1、Sport in the USAI. The Sports in American Peoples LifeAmericans interest in sports seems excessive to many foreign visitors. Television networks spend millions of dollars arranging to telecast sports events. Publications about sports sell widely. In the US professional athletes can become national h
2、eroes. In America, sports are associated with educational institutions in a unique way. High schools have coaches as faculty members, and school teams compete with each other. Nowhere else in the world are sports associated with colleges and universities in the way they are in the States. College sp
3、orts, especially football, are very popular among students. They not only watch football games, but also join a team to play the game. Even girls are crazy about this strong sport. Key games usually attract nationwide attention and people will cheer for their own teams .Sports play such an important
4、 role in American life .Many Americans jog every day, or play tennis or bridge two or three times a week. They go on ski trips and hunting expeditions that require weeks of planning and organizing. In the Americans view, all these activities are worth the effort because they contribute to health and
5、 physical fitness. Maybe that is why Americans are known as a healthy nation. II. The Big Three Team SportsAmericans are very fond of team sports. The most popular team sports in the USA is football.The game that Americans call football is not what Europeans call football. To Ameircans, that game is
6、 soccer. Football is not just a game in America. It is an event. A big event. Thousands of people play football themselves, on professional, school, or neighborhood teams, or just with friends. Millions of others watch them on television. The games are often colorful spectacles. Cheerleaders and che
7、ering fans, different sounds and different shows are all surrounding football games.In the United States, the major forms of football are college football and professional football, which are played under slightly different rules. Lets see the athletes in these pictures. We can find that the profess
8、ional football athletes are much stronger than the college football athletes. So rules in the college football are sometimes used for protecting the athletes. There is another difference between college football and professional football is. The college football is governed by the National Collegiat
9、e Athletic Association and National Association of Intercollegiatentkli:dt Athletics. While the major league for professional football is the National Football League (NFL).Baseball is the oldest of the major American team sports, though baseball is no longer the most popular sport, it is still refe
10、rred to as the “national pastime. Not only American people like playing baseball, many people in China like playing baseball too. Some of them are really good at that.People from other countries sometimes wonder why Americans enjoy this sports so much. “Its dull,” they say. “Most of the time, the pl
11、ayers are just standing still, waiting for someone to hit the ball.” And thats true. But hitting that ball is quite a challenge. A pitch (投球) thrown by a professional pitcher usually travels more than 90 miles (145 kilometers) an hour. Hitting a ball thrown that fast is a difficult challenge for any
12、 athlete, so when a batter (击球员) hits the ball out of the ball park (a home run), the fans scream and cheer. Baseball fans sometimes pay hundreds of dollars for a ticket to a World Series game. But those that watch the games on TV probably see them better.While baseball and football are played outdo
13、ors (or in huge enclosed stadiums), basketball is the worlds most popular indoor sport. Basketball was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith. Nowadays, nearly every park in the U.S. has a basketball net and hard-surface playing area, and many American homes have a basketball net outdoors. Professio
14、nal basketball players make almost impossible shots look easy and graceful. Michael Jordan, the former Chicago Bulls player, became famous worldwide because of his achievements on the basketball court. During his 13 years career, he achieved six NBA championships and countless personal honors. His c
15、areer earnings exceeded $300 million and he also used his fame to help the NBA league gain over 10 billion! The National Basketball Association, (NBA), is the worlds best mens professional basketball league. It is composed of thirty teams: twenty-nine in the United States and one in Canada. Accordin
16、g to the NBA logo designers say, the prototype of the NBA logo is Jerry West. While the NBA has never admitted that. If they admit that , Jerry West would be able to require a very high portrait use fee. Since the NBA has managed to create a worldwide following, talented athletes from all over the w
17、orld have joined NBA. Though not in huge numbers, Chinese NBA players do exist. 1. Wang Zhizhi. Wang Zhizhi is the first NBA player from Asian. He was known in the NBA as a long-range shooter. However, he was previously won the slam dunk champion in Chinas CBA league. His minutes were very limited i
18、n the NBA, never averaging more than 10.9 per game in a season .2. Bateer. He is the only Chinese basketball player to have played in the NBA without being selected in any NBA draft. He is also the first Chinese basketball player to win a NBA championship. 3. Yi Jianlian. He has improved his offensi
19、ve and defensive output since being drafted in 2007. Though he isnt an all-star player just yet, with a little work this guy will be a key component to any team hes added to. 4. Sun Yue. He is the fifth Chinese player to play in the NBA, and also the second Chinese basketball player to have achieved
20、 the championship. 5. Yao Ming. Yao is the first international player ever to be selected first overall in the NBA draft. He has a softer shot than most guards. His foot work is amazing and with a little work, hed be a killer on defense as well. Hes averaged over 19 points a game for his career. Hes also pulled down over nine rebounds a game. If he could keep healthy, he could be one of the most prolific scoring Centers in the NBA history.