Whenever country you go to,I am sure that the people have always something to stay about sports.
Sports in America has been an important part of their culture. Most of its popular sports nowadays include football and soccer,baseball,basketball,golf,and hockey.
Did you know that there are USA born sports that maybe,if you are not a sport enthusiast,might not know it exists. Or maybe you know these sports but never knew it originated in the USA.
- Pickleball :
This sport can be traced back to early 1960’s. Its history tells us that pickleball started during the summer of 1965 on Brainbridge Island,Washington.
Some say that “pickleball” was derived from that Pichard’s family dog or from the word pickle boat,” referring to the last boat to return with its catch.
It is a sport that is likened to a racket sport that combines the elements of badminton,tennis,and table tennis where two or four players use paddles of wood to hit the ball over a net and the server hits from behind the baseline on one side of the center line and aims to smash the ball diagonally to the opponent’s service zone.
The rule is to give the points to the serving side and play ends when one side commits a fault.
- Cowboy Polo :
This sport is known to be a variation of polo palyed mostly in the western United States. It is played in “chukkas” with two teams on horses who use mallets to hit a ball through a goal.
Cowboy Polo originated in New Smyrna Beach,Florida in 1952,where it was called Palmetto Polo derived from the mallet handles.
It is interesting to note that of all its written rules,the most commonly enforced unwritten rule is that any rider who falls off his or her horse must buy beer for the entire team.
Take note that each team consists of five players,with two horseback referees,and two goal spotters.
- Kickball :
Originally called “kick baseball,” this sport was invented as in the early 1900’s by Nicholas Seuss of Cinacinnati,Ohio.
This game is typically played on a softball diamond inflated rubber ball which uses 3 bases,a pitcher’s mound,and a home plate as in baseball or softball game.
The goal of the game is to score more runs than the opposing team. Kickball is considered a child’s game in the United states,though as it evolves through time,many of its states have created kickball leagues for adults.
Did you know that kickball is also popular among Koreans and Japanese young adults? Yes,it is included in their PE classes and they call it balyagu in Korean and kickbase in Japanese.
These are just a few sports and games that were born and originated in the USA. There are still a lot that we can talk about.
Although,you might not fond of sports and games,it is fascinating to learn these sports and trace back their amazing history. Sports have a special impact on each culture and it is good to know them.