America.gov-Sports: Games We Play

U.S. Baseball Team Signs First Indian Players

Paul Levitan — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:21:27 -0400

Two budding pitchers from Uttar Pradesh are the first Indian-born athletes signed by a major U.S. sports team. Until a year ago, neither player had even heard of baseball. Now, after winning a televised contest, Rinku Singh, 20, and Dinesh Kumar Patel, 19, have been signed to a U.S. professional contract.

Passion for Baseball Used in Dominican Republic Development Plan

Eric Green — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:53:47 -0400

The Dominican Development Alliance, an agreement between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Major League Baseball, aims to tap into the passion for baseball to help young people in the Dominican Republic “get an education and do well in life,” says a USAID official.

Baseball Plays Key Role in State Department Public Diplomacy

Paul Levitan — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:50:18 -0400

Ken Griffey Jr. joins the ranks of baseball greats in the U.S. public diplomacy effort. “When Ken Griffey travels overseas, one of his greatest objectives will be to talk to young people and to spark their interest in America and in our culture,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says.

Baseball’s Cal Ripken Jr. and Dennis Martinez Visit Nicaragua

Paul Levitan — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:21:50 -0400

American Public Diplomacy Envoy Cal Ripken Jr. was joined by his former Baltimore Orioles teammate, Nicaragua’s own Dennis Martinez, on a trip to Managua and Martinez’s hometown of Granada. There, the U.S. baseball stars worked with coaches and players on improving their game.

“Redeem Team” Brings Back U.S. Basketball Glory

Paul Levitan — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:23:52 -0400

In the Beijing Olympics the U.S. men’s basketball team earned its Redeem Team nickname, returning the Olympic gold medal to the United States. The U.S. team’s excellent play has engendered many comparisons of this Redeem Team to the original 1992 Dream Team.

Increase in American Soccer Players Bolsters Professional League

Paul Levitan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:43:56 -0400

Soccer in America is growing in popularity. Major League Soccer, a North American league with consistent game attendance and a committed fan base, as well as increasing television ratings, is approaching profitability — something its predecessor, the North American Soccer League, was never able to do.

Women’s Professional Soccer Starts in 2009 in United States

Paul Levitan — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:52:17 -0400

With the start of the Women’s Professional Soccer league in early 2009, women across the world again will have an opportunity to realize their professional football dreams. Seven teams will compete in the inaugural 2009 season. The WPS plans to add three more teams in 2010.

Little League Baseball Aims to Blend Fun, Character Development

Ralph Dannheisser — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:50:43 -0400

A group of youngsters from Waipahu, Hawaii, traveled more than 7,500 kilometers to South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to realize the dream of winning the Little League World Series. More than 2.3 million ballplayers in six age-based divisions participate in more than 7,000 leagues spread across scores of countries.

Baseball, Once Just an American Game, Extends Reach Worldwide

Ralph Dannheisser — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:33:59 -0400

When major league baseball introduced the “World Series” in 1903, the name was an exercise in hyperbole. The sport was strictly American in nature, and the bulk of players and managers were U.S. natives. But as the game has grown in popularity around the world and international superstars develop, the “World” aspect has become a reality.

Watching Soccer: a Popular U.S. Pastime

Paul Levitan — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:23:32 -0400

Summers Restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, is a football institution. It was voted the best soccer bar in the United States in 2002 by the U.S. Soccer Federation. Manager Joe Javidara has been showing soccer matches there since the bar’s inception in 1984.

Trailblazing African Americans Enriched the Sport of Tennis

Paul Levitan — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:14:46 -0400

Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson were trailblazing African-American athletes. Their skill and determination opened up new areas for athletic achievement by African Americans. Their breakthrough achievements in tennis and their lives beyond the court are an example to future generations.

Stanley Cup Is a Hockey Tradition

Paul Levitan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:15:50 -0400

Detroit Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom was the first European captain to lead an NHL team to victory in the Stanley Cup finals. The victorious captain will take the Stanley Cup back to Sweden as part of a traditional day with the cup accorded to each player from the winning team.

“Trinity” of Sports Demonstrates American Beliefs

Craig A. Forney — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:50:28 -0400

The favorite American games of football, baseball and basketball illustrate a striving to reconcile individual freedom and competition with sacrifice and cooperation in pursuit of the common good, argues Craig A. Forney, a professor of religious studies.

Baseball Museum Honors Negro League Players

Kathryn Mcconnell — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:52:49 -0400

In 1996, the U.S. Congress designated a small museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as America’s National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, lifting its status to a national destination for anyone seeking to know more about the ways that racial segregation affected what is known as "America's pastime."

Traditional Baseball Song Turns 100

Jaroslaw Anders — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:27:13 -0400

America’s favorite baseball song is 100 years old. Standing up and singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch is an enduring sports tradition and part of the U.S. baseball culture. Americas.gov looks at the colorful history of this iconic American classic.

Basketball Career Still an Inner-City Dream

Steven A. Riess — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:14:31 -0400

U.S. inner-city kids dream about national fame and fabulous financial rewards through professional basketball. But only a few of them will make college teams and even fewer will join the professional National Basketball Association.

American Football Blends Martial Fervor, Clockwork Precision

Mark Bernstein — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:42:02 -0400

American football incites passion that exercises a rare unifying pull in American society. If the game nurtures aggression, it also fosters an appreciation of sacrifice, teamwork, and discipline, says American journalist Mark F. Bernstein.

Favorite Games Showcase American Temperament

Roger Rosenblatt — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:25:07 -0400

Baseball, football and basketball, the three most popular American games, are uniquely reflective of the American character -- American dreams, ambitions, achievements and defeats -- and Americans often watch them as morality plays about their own conflicting natures, argues American writer and professor Roger Rosenblatt.

Basketball Was First to Breach Race Barriers

Roger Rosenblatt — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:11:17 -0400

Neither baseball nor football creates the special, jazzed-up excitement of a basketball game, during which the human body can be made to do unearthly things, to defy gravity gracefully, argues American writer and professor Roger Rosenblatt.

Baseball Seen as the Game of Innocence and Growth

Roger Rosenblatt — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:08:14 -0400

Of the three principal American games, baseball is the most elegantly designed and the easiest to account for in terms of its appeal. Its rules are unbending and with a very few exceptions they have not changed in a hundred years, says American writer Roger Rosenblatt.

American Football Celebrates Sacrifice and Progress

Roger Rosenblatt — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:06:55 -0400

Football is a game of individual progress achieved through team cooperation. The victory is gained “inch by inch, down and dirty,” argues American writer Roger Rosenblatt.

First Chinese Baseball Players Signed To Play in United States

Eric Green — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 10:58:51 -0400

A new era in baseball may be beginning with the signing by the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners of four Chinese players to major league contracts. The signings by the Yankees come after the team reached an agreement with the Chinese Baseball Association to open an exchange program on developing the game in China.

Foreign Players Help San Antonio Win Basketball Championship

Tim Receveur — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:11:31 -0400

The popularity of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has been growing around the world as ever-increasing numbers of international players join NBA rosters and the games are broadcast to more places and in more languages. International basketball players now represent roughly 20 percent of all NBA players.

Black Americans Have Rich History in Professional Baseball

David Anthony Denny — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 12:50:04 -0400

Black Americans have a rich history in professional baseball that dates back 140 years. America.gov looks at the history and cultural role of African Americans in the sport that is called "America’s pastime."

U.S. World Cup Coach Says Sports Can Help At-Risk Youth

Eric Green — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 12:36:11 -0400

Lessons and experiences learned from participating in sports can help at-risk youth succeed in life, says Glenn Myernick, the assistant coach for the 2006 U.S. World Cup football team. Myernick sees sports as a metaphor for life in that it teaches discipline and cooperation within a group.

U.S. Sports Star Returns to Congo To Open Hospital

Judy Aita — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 11:21:29 -0400

American basketball star Dikembe Mutombo is returning to his hometown of Kinshasa in September to open the Democratic Republic of Congo's first new hospital in more than 40 years, a hospital he helped build.

International Students Find Friendship Through Sports, Arts

Cecilia Martin — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:19:16 -0400

Sports and arts are a means of fostering international goodwill at the World Scholar-Athlete Games in Kingston, Rhode Island, where nearly 2,000 secondary school students from around the globe have gathered for a week of friendly competition and collaboration from June 24 to July 2.

Young International Footballers Scrimmage with U.S. Youth Teams

Tim Receveur — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 11:57:54 -0400

On a beautiful night in Northern Virginia, a summer football match goes on in the park as on many other nights, but on this night there is a world of difference. An Arabic chant cheers a team with players from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bolivia, China, Indonesia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Uganda and Uzbekistan.

Young Arab Football Players Hone Skills During U.S. Visit

David Shelby — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 12:00:28 -0400

Eight young men and women from Bahrain, Lebanon and Morocco are among the 30 athletes participating in a program sponsored by the U.S. State Department that includes visits to U.S. sports facilities, scrimmages with American football teams and meetings with U.S. leaders, including President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Sports Initiative Brings Together Youths from Around the World

Cassie Duong — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 11:59:10 -0400

Thirty football-playing boys and girls from 13 countries get an opportunity to experience life and sports in the United States and then attend the World Cup in Germany. The athletes, aged 13 to 18, come from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bolivia, China, Indonesia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Uganda and Uzbekistan.

World’s Top Young Football Players in U.S. for World Cup Program

Tim Receveur — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 12:19:21 -0400

When the 2006 World Cup kicked off in Germany June 9, some teams from six continents joined shared in one of the greatest experiences in the world’s most popular sporting event. A microcosm of the World Cup also began in the United States June 11 when 30 secondary-school football stars from 13 countries launched the World Cup Sports Initiative.

Basketball Star Dikembe Mutombo Joins Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Kathryn McConnell — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 11:19:05 -0400

Professional basketball star Dikembe Mutombo first became aware of HIV/AIDS when he was a high school student in his native Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Not much was known about the disease then. Mutombo, who plays with the Houston Rockets, came to the United States to study medicine, with the goal of returning home to help correct health problems.

U.S. Women’s Football Player Sees Sport Growing in United States

Sara Feuerstein — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 11:24:58 -0400

Football fans worldwide enjoyed the unique opportunity to interview one of America’s leading ladies in sports, U.S. women’s football player Cat Whitehill, in a recent webchat. Whitehill discussed topics ranging from her opinion on European and American attitudes toward football to her predictions for the World Cup and advice for aspiring young players.

The World Baseball Classic a Global Salute to the Sport

Michael Bandler — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 11:03:20 -0400

Baseball is, by most measurements, an American game -- invented in the United States sometime in the mid-19th century -- but now has become a world sport. In recognition of the explosion of interest in the sport around the globe, the first annual World Baseball Classic will take place March 3-20 in venues in the continental United States, Japan and Puerto Rico.

Latino Contributions to Major League Baseball Exhibited in United States

Eric Green — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 11:02:14 -0400

Professional baseball, once believed to be the near-exclusive domain of the United States, is launching a five-year campaign, dubbed "Baseball! ¡Béisbol! -- Sharing the Passion," to highlight the passion and talent bestowed on the game by ballplayers from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Super Bowl Sunday an Unofficial Holiday for Millions

Michael Jay Friedman — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 11:29:07 -0400

Each year, on a Sunday at the end of January or beginning of February, tens of millions of Americans declare their own unofficial holiday. Gathered in groups large and small, more than half the adult population participates vicariously in a televised spectacle that has far outgrown its origins as a sporting event.