Introduction to America

7/29/2019 Introduction to America

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PEComparing America and

Britain


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Introduction

In many waysAmerica is the world

leader: the way itsathletes are treated,the resourcesavailable and the way

the major sports arefunded.


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The geography of America and itseffect on sport

Americas size is of great benefit to its peopleeconomically and in terms of leisure.

America is made up of many different lanscapesand climates that affect what Americans can do.

Generally the warm climate and the wholevariety available mean that Americans have a

broad choice of things to do.


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It is not surprisingtherefore that many ofthe activities/lifestyles,

jobs and life skills arecentred on hunting,fishing and horse riding.

The idea of the gunlobby, which agrees thatkeeping guns is animportant part of selfdefence, dates back tothe days of the pioneers,when a man needed todefend himself againstall.


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Geography

Population - 250 million (Britain 60 million) live in cities, so population is dense in

the cities by very sparse in other areas.

Climate all types Very cold (highplateau. Alberquerque - practice area forthe Olympic Games.); Semi-tropical (Gulf

region); Rainy (central plateau) andwilderness.

Size - 3.5 million square miles.


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Geography

51 states. Each state is about the same size as a

European country but with less population. America has 3 geographical areas:1. Highland (Appalachians to the east)

2. Plateaus (Mid-America)3. Mountains (Rockies to the west)


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Transport

Planes and inter-statebuses - The

Greyhounds. Inter-state trains. Great use of cars

long distances to

travel
http://www.mythicalireland.com/other/planes/gallery3/american-airlines-767.jpg


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American Sport

American sport is themost technicallyadvanced sport in theworld.

Its stars are thewealthiest in theworld.

They are worldchampions in manysports.
http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/packer/img/news/dec03/kabeer-tl1222.jpg


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The development ofAmerican

sport


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American Sport

The American people have an obsessionwith sport sport has a strong influenceon all social and cultural aspects.

Millions play and pay to watch sport liveand on television.

Billions are spent on leisure and sport.

Most sports performers earn millions, andclubs are run as commercial companies.


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American Sport

The interesting thing about sport inAmerica is the fact that the sports are notplayed anywhere else in the world this is

a good example of how sport reflects thecountrys culture.

Americas history and self-belief have

underlain sport where worldchampionships are held in Americanfootball, ice hockey, baseball and

basketball that are open to America only!!


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American Sport

Like many New World countries, Americahas colonial links.

But these were early in the countrys

historical development, and for yearsAmerica developed separately from all,especially Europe.

During this time, many sports developedfrom European games so that they suitedAmericas new appearance.


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American Sport

Ancient games- Baggataway/Lacrosse

European appearance

- Baseball

Rationalising period

- American football Independence and separatism

- Basketball


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American Sport

Task

What are the main differences betweenbaseball and rounders?


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American Sport

In sports like hockey and football, aharder, more attractive game wasdeveloped (American football and ice

hockey). Games like these are now associated withAmerica.

These were developed to reflect Americansociety and because of this they have notdeveloped away from America.


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Task

Compare football in Britain with Americanfootball.

Compare the historical and culturaldifferences that have led to 2 completelydifferent games.


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American Sport

American sports tend to be games full ofincidents to increase the entertainment.

American sports reflect their culture,winning is important.

The winning principle or Lombardis

Principle


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American Sport

Lombardis Principle:

Named after the successfulcoach of the Green BayPackers in the 50s- VinceLombardi.

He developed the idea thatwinning was all-important.

This was completely contraryto the idea of sportsmanship.

"Th ' l t d i


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"There's only one way to succeed inanything, and that is to give it everything.I do, and I demand that my players do."

"If you aren't fired with enthusiasm,you'll be fired with enthusiasm."

"Mental toughness is essential tosuccess."

"You never win a game unless you beat the

guy in front of you. The score on theboard doesn't mean a thing. That's forthe fans. You've got to win the war with

the man in front of you. You've got to getour man."


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Success demands singleness of purpose."

"Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, butwe will be judged by only one thing - the result."

"Winning is not a sometime thing: it's an all the timething. You don't win once in a while; you don't do theright thing once in a while; you do them right all thetime. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."

"Winning isn't everything - but wanting to win is."

"It's easy to have faith in yourself and have disciplinewhen you're a winner, when you're number one. Whatyou've got to have is faith and discipline when you're

not yet a winner."

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, thegreatest fulfilment of all that he holds dear, is the

moment when he has worked his heart out in a good

cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle -victorious."


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American Sport

It is this idea which encourages everyAmerican and promotes the idea of the

American dream The idea of rags to riches where

everybody can eventually become a hero

The best example of this is the film Rocky


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American Sport

The industrial aspect of American sportmakes it unique.At all levels, from professional national

teams to the high school American footballteam, they are run as businsesses.

The influence of television is so importantand many sports depend on the moneyproduced by the television companies andadvertising.


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American Sport

American sport heroes are millionaires. Indeed many players are on multi-million

dollar contracts.

Many players, like Michael Jordan, makeeven more money by being sponsored.


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American Sport

In spite of all the money, there is anotherside:

Sport in America is elitist.

e.g. in athletics, there is not one amateurclub where individuals can train andcompete.

Clubs are based in educational institutionslike schools and colleges or professionalinstitutions.


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American Sport

To most Americans,sport is something towatch on television,and something youdont do after leavingschool.


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American Sport Television affects the rules of a

game, e.g. American footballhas developed into a staccato-stop go game.

The reason for this is to enablecompanies to advertise theirproducts every 5 minutes.

Many of these aspects are nowstarting to permeate Britishsport.

And we are finding it difficult tostop our sport being

Americanised.


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Task

What effect have the factors noted on thesheet Comparing Britain and America had

on the sports system in the USA?

Introduction to America

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