Sports

Combing athletic skill with strategy, rather like the British Commonwealth sport of cricket, baseball is considered by many to reflect American culture. The game began at a semi-professional level in the USA during the 1860s and in 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional team. Following the failure of a number of previous leagues, the major league was established in 1901. The game of baseball is played between two teams of 9 players on a square shaped 'diamond'. The teams alternate between batting and pitching. Starting from home plate, the batting team tries to score the greatest number of 'runs', by running around the diamond anti-clockwise from first base, to second then third and then home. Meanwhile the pitcher and fielders try to get the opposition batters out, so that their team can then begin batting.

Games similar to modern day association football, usually known as football or soccer, date back to ancient Rome and Medieval Europe. In its modern form, the rules of soccer were first written down in the 'Laws of the Game' in England in the year 1863, after The Football Association was formed. Since being established in 1904, FIFA has become the international body governing soccer. Association football is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world and the FIFA world cup, held every four years, has an audience double that of the Summer Olympic Games.