  In the United States the ultimate goal is to win your leagues title, like the MLB World Series, NFL Super Bowl, or NBA Championships.  Other countries put more an emphasis on worldwide winning.  Soccer for instance is very competitive in its leagues, but becomes one of the most powerful, most watched, and most anticipated sport series when the World Cup comes around, mostly because it is one country competing against another.  The Olympics are another example of this.  Yes, the United States has always participated in the Olympics, but it is clear that it has not always been our top priority.  Basketball for example is a huge sport in America and it is clear that the best players from around the world come to America to play. Yet, for most of the Olympics history, we did not send our best players. Instead, we sent young, inexperienced, college athletes, who often failed to bring home a medal.  Other countries, however, would send their best, top paid athletes to compete.  This is slowly changing though; basketball in the Olympics has ever changed once the DreamTeam was announced in ’92. Yet, every four years, we continue to see NBA stars declining the invitation to join the US Olympic basketball team, even though the Olympics is the biggest sporting event in history – shows where many US athletes ambitions are.