Sports in the US

A) Sport in the United States is much more than just scoring the most points and winning the match or game. For some people, sport helps fill voids in their lives; sport gives people something to cheer for and athletes and teams to look up to. You follow a sports team throughout an entire season hoping that they will be the last team standing when it's all said and done, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way, and it can be gut-wrenching. Baseball, for example, is one of the most popular sports in America. The players play 162 games a year, and that's not even counting playoff games. Now, imagine following a team for all 162 games and they don't even make it to the playoffs. For some, they let it go and look towards next season, but for others, it's a struggle to get past the fact that their team wasn't the best. It can be exhausting for players and fans alike. Sports in America is unlike sports anywhere else. We tend to put athletes and the sport itself on a pedestal; they become heroes to fans across America.
The three most popular sports in the United States, in my opinion, are baseball, basketball, and football. The common goal of each of these three games is to have the most points by the end of the game or match. Each team for each sport has a set of players, a set of coaches, and offensive and defensive sets that help them maneuver around their opponents, and create opportunities for them to score. Typically, the team will assign a "team captain" who displays the best leadership qualities and skills to make sure that everyone is on the same page while they are on the court or field.  For baseball, it could be anyone that is team captain. But for football, it's typically the quarterback, and for basketball, it's typically the point guard, because they are the ones who call out and run the plays.
Success in these sports are measured by a number of different factors. Typically, for a single season, the ultimate goal is to score the most points by the end of the game, have the most wins by the end of the season, and win the championship. Success can also be measured by looking at the team's history; How many championships have that team already one? Who were some big time players back when that team was really good? Personally, I measure success by how the players play together and bond as a team. Baseball, basketball, and football are TEAM sports, not individual sports, and sometimes players lose sight of the fact that you can't win unless all players are on the same page. For example, the BEST team I have ever seen in sports was the 2002 Sacramento Kings. Though they didn't win a championship, you knew that when Mike Bibby, Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, and Doug Christie stepped onto the floor, you were in for a great show. The togetherness they played with, understanding for each others game and tendencies, and the amount of respect they had for one another was displayed in almost every game they played with each other.

B) Sports ethic "...emphasizes sacrifice for the game, seeking distinction, taking risks, and challenging limits," (Hughes, Coakley). The four dimensions of this concept include:
1) Being an athlete involves making sacrifices for the game
2) Being an athlete involves striving for distinction
3) Being an athlete involves accepting risks and playing through pain
4) Being an athlete involves refusing to accept limits in the pursuit of possibilities

Athletes tend to conform to these set of beliefs because it is what they need to do in order to become the best athlete that they can be. Making sacrifices means that maybe you won't be able to go to that party on a Saturday night because you need to work on your game, or you choose not to pursue something because your sport is more important. Accepting risks and playing through pain means you realize there is a possibility that you can get hurt while playing, and if that time comes when you do get injured, you work through the pain to get back to 100%.
Personally, growing up playing basketball, I have experienced all four of these dimensions. For example, there cam e a point in my life when baseball and basketball were competing for my time, and I had to make the ultimate decision on which sport I wanted to pursue. Knowing that I was better at basketball than baseball, but still loved playing baseball, I decided to drop baseball and continue with basketball. Though it was a tough decision, it was just one of the sacrifices I had to make in order to pursue what I believed I had a better chance at succeeding.

Works Cited

1. Hughes, Robert, and Jay Coakley. (1991). Positive Deviance Among Athletes: The Implications of Overconformity to the Sport Ethic. Sociology of Sport Journal, 8, 307-12.