英语学习,英语考试,大学英语,美国,英语Chapter8Sportsandentertainment

Baseball



The sport that brings more nostalgia among Americans than any other is baseball. So many people play the game as children that it has become known as “the national pastime.” The exact origins of baseball are unknown, but most historians agree that it is based on the English game of rounders. The first professional baseball league was established in 1871. By the start of the 20th century, most large cities in the eastern United States had a professional baseball team but baseball truly came of age in the 1920s, as Babe Ruth (1895-1948) playing for the New York Yankees became a national hero.



Basketball gained quickly in popularity due to its simple equipment requirements, indoor play, competitiveness, and easily understood rules. The first professional basketball league was formed in 1898. T Today, the National Basketball Association (NBA) is the major professional basketball league in the world, with teams in the United States and Canada. The NBA now has 29 teams competing in two conferences, the Eastern and Western, in four separate divisions.
Chapter 8
Sports and Entertainment
Sports


Sports play an important role in American society. They enjoy great popularity but more important they are vehicles for transmitting such values as justice, fair play, and teamwork. Sports have contributed to racial and social integration and over history have been a “social glue” bonding the country together.


Starting in the 1950s, baseball expanded its geographical range. Western cities lured teams to move from eastern cities or formed so-called expansion teams with players made available by established teams. From the start, major league baseball has been divided into the National League and the American League. The major league baseball season lasts from April to October and includes the regular season, the playoffs, and the World Series.

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The United States offers limitless opportunities to engage in sports—either as a participant or as a spectator. The typical American sports of baseball, basketball, and football, however, arose from games that were brought to America by the first settlers that arrived from Europe in the 17th century. These games were refashioned and elaborated in the course of the 19th century and are now the most popular sports in the U.S.
Basketball

Basketball is a uniquely American sport. It originated in 1891 when James Naismith, a young physical education teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts, was instructed by his boss to invent a new game that could be played indoors during the cold winter months to keep the students occupied and out of trouble.