Sport in the USA

The United States have been a powerhouse in world sports for a long time. Americans take great pride in their sporting accomplishments, and sports are an important part of their culture. There’s no doubt, United States rule in well-known sports such as basketball, baseball and their home grown sport of American football. See a list of the 10 top sports in the USA.

American Football, a unique USA sport

We may consider baseball as their traditional sport for it started in the 18th century, with a semi-pro National Baseball Club in the 1860’s and from that point on, baseball became the “national past time” of Americans. Nowadays, the most played sport in United States is football. Let us not forget that basketball also started in the U.S. in 1891. YMCA had a major role in spreading this sport globally. The first training ground for basketball is in YMCA and these students had disseminated across the globe. The United States also have hosted quite a number of Olympic Games from 1904 (St. Louis, Missouri) to 2002 (Salt Lake City, Utah), and will again in 2028 in LA. They have also won more than the average Olympic medals in virtually all sports.

With all these in mind, we also have to mention the long list of great athletes that the U.S. had produced starting with Mike Trout, the famous slugger of today’s baseball season. With 49 stolen bases, leading the league with a 10.9 WAR, he unanimously won the American League and still plays outstandingly from his breakout season up to now. On the other hand, football has Tom Brady. This quarterback led his team, Patriots, to more division titles than any other team in NFL history.

Speaking of popularity, no one ever came close from the Michael Jordan. This man popularized NBA to the world in the 1980s to 1990s. He also was the most well-rounded and marketed athlete of his generation. No wonder, every basketball player looks up to him.

Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to the USA.

See also the list the most popular internet searches for "sports" in the US.

Major / Popular Sports of the USA (see more)

Football (gridiron), basketball, baseball, ice hockey, tennis, soccer, golf, motorsports, martial arts, boxing.

USA Sporting Success

Too numerous to mention!

Great athletes from the USA

Michael Phelps (swimming)
Lance Armstrong (cycling)
Mark Spitz (swimming)
Jesse Owens (athletics)
Michael Jordan (basketball)
Tiger Woods (golf)
Andre Agassi (tennis)
Marion Jones (athletics)
Jim Thorpe (athletics)
Tom Brady (American Football)

USA Sports trivia

Professional baseball started in the US way back in 1869.
Basketball was invented in Massachusetts by the Canadian-born James Naismith.
A team from the USA won gold when Rugby was played at the Olympic Games in 1924.
Cricket used to be the most popular sport in America during the 1700s, 1800s and early 1900s, with a USA v. Canada cricket match in the 1840s being the oldest international sporting event in the modern world.

USA at major events

Some past sporting events hosted in the USA

1904 Olympic Games Summer in St Louis
1932 Olympic Games Summer in LA
1932 Winter Olympic Games Lake Placid
1960 Winter Olympic Games Squaw Valley
1980 Winter Olympic Games Lake Placid
1984 Olympic Games Summer LA
1984 Paralympic Games in New York & Stoke Mandeville
1986 Men's World Boxing Championships in Reno
1994 FIFA World Cup
1996 Olympic Games Summer Atlanta
1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta
1999 Men's World Boxing Championships in Houston
2001 Women's World Boxing Championships in Scranton
2002 Winter Olympic Games Salt Lake City
2007 Men's World Boxing Championships in Chicago
2022 World Games in Birmingham.
2022 World Athletic Championships, in Eugene, Oregon USA
2023 Winter Universiade at Lake Placid.
2023 World Baseball Classic (co-hosted with Japan and Taiwan)

Upcoming sporting events in the USA

2024 T20 Cricket World Cup co-hosted with the West Indies
2024 Copa América football (soccer) tournament
2025 World Police and Fire Games, Birmingham
2026 IAAF World Cross-Country Championships, Tallahassee, Florida
2028 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in LA
2029 Summer World University Games (Universiade), North Carolina
2031 Men's Rugby World Cup
2033 Women's Rugby World Cup

Annual sporting events held in the USA

Football Super Bowl
Basketball NBA Finals
Baseball World Series
Golf Masters, US Open and US PGA
Tennis US Open
Marathons: New York, Boston, Chicago
Indy 500 — motorcar race held during Memorial Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway