Today’s ESC sessions started with the introduction of the new comers. Among them was an American citizen Bill Andrews. Other newcomers were the students of the local English language school “Green Forest” who needed extra language practice. After the introduction formality some common friends were found.
The topic of today’s session was “Favorite American Sports”. According to the recent polls the top 5 sports in the USA are football, baseball, college football, auto racing, and basketball.
This discussion touched in some detail the game of baseball – a de facto national game in USA. The facts about the rules, traditions and rituals of this game were illustrated by funny
Youtube videos from American stadiums.
The American format of auto racing was introduced to the audience with several videos of NASCAR races.
The NBA video about a European player was a good opportunity to train one’s ear and distinguish different accents in American English.
The lists of the favorite American male and female athletes were also discussed. Some of the male sportsmen were unknown to the club members, while female athletes are well known in our part of the world as well.
To draw the line of the discussion we have exchanged opinions about some nice quotes about sports.
Useful material:
While most will agree that Americans' love affair with sports is unshakable, there is much more room for interpretation when it comes to naming America's most-loved sport and athlete. At one time, baseball was named America's favorite pastime, but so was soccer, football and even golf, depending on whom you talk to. But, market research firm Harris Interactive may have found the data to put the debate to rest once and for all. Two polls conducted in 2006 reveal exactly which sports Americans love, and which sports stars make the top of the list.
Football is Still #1
Although professional football is not quite as popular as it was in 2005, 29 percent of adults polled by Harris Interactive in December 2006 still said football was their favorite sport (down from 33 percent in 2005).
That's enough to make professional football America's favorite sport, as it has been since the poll began in 1985.
How did the other sports fare?
Baseball came in #2, as the favorite of 14 percent of respondents
Baseball is a de facto national game in USA
Baseball Traditions and Rituals
Baseball in America - Aurae Beidler
Through its American history, baseball has revolved around tradition and ritual, from performing the Chicken Dance, the Wave and the Seventh Inning Stretch.
From hot dogs, to the Star-Spangled Banner, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and the Seventh Inning Stretch, baseball has been bursting with tradition and lore since its beginnings.
Baseball History in Brief
Although youngsters have been playing baseball since the early 1800s, it wasn’t until Alexander Cartwright designed the structure and rules of the game of baseball in 1945 that the game became popularized as America’s “national pastime”. It took another 20 years before a national association of players official formed. The first professional team played in 1869, named the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The national association of professional baseball players formed in 1871.
Baseball Traditions: Song and Dance
Entangled in baseball history is the history of baseball tradition and ritual. Fans have been enveloped in baseball lore since the beginning. The first recorded song referring to baseball was “The Baseball Polka”, written in 1858. The Library of Congress has published a bibliography containing over 400 songs dedicated to the subject of baseball.
The Seventh Inning Stretch
Whether it was invented by President Taft, Brother Jasper or Harry Wright of the Cinncinnati Red Stockings, the seventh inning stretch has long been a part of baseball. No one is sure who should be credited with the invention but fans do enjoy the opportunity to stand and stretch.
Fans generally stand up and stretch out their arms and legs and sometimes walk around. It is a popular time to get a late-inning snack as well; many teams end alcohol sales at this point. The stretch also serves as a short break for the players
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
Now considered baseball’s unofficial anthem, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is sung in ballparks around the nation during the mid-point of the seventh inning. The song was first written by Jack Norworth in 1908, beginning as a poem about baseball. The song is set to music composed by Albert Von Tilzer.
“early 1900s. Chicago broadcaster Harry Caray may have been the first to associate the song with the Seventh Inning Stretch.
The Chicken Dance
How did a silly polka song written by a Swiss accordion player become a part of baseball tradition, and beyond? Originally a success in Europe, the song, “Dance Little Bird” came to America in the 1970s, where it was used in commercials, and children’s music collections. Not only is the song a part of baseball and sporting events, the song is more popular than many other dance and party songs. No matter how the song became a part of baseball, the silly “Chicken Dance” is considered fun, urging fans to make a fool of themselves, in order to lighten the spirits and create a light-hearted environment.
Other songs like the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A” are also a popular way for baseball fans to be silly and have fun.
Sources:
Baseball Almanac
Library of Congress
College football was #3, at 13 percent
Auto racing was #4, at 9 percent
It is one of the world's most watched televised sports
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
NASCAR is an American tradition
During the post-World War II years the American economy hit a boom time and more people spent money on entertainment. Dirt track racing was already popular in the South where large tracts of land and inexpensive gasoline fueled the sport. In 1948 Bill France organized racing into an entity that expanded during the next fifty years. The first official NASCAR race was held February 15th 1948 in Daytona. That year 52 races made up the NASCAR season. The original stock cars were the same sort of automobiles that traveled America's highways.
Professional basketball was #5, at 7 percent
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada.
Interestingly, in the last two decades America's sports preferences seem to have changed. While professional football is even more popular than it was 20+ years ago, baseball, horse racing and men's tennis have become less so. College football and auto racing, meanwhile, have gained more fans.
Sports interests also vary quite dramatically depending on demographics. According to the survey:
Professional football is most popular among those who live in the East, among those with incomes of $35,000 to $45,000, and among Generation Xers.
Baseball is most popular among liberals and least popular among African Americans.
College football is most popular among those with post-graduate degrees.
Auto racing, such as NASCAR, is most popular among those with a high school education or less, and those with incomes of $25,000 to $35,000, and least popular among those with a post-graduate degree and liberals.
And America's Favorite Sports Star Is ... (Hint: It's NOT Michael Jordan)
The second Harris Poll, which surveyed over 2,000 U.S. adults in May 2006, set out to find which athletes are America's favorites, and they don't necessarily coincide with the favorite sports. While Michael Jordan has been the number one athlete since 1993, in 2006 he was ousted in favor of golf-pro Tiger Woods.
For women, meanwhile, tennis star Venus Williams was number one, followed by her sister Serena Williams in place number two. As for the top 10 favorite athletes overall, the survey found:
1. Tiger Woods
2. Michael Jordan
3. Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers quarterback)
4. Derek Jeter (New York Yankees)
5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (race car driver)
7. Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers)
8. LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
9. Jeff Gordon (race car driver)
10. Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants)
While no women athletes made the top 10 list, the poll did rank female athletes' popularity as well. The top 10 female athletes were:
1. Venus Williams (tennis player)
2. Serena Williams (tennis player)
3. Mia Hamm (soccer player)
4. Michelle Wie (golfer)
5. Danica Patrick (race car driver)
6. Michelle Kwan (figure skater)
7. Annika Sorenstam (golfer)
8. Maria Sharapova (tennis player)
9. Anna Kournikova (tennis player)
10. Sasha Cohen (figure skater)
One final note: men and women stayed consistent when it came to their favorite sports stars, with one exception: Men tended to prefer Serena Williams, while women chose Venus.
