The US Won’t Be at the World Cup, but Soccer Still Strong
The 2018 World Cup is around the corner, and billions of people around the world will be glued to the matches. But what about Americans? The men’s national team didn’t qualify for the global tournament for the first time since 1986. What’s the state of soccer in the United States? “Overall, soccer is stronger than […]
Here’s Proof American Cowboys Still Exist
Cowboy traditions and culture are rooted in the West and nowhere is that more apparent than at rodeos, hugely popular sporting events where horseback riding, livestock animals and fancy rope skills are on display. Thousands of cowboys and cowgirls compete to see who has the best rodeo skills. VOA reporters Caty Weaver, Ashley Thompson and Adam […]
March Madness Bracket Racket Rivets Americans, Scores Big Bucks
The basketball tournament known as March Madness has grabbed millions of Americans by the collective throat and won’t let go until the last shot. Widely referred to by its nickname because of the month in which the event occurs and the passion it inspires, many Americans consider the NCAA college men’s tournament to be the […]
Super Bowl Is America’s Most-Watched TV Show Ever
It’s not a national holiday, though maybe it should be. Money, sex appeal, action, copious amounts of food and just a bit of alcohol are integral to the extravaganza that is the Super Bowl. The American football championship game is a pure slice of Americana that has taken on an outsize life of its own […]
Majority of Americans Believe God Rewards Religious Athletes
Forty years ago, after a professional American football player threw the game-winning pass, he told reporters that before throwing the ball, “I closed my eyes and said a ‘Hail Mary’ [prayer].” There’s no way to confirm whether a higher being had a hand in the outcome of that game, but it turns out that more […]
Are US Hunters an Endangered Species?
The Saturday morning before Thanksgiving, I sat in a small, plastic capsule atop wooden stilts at the edge of a forest on my parents’ property in central Wisconsin. As I peered out the glassless windows that surrounded me there was hardly a sound, except for the soft hiss of a small propane heater between my […]
Baseball Isn’t Uniquely American Pastime Anymore
The sport of baseball has long been known as “America’s pastime,” though many might argue in today’s world with such things as television, video games and smartphones that’s no longer the case. Even as a sport, in recent years American style football has overshadowed baseball in the U.S. in popularity. But Major League Baseball’s yearly […]
American Football Kicks Soccer to the Curb
Enormous, well-padded warriors in helmets and vibrant, numbered jerseys, collide at high speeds on the gridiron. The sharp cracking sound of impact prompts a huge roar of approval from the large, boisterous crowd. Millions of television viewers around the globe tune in for the games. The NFL broadcasts to more than 230 countries across six […]