Most Popular Sports in America

Most Popular Sports in America

Sports play an important role in American society since they have a strong influence on the population. In this post, we are going to introduce the 3 most popular sports in the USA following the ranking established by Mughal.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

American Football is the most popular sport in America. The biggest competition in this sport is the National Football League (NFL). It is especially popular in the Southern areas like Texas, Florida or California. 

According to Scott Manley and David Hinckley, the Super Bowl, is the biggest sport event of the year.. However, both authors also agree that football is only a part of it, since nowadays the Super Bowl is almost as famous for its commercials and shows as it is for the match itself.


BASEBALL

Nowadays, baseball ocupies the second position in the ranking; however, according to Manley, it was the most popular sport until the 1960s. This author also states that baseball is the oldest of American team sports since the major league was created in 1869. In Mughal's article it is mentioned that baseball is also known as "America's national pastime". There are two levels of competition in the United States: the minor league baseball and the major league baseball (MLB).

BASKETBALL

 The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the third most followed league in the United States although it is the most watched professional basketball league in the world. Moreover, according to Manley, in some regions of the U.S, the college basketball competitions are even more popular than the NBA. 

References:

• Hinckley, David. “The Super Bowl Is the Biggest Show of the Year, but Football Is Only Part of It.” NY Daily News. 2 Feb. 2014. Web. 20 May. 2014.
• Manley, Scott. "U.S. Culture Series: American Sports". Internationalcenter.umich.edu. n.d. Web. 2O May. 2014. 
• Mughal, Khabir Uddin. “Top 10 Most Popular Sports in America.” Sporteology.com 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 May. 2014. 

HALLOWEEN!!

Today, we are going to explain you what is Halloween and how is celebrated. 

Halloween is one of the best known celebrations in the US and it is annually celebrated the 31th October among people of any age. Nowadays, this celebration has been widespread for many other countries so, you should learn more about it. 

Usually, people dress up as witches, monsters, ghosts... Young people and teenagers celebrate a party in the high school, whereas children go from house to house asking for candies. Adults also watch horror films, create haunted houses and hold costume parties.  



One of the most known practices that take places at this date, is the famous "Trick or Treat". 

When we think about Halloween, we think about the costumes, the pumpkins, the candies, the graveyards or, maybe, the parties. But, sometimes we forget to think about its origins. Halloween festivity has a Celtic origin related with the festival of Samhain.

So, the next 31th October, dress up in your favorite costume and get ready to trick-or-treat!

"Halloween in United States." N.p.,n.d. Timeanddate.com 20 May. 2014

"HISTORY OF TRICK-OR-TREATING." N,p.,n,d. History.com 25 May. 2014

"The Fantasy and Folklore of Halloween. Celtic Samhain and the Origins of Halloween." N,p.,n,d. Ancienthistory.about.com 25 May. 2014

OTHER INTERESTING WEBPAGES ABOUT AMERICAN CULTURE

• Here, you have some slides in which the main topics about American culture are summarized. Please have a look at it!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HRAunKQMKrs2KuwL6u-iiaYioSoYFcLVfICtVkievRs/viewform

• In the following link, you can read the history of Halloween, such as when it started and how, or how it is celebrated. 

http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_cu.htm

• The next webpage shows you the origins of Thanksgiving Day in North America. 

http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/origin-thanksgiving-day.html

• If you are planning to go to US, you should look at the following webpage.There you can see the gestures you should avoid if you do not want to be hit in the face. 

http://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/nine-american-hand-gestures-thatll-get-you-punched-in-the-face-overseas

• In the next link you will find information about one of the most typical American sports, cheerleading. Visit it, it will surprise you.

http://www.americancheerleader.com/

Main habits

MAIN HABITS

It is surprising to know thatthere is no official language in the United States, although “31 of 50 states have made English their official language or given it an exceptional status.” (Zimmermann 2003) Almost every language is spoken in the United States; Spanish, Italian, Chinese, French, German…

One of the most rooted habits in the United States is to tip because "American restaurants do not add a service charge to the bill. Therefore it is expected that the customer will leave a tip for the server" 

Appart from waiters in restaurants and bars there are other professions in which tiping is expected such as hairdressers, taxi drivers or hotel porters...

Moreover if you go to America you should know that "smoking is the worst seen behaviour in the US and  it is illegal for any one under the age of 18". 

So, here you have some tips published in a book titled "Inside the USA guide, 2014" that you have to take into account when you visit the United States

• Being on time is important.
• Americans like privacy and personal space.
• Americans can be very direct and honest, even though it may seem rude to people from another culture.
• Americans ask about how your day is going without expecting an answer.
• Americans wait their turn in lines.
• Americans value independent thinking.
•  Americans like to joke, smile and talk.
• Americans are very concerned with personal hygiene and cleanliness. It is not unusual   for them to bathe one or even two times a day.

"United States: Customs, Habits and Etiquette" Trip Advisor N.p n.d. Web 19 May 2014

Zimmerman, Kim. Livescience. Live science contributor, 2013. Web. 19 May, 2014

Inter Exchange, Inside the USA guide 2014, February 2014, PDF file

WAYS OF ENTERTAINMENT IN US!

If you go to the United States, you will find an incredible number of activities that you can do in order to entertain yourself. For instance, you can go to Disney World Resort in Orlando, for spending an incredible day with your friends. There, you will find four thematic parks and two aquatic parks where you can take rides in the different attractions. If you are having fun there, you can spend several days, hosting in one of the Disney hotels. You do not have to worry about carring food, because there are lots of restaurants in this resort where you can have different kinds of food. And do not forget to buy souvenirs for your family and friends! 

But, how did Walt Disney Company begin?

Walt Disney was a cartoonist who began working in a small studio in Hollywood. In 1923 he founded the Walt Disney Company, and his career started to emerge. In 1928, Disney put the voice to his famous character, Mickey Mouse, and some years later, color was introduced in movies by using a technique called Technicolor. Disney's movies and series have been famous and important in the whole world until now. 

"Walt Disney." About.com 20th Century History. N. p., n.d. web. 19 May 2014.

    INTRODUCTION

This blog will show you some of the main elements of the American culture including customs and habits, festivities, sports and music.Through this blog you can learn more about a culture different than yours in a funny way.

First of all, we need to know your knowledge about this topic, so please , answer this questionnaire. If you want to know the answers, follow our blog and immerse yourself in   this amazing culture.