Sports in America Probably no American was very surprised to read in the newspaper that when a United States atomic submarine surfaced at the North Pole, the crewmen played a game of baseball. A baseball diamond cut out of the ice is nothing like a proper baseball field, but to Americans a game of baseball is a good idea almost anywhere or at any time. Sports Watcher Baseball is America's favorite sport and pastime. Little boys play baseball in parks and empty lots, in streets and in alleys; and picnics all through the hot summer months include at least a few innings(局) of baseball with boys and girls, young and old, taking turns at bat. Officially, the baseball season goes from April to September, and the really important professional players are the members of 24 teams in America's two major baseball leagues. Each summer these are America's national heroes. At the end of the season when the two top teams play against each other to find the winner of the 'World Series', excitement and tension rise in cities all over the country. Fans make long trips to watch the games and to shout from their seats in the bleachers(露天座位). Millions of others tune in on radio and television, sometimes topic of conversation. And long after it is all over, baseball fans talk over the scores and the plays, inning by inning, and the batting average of the player this year compared to other years.(Batting averages show the percentage of times a player hits the ball safely.) The President of the United States is invited to start the season each year by tossing the ball into the first game in Washington. D.C.—and he rarely fails to come. Football, which begins its season in autumn, attracts greater crowds at each game than baseball. There are many huge stadiums through the country, some seating 100,000 and more. In football, though interest is high in professional teams, college teams are the favorites. On fine autumn and early winter afternoons, millions of fans fill the stadiums to watch the teams kick, pass and score touchdowns. Girl 'cheerleaders' lead the fans in loud cheers and in chants of 'We want a touchdown'. Many people come out to watch even in rain or snow or sleet, with umbrellas over their head and blankets around their knees. Others sit out the games beside the radio or television set. The basketball season follows the football season. The game was invented in America, to provide an indoor game that could be played in the evening and during the winter. Its fast play and high scores make it a fascinating game to play and to watch. Thousands of people attend the professional and college games and the matches played by innumerable high school teams throughout the country. Even more people watch boxing matches. One championship match was thought to have been watched by 60 million people on television. Sports Player Actually, for many Americans, sports seem to mean sitting in a comfortable chair watching games on a television screen. But Americans are players as well as watchers. For every famous lop team in the country there are thousands and thousands of amateur teams, club teams, school teams, neighborhood teams, teams sponsored by factories and businesses. Americans enjoy and excel in individual sports as well as team sports. Track and field events like foot races, pole vaulting, and broad jumping are favorites. So too is bowling. Bowling is enjoyed by men and women, boys and girls, some 20 million strong; it is certainly the most popular indoor sport of the country. It takes little time and equipment. Golf lakes more time and money, but there are 5 million golfers and many beautiful public and private courses. In recent years, tennis has become a very popular sport, and tennis has sprung up all over the country. Water sports have always had a special appeal—swimming, fishing, boating