13: Sports and Recreation
Sports and recreation absorb an inordinate amount of Americans' interest, time, and money. To differentiate, the author considers sports to be spectator events in which people watch others engage in competitive games. Recreation refers to participation in athletic and avocational activities.
SPORTS
Americans' interest in spectator sports seems excessive and even obsessive to many factors. While not all Americans take interest in sports, very many are, and some seem interested in little else.
In America, the major sports are considered to be football, baseball, and basketball. Hockey gets significant attention in some locations. These games are not popular in many other countries, and the most popular sport in much of the world, soccer, is of little interest to the American audience.
(EN: The author doesn't mention the wide array of secondary sports - there's quite a variety, though a small audience, for virtually any physical competition, and the proliferation of sports networks on cable television grants them wider attention. Golf, for example, is highly popular but not considered to be "major" and there is interest in activities such as bowling or billiards, though much argument over whether such activities can be regarded as "sports.")
Television networks feature a lot of broadcasts of sporting events and there are several networks that broadcast sports and commentary 24/7, and is also prominent on radio stations. Newspapers devote a section to the topic, and there are many magazines devoted to the topic.
Some random bits:
- Americans bet considerable sums of money on the outcome of sports contests
- "Super Bowl Sunday" is virtually a national holiday.
- Star athletes are more widely recognized than any national leader other than the President
- Many professional athletes and coaches receive yearly salaries in the millions of dollars.
- There is a significant industry for the production and sale of sports paraphernalia and memorabilia
In the US, sports are associated to educational institutions in a way that is unique. High schools divert a vast amount of resources from educational budgets to fund athletic teams that compete with other schools, and in rural communities, high school sports are a focal point of social activity and conversation. College sports are equally intense and draw a larger regional audience, and are increasingly televised. Sports are such a significant commercial industry that many colleges offer degree program in sports psychology, sports medicine, sports marketing, and other "sport" specializations of traditional subjects.
Sports teams and events are a very frequent topic of conversation, especially among males, and it is a "safe" topic of small-talk. It is non-personal and fairly safe. Expressions from sports are extraordinarily common in everyday language. A foreigner with no may be find it difficult to follow the idioms in a business conversation.
In some social circles, being athletic or having a connection to a known athlete is a way to achieve social recognition. This is especially true among African Americans, who value athletic talent above education or professional success. On that topic, African Americans are heavily overrepresented among professional athletes in most sports, but continue to be a small minority of coaches, managers, and executives.
Participation in sports is largely male. It is common for there to be separate teams and leagues for women athletes, but they receive far less attention than men's sports, though considerably more than they do in other countries. Women may audition to participate in men's teams, but highly uncommon for a woman to do so, and virtually unheard of for a woman to succeed in earning a spot on a men's team.
(EN: Much ado is periodically made of this, though it seems to be largely sorted out. Women have the right to play on men's teams, but only if they can successfully compete - most accept that it is objective physical ability rather than discrimination that keeps women out of men's sports. In so far as audience or compensation for women's teams is concerned, Americans vote with their dollars, and the failure to attract a significant audience is considered a lack of genuine interest.)
Sports are even popular among the physically disabled, but is also separated from mainstream sports. There are "wheelchair basketball" leagues in some cities, and "Special Olympics: for general competition, but these tend to be participatory activities that garner little audience aside of family, friends, and supporters of the participants.
RECREATION
The word "recreation" brings to mind relaxing and enjoyable activities such as a leisurely stroll or a family picnic. However, much of American recreational activity seems to be approached with a high degree of seriousness, planning, organization, and expense - and "spontaneous fun" is often seemingly absent to the foreign observer.
Many Americans engage in vigorous athletic activities they consider to be recreational: jogging, tennis racquetball, weightlifting, and the like. Some activities are done regularly, daily or multiple times per week, regardless of weather conditions. Americans can be seen jogging in the extreme heat of summer of sub-zero conditions in winter, behavior which foreigners consider to be "crazy." Even vacation activities are active: an American on leisure will plan a skiing trip, hiking, hunting or fishing expeditions, or other activities that require planning and expense and seem far more exhausting than relaxing. In the American view, all these activities are considered to be enjoyable, worth the exhaustion and discomfort because they contribute to physical fitness, provide opportunities to socialize, or can lead to a sense of personal achievement.
There are also other activities that are more recognized as leisure recreation: gardening, cooking, dance, bird watching, bowling, astronomy, etc. - but even these activities are undertaken with a relative degree of rigor: an individual will plan and track his activities, read books or take classes to learn to do them better, or join a club to participate and socialize with other enthusiasts. It seems that nothing is approached casually or lackadaisically.
As such, recreation is a major industry in America: many recreational activities require clothing, supplies, and equipment that can be quite costly. On the upper end, recreational vehicles and boats can cost more than half a million dollars - but even relatively minor ones, like hiking boots, fishing rods, skis, bowling balls, paint and canvas, and the like are not inexpensive items.
Participation in recreational activities also requires having the "right" clothing. Americans, who are famously indifferent to fashion in their everyday lives, are very attentive to having exactly the right attire for their leisure activities - jogging, playing tennis, golfing, biking, and so on require a proper uniform associated, and often unique, to the activity.
There is also some association between certain recreational activities and social classes. This may vary by region and community, and in certain areas a "luxury" sport is more commonplace (in Colorado, a relatively poor person may engage in skiing, but in other areas, it's an activity for the affluent who travel to Colorado to do so). In general, golf and yachting are associated with wealth, tennis with the upper-middle class, outdoor sports with the middle class, bowling with the working class.
It's reiterated that many Americans will steadfastly deny the existence of social classes, but they are clearly expressed in their choice of recreational activities, and the "cliques" that form in destinations where multiple activities are accommodated. At a community lake, the different classes engage in class-specific activities (motor boating, sailing, motorized watercraft, waterskiing, swimming, and fishing are done by separate groups that do not intermingle).
SUGGESTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
Foreign visitors, especially males who will be in the US for an extended period of time, should learn about sports and the teams popular in the area they are visiting, as this will facilitate social interaction with Americans in their area.
Americans will be curious about sports in other countries, but to a very limited and passing degree - talking to an American about soccer or cricket is utterly fruitless beyond a few minutes' small talk about the basics of the game.
Long-term visitors are also encouraged to take a class, join a club, or participate in a local team. Most Americans enjoy the company of those with similar leisure interests, and participation in sports and recreation is an effective way of networking with the locals.
There is a warning that Americans tend to take things to extremes, and that it can be embarrassing and potentially physically dangerous for a foreigner to attempt to leap right in and keep pace with Americans who are more active in general and have greater proficiency in a given activity. Start slowly, seek out "beginner" activities, unless you are accomplished in a given activity.