SPORT IN THE USA (3)

       Americans are very fond of sport. The most popular sports in the USA are football, which is played from April to Octo­ber, baseball, played from September to December, basketball, played from October to April and ice hockey, played in most northern cities from October to March.

        American football derives from the English game of rug­by. It started at Harvard University in the 1870’s. It is a game for two teams of eleven men on the field. The object of the game is to have the control of the ball and to score points by carry­ing it across the goal-line.

        Baseball is a teamgame derived from the English game of cricket. It is played with a bat and ball by two teams of nine players each, on a field with four bases. Baseball is the natio­nal game in the USA and it is very popular in Canada too.

        Basketball is a game which nowadays is popular all over the world. It was invented in 1891. During the 20’s the first US league championship was organized. In the 70’s the Ame­rican Championship was divided into two leagues: the ABA (American Basketball Association), which does not exist any longer and which played with a blue, red and white ball and the NBA (National Basketball Association).

        The NBA is a professional league which still plays.

        There are more activities which Americans take part in such as golf, swimming, tennis, aerobics, wrestling, etc.

VOCABULARY:

field — поле

invented — изобретена