Sports are an indelible part of our
culture and community. For well over one hundred years sports have reflected
the trials and triumphs of the American experience and helped shape our
national character. Whether it’s professional sports, or those played on the
collegiate or scholastic level, amateur sports or sports played by kids on the
local playground, the plain fact is sports are everywhere in America. Our love
of sports begins in our hometowns--on the sandlot, at the local ball field, in
the street, even. Americans play sports everywhere. We play pick-up games and
organized league games.
Each weekend, hundreds of thousands of Americans participate in some sport, on
some level. We win and we lose, and we yearn to play another day.
And if we’re not playing, we’re
watching: in the stands, on the fields with our sons and daughters, or in our
living rooms with friends in front of a television. Football, baseball, and
basketball capture our attention most, but more and more, other non-traditional
sports vie for our time and support. On any given weekend in America, sports
are a big part of what we do.
