Jasmine Directory

The US national sport is baseball – a fact that traces its roots recently, at the end of the 19th century. Baseball is often considered the country's favorite pastime. Coming in second, American Football has gained a lot of popularity in recent years and it's slowly becoming the most popular spectator sport in the US.

American sports market is by far the biggest in the world, reaching a staggering $69 billion. That's 50% more than the sports markets of Europe, Africa and the Middle East combined. The third most popular sport in the US is basketball, followed closely by ice hockey.

Each sport is played professionally and each has a season dedicated to it. In most cases, these seasons overlap and provide the foundation for all sorts of American holidays and celebration days. This is why these four sports (baseball, basketball, American football and ice hockey) have become such a huge part in American culture and tradition.

Basketball, cheerleading, snowboarding, skateboarding and volleyball are American-invented sports. Surfing and lacrosse also have American ancestry, even though they were part of native American life long before colonists showed up.

A total of 8 Olympic Games have been organized in the US. American Olympics have won more than 2,300 Olympic medals over the years, making the US the country with the most medals in the world at the Summer Olympics. They are placed in second at the Winter Olympics. American swimmer Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, holding a total of 22 medals, 18 of which are gold.