Taking A Look At The Top Sports In The US

All around the globe, on any given day, you will find some sort of sports event on your local television station or on cable. With networks dedicated solely to sports, you can find things like boxing, bowling, fishing, basketball, football, baseball and soccer on 24 hours a day! Most days you will be able to see sports live, either by watching pee-wee, high school, college and even professional sports events. Most ticket prices for local sports are reasonable and you and your whole family can enjoy the excitement of the game!

When you look at the citizens of the United States, there are several sports that seem to be much more popular than others. They, of course, will cost you a bit more to attend, but the thrill of being there will make the price well worth it. The most popular sports in the United States today, being watched live and on screens, are:

1. Baseball is one of the top sports being played in the United States. Having been played in the United States the longest, baseball attracts millions of fans to ball fields every year. There isn’t just professional baseball to keep many Americans busy, though. Proud parents everywhere enjoy watching their children learn and play the game. What a great feeling when you see your child hit the ball or score a run! As the old song goes, “Take me out to the ball game!”. When it comes to sports, professional and amateur, baseball is ranked right up there at the top.

2. Football began as a college sport in the United States in the mid 1800s. Football is truly the “American Sport”, since it is played in the United States exclusively. It has grown from being played only in college to having professional teams and being played by students in both elementary and high schools. The Super Bowl is one of the most watched television events when it comes to sports, and it determines which one of the many professional football teams will be considered the best for that year!

3. Basketball is a popular sport worldwide. The number of people around the world playing basketball can reach a staggering 300 million! Basketball is one of the only professional sports in the United States to welcome foreign players onto teams, with many players of professional basketball being recruited from other countries and brought to the United States to play.

4. Hockey is one of the newer sports gaining popularity with the American public. It did not originate in the United States, but it has found its way into our sporting life and become one of the fastest growing sports. Ice hockey is the most popular form of this sport, with street hockey being popular with older kids everywhere.

You may be asking “Where is golf and soccer on this list?” Well, although both sports are gaining in popularity, neither one meets the level of fans of the sports listed above.

Outdoor Sports Facilities Help You Enjoy Different Games

Proper sports gear is important for play, not just because you want to look the part, but also because of safety issues. But what if you are all kitted out and ready to play, but the match gets cancelled due to a soggy pitch or field? The disappointment is acute. Nothing can beat the feeling of playing on Natural grass sports surfaces, however, there are limitations. Natural grass cannot withstand extreme weather conditions owing to its delicate and fragile nature. As a result, artificial playing surfaces have gained popularity, which allow players to enjoy and play their game irrespective of the weather conditions. This is so because artificial sports surfaces are made from synthetic materials like polypropylene. This material is unaffected by rain or extremes of temperature. Furthermore, the construction of the pitch is such that proper drainage channels are built into the foundation, so that the pitch does not get flooded or soggy even after heavy rains. The artificial turf is filled with sand or rubber which provides stability to the surface. The base is made up of an impermeable material, making it weather proof and safe to play on.

Artificial turf first came to prominence in 1965, when AstroTurf was installed in the newly-built Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Since then, these sports surfaces have gained popularity.

Some of the reasons why synthetic sports surfaces are preferred over natural grass are:

Artificial sports surface are more economical in the long run
It is weather resistant
It requires minimum sports surface maintenance.
It exhibits uniform playing characteristics
It offers protection to players from injuries due to sliding and falling, because of an inbuilt shock pad.

In addition to these advantages, one of the main features of synthetic outdoor sports facilities is that it can be designed as to exhibit different playing characteristics, to meet the requirements of different sports. Different types of outdoor sports pitches include In-filled artificial turf made of polyethylene, In-filled artificial turf made of polypropylene, Sand-dressed artificial turf, and Unfilled artificial turf.

In-filled artificial sports surfaces can cater to a wide variety of sports. This is because these pitches exhibit different kinds of playing characteristics by varying the length and the density of the synthetic grass fibres. Not only this, these artificial outdoor surfaces are natural in appearance, skin and joint friendly, and possess shock absorption features. Thus, their use has also been approved by international sports associations like FIFA and UEFA.