Sportsin the USA

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Christian Stockinger

On this digital tour, you can find many information about the different sports that are very popular in the US.

1. Take out our exercise book.2. Read the information about the different

sports and write down the most important information in the exercise book.

3. In some sports sections, you will find additional exercises. Do them in your exercise book!

Start your tour

AMERICAN SPORTS

American Football

Baseball

Basketball

Ice hockey

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Football Field

Rules

Teams

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THE FOOTBALL FIELD

American football is played on a field 120.0 by 53.3 yards (109.7 by 48.8 meters). The longer boundary lines are sidelines, while the shorter boundary lines are end lines. Near each end of the field is a goal line; they are 100 yards (91.4 m) apart. A scoring area called an end zone extends 10 yards (9.1 m) beyond each goal line to each end line. The end zone includes the goal line but not the end line.

Yard lines cross the field every 5 yards (4.6 m), and are numbered every 10 yards from each goal line to the 50-yard line, or midfield.

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Take notes in German:

What are sidelines and end lines ?What is the end zone ?What do the numbers on the field stand for ?

THE RULES

In American Football, the teams try to get the ball into the opponent‘s (=other team‘s) end zone. That‘s called a touchdown.How to get the ball into the end zone: step by stepA team has four chances, called “downs“, to get the ball at least 10 yards closer to the opponent‘s end zone without being stopped. When the offense is successful, it gets a first down, meaning the team starts a new set of four chances to move forward yet another 10 yards or to reach the end zone.

Take notes in German: Jedes Team hat pro Spielzug vier „downs“. Was versteht man darunter ? Wie kann man den Ball näher in Richtung Endzone des Gegners bringen ? Wann ist ein Spielzug zu Ende ?

There are two ways the team can get the ball closer to the other team‘s end zone:1) Players can run forwards with the ball.2) A player, usually the quarterback, throughs the ball forwards to another player. This is only allowed once per down.The down ends when1) The player with the ball is attacked by the others so he falls down2) The ball flies out of the field3) The ball falls on the ground before a player can catch it

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THE RULES

Takes notes:How many people are in the field at a match ? What typical positions do players specialize in ?What does “NFL“ stand for ? What are conferences and divisions ?

Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up

directly behind the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the

leaders of the offensive team. He controls the offense and decides how to attack.

Each team has 11 players on the field at a time. Usually there are many more players off the field (an NFL team has a limit of 53 players on their roster, 46 of which can be dressed for a game). As a result, players have very specialized roles and are divided into three separate units: the offense, the

defense and the special teams.

All 16 professional football teams play in the National Football League. But because the United States is so huge, the NFL is divided into two “conferences“, the AFC and the

NFC. The conferences are again divided into four “divisions“, with 4 teams per division.

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AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Baseball Field

Rules

Baseball legends

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THE BASEBALL FIELD

Let‘s start with a square in the center of your sheet.

In the middle of the square, you can find the pitcher‘s mound.The pitcher‘s mound is a very small “hill“ from where the pitcherthrows the baseball towards the hitter. The hitter stands on the home plate, which is the lower corner of the field. Directly behind the home plate, you can find the catcher‘s box. Each corner is called a “base“, which are not numbered clock-wise, but the other way round. That‘s why the right corner is called “1rst base“.Now, make the lines from the home plates to 1rst and 3rd plate 5 cm longer. These lines are called “foul lines“, because the ball is not allowed to fly across these lines.

The only thing that‘s missing now is the “Infield“, which is not covered with grass, but with dirt. Draw the Infield by making a half circle around the center square, which must be put between the two foul lines. At 1rst and 3rd base, move out along the foul lines for about 2 cm. Connect these two positions and you‘re done!

Finished? Check your solution here!

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THE RULES

Read the text on the next page carefully and answer the following questions. You don‘t have to write full sentences, but make sure that

you understand the game with the help of your notes! How can teams score points ?

When is a player “out“ ?

Continue

Pitcher

Hitter

1 baseball match = 9 innings = 9x 6 outs

THE RULES

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In baseball, teams can score points when a hitter reaches the home plate.

One player of team A stands in the middle of the field. He is called the pitcher. The pitcher throws the ball towards a player of team B, who then tries to hit the ball with his bat. The hitter only has three tries to hit the ball, and they are called “strikes“. When he is able to hit, he is allowed to run from base to base as long as the ball is in the air. It‘s the pitcher‘s team‘s task to catch the ball and get it to the next base before the hitter reaches it, too.

You‘re out!The hitter can only score points when he reaches the home plate again.When he is “out“, he must leave the field without scoring points.This happens when he has three strikes when he is still between two bases before the pitcher‘s team

can get the ball to the next base

While running, the hitter has to decide: Should he stay at a base and be safe until the next hitter gets the ball into the air - or should he try to reach the next base, because the ball is still far out ?

BASEBALL LEGENDS

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TASK: Choose two legends and write down three interesting things about them!

BASEBALL LEGENDSTED WILLIAMS

Ted Williams made his Major League debut on April 20, 1939. In his first season he finished fourth in the MVP player ranking. Just three short years later he won the American League Triple Crown, which is the highest award for baseball professionals. After the 1942 season Ted served his country in World War II. He would not play again until 1946. In that season of 1946 Ted won the MVP award and led the Red Sox to the World Series.

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BASEBALL LEGENDS

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NOLAN RYAN

It’s difficult to decide what is most impressive: his seven career no-hitters, or his 5714 strikeouts (over 1000 more than any other pitcher today). Or perhaps the power with which he pitched, even after reaching the age of 40. The longevity of Ryan’s career–a major-league record 27 years–is also surprising. He is one of the oldest pitchers in the league‘s history!Ryan began his big career in 1966 with the New York Mets, but was fired after just two games because he wanted too much money. In 1968 he came back and and immediately won the championship.In 1999, Ryan became a member in the “Hall of Fame“, which is a special title for any professional sportsperson.

BASEBALL LEGENDS„BIG MAC“ WILLIE MCCOVEY

Willie Lee McCovey, nicknamed "Big Mac“, played nineteen seasons for the San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw left-handed and was invited into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986. One of the most powerful hitters of his era, McCovey was called "the scariest hitter in baseball" by pitcher Bob Gibson.Still alive, McCovey opened a baseball-themed restaurant in San Francisco in 2008.

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BASKETBALL

NBA History

Famous teams

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BASKETBALL HISTORY

Go to the questions

Read the text carefully and remember as many details as you can. Then try to answer the task on the next page!

The NBA was founded in 1979 and it quickly became the standard basketball league in the United States. Before that year, there were basketball teams, too, but the sports wasn‘t very popular. Rookies Larry Bird and Magic Johnson joined the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, which helped basketball attract many fans throughout the country and the world. In 1984 they played against each other for the first time in the NBA Finals. Johnson went on to lead the Lakers to five titles, and Bird went on to lead the Celtics to three. Also in the early '80s, one more famous team was added to the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks, bringing the total to 23 teams.

When Michael Jordan entered the league in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls, an even more popular star came and the interest in the league grew even more. This resulted in more cities demanding teams of their own. In 1988 and 1989, four cities got their wishes as the Charlotte Hornets (now the New Orleans Hornets), Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves made their first NBA matches, bringing the total to 27 teams.

BASKETBALL HISTORY

> Answer key

1. In 1979, some teams got together and ....2. Before that, basketball ...3. Magic Johnson was important for basketball

because ...4. The Los Angeles Lakers ...5. In 1984, Michael Jordan ...6. Because the game became so popular, more and

more ...

Finish the sentences with ONE idea from the text on the last page.

Need help?Click here to go back to

the text again!

BASKETBALL HISTORY

1. In 1979, some teams got together and created the NBA.2. Before that, basketball wasn‘t very popular.3. Magic Johnson was important for basketball because with him,

basketball got more interesting.4. The Los Angeles Lakers won the Finals with Magic Johnson five

times.5. In 1984, Michael Jordan joined the Chicago Bulls.6. Because the game became so popular, more and more cities

wanted to have their own team.

Here is one possible solution to the task.

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BASKETBALL TEAMS

The Celtics' 17 NBA Championships are the most for any NBA franchise, with their Western Conference rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, following behind with 16 NBA Titles. From 1957 to 1969, the Celtics dominated the league winning 11 championships in 13 years, and eight in a row (1959–1966), the longest championship streak of any North American pro sports team.

At the 1980 NBA All-Star Game, league owners voted to admit a new team, the Dallas Mavericks, with the team's name coming from the 1957–1962 TV western “Maverick“. The name was chosen by the fans with 4600 postcards, beating “Wranglers“ and “Express“. In 2000, successful young businessman Mark Cuban bought the whole team because he was such a fan! The Mavericks is also the team of famous Dirk Nowitzky, one of the most-known basketball players born outside the United States.

Athough not very successful at the moment, the Chicago Bulls are one of the most famous teams in NBA history. They have been in the Finals six times - and they have never lost one of them! All the winning was stopped when Michael Jordan decided to retire. The 1998 NBA Finals, the Bulls' most recent championship appearance, was the most watched championship series in NBA history.

Go to the questions

BASKETBALL TEAMS

Answer key

Match the sentences correctly!

1 Nirk Nowitzky is ...2 When people become rich, they ...3 The Chicago Bulls ...4 Michael Jordan helped ...5 The team that won most Finals in a row ...6 The name of the Dallas team ..

... haven‘t been very successful recently.A

... was the result of a fan survey.B

... has its home in Boston.C

... a Mavericks star.D

... making the Bulls a legendary team.E

... sometimes buy the team they love since childhood.F

Need help?Click here to go back to the text

again!

BASKETBALL TEAMS

Answer key

Match the sentences correctly!

1 Nirk Nowitzky is ...2 When people become rich, they ...3 The Chicago Bulls ...4 Michael Jordan helped ...5 The team that won most Finals in a row ...6 The name of the Dallas team ..

... haven‘t been very successful recently.A

... was the result of a fan survey.B

... has its home in Boston.C

... a Mavericks star.D

... making the Bulls a legendary team.E

... sometimes buy the team they love since childhood.F

1D 2F 3A 4E 5C 6B

ICE HOCKEY

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Stanley

Cup

USAVs.

Canada

STANLEY CUP

Anwer key >

The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion. The trophy is also called “The Cup“, “Lord Stanley's Cup“ or “The Holy Grail“. The Stanley Cup is surrounded by a lot of legends and traditions, the oldest of which is the celebratory drinking of champagne out of the cup by the winning team. Unlike the trophies in most other sports, a new Stanley Cup is not made each year; winners keep it until a new champion is crowned. What makes the trophy even more special is the fact that it has the names of all of the winning players, coaches, management, and club staff engraved on its bottom, which is why the trophy gets bigger and bigger every few years.

✔ ✘

1 Standley Cup is both a trophy and a play-off season.

2 The trophy is based on a very old legend.

3The winning team celebrate by drinking alcohol out of

the trophy.

4 A new trophy is made every year.

5You can find the names of all the winning players on the

trophy.

True or false?

STANLEY CUP

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The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion. The trophy is also called “The Cup“, “Lord Stanley's Cup“ or “The Holy Grail“. The Stanley Cup is surrounded by a lot of legends and traditions, the oldest of which is the celebratory drinking of champagne out of the cup by the winning team. Unlike the trophies in most other sports, a new Stanley Cup is not made each year; winners keep it until a new champion is crowned. What makes the trophy even more special is the fact that it has the names of all of the winning players, coaches, management, and club staff engraved on its bottom, which is why the trophy gets bigger and bigger every few years.

✔ ✘

1 Standley Cup is both a trophy and a play-off season. X

2 The trophy is based on a very old legend. X

3The winning team celebrate by drinking alcohol out of

the trophy.X

4 A new trophy is made every year. X

5You can find the names of all the winning players on the

trophy.X

True or false?

USA vs. Canada

Anwer key >

The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion. The trophy is also called “The Cup“, “Lord Stanley's Cup“ or “The Holy Grail“. The Stanley Cup is surrounded by a lot of legends and traditions, the oldest of which is the celebratory drinking of champagne out of the cup by the winning team. Unlike the trophies in most other sports, a new Stanley Cup is not made each year; winners keep it until a new champion is crowned. What makes the trophy even more special is the fact that it has the names of all of the winning The two teams have been close rivals since the early days of international hockey, facing each other for the gold medal at the first Olympic hockey tournament in 1920. For most of the mid-twentieth century, Canada had much better teams and often didn‘t take the US team seriously. The Americans only beat Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics. However during the 1991 Canada Cup, American defenseman Suter has injured Canadian superstar Wayne Gretzky, which made many Canadians very angry with their neighbour country. In 1996, the United States - for the only time in its history - won a championship when they defeated Canada at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey in Montreal, and Canadians now view the American team as its main rival. Canada had revenge by beating the US for the Gold at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Most recently, Canada won against the US in the gold medal game at the 2010 Olympics on Canadian soil in Vancouver.

Transform the underlined sentences into the passive voice. Mind the tense!

USA vs. Canada

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The Americans only beat Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics. Canada was only beaten by the Americans at the 1960 Winter Olympics.

American defenseman Suter has injured Canadian superstar Wayne Gretzky Canadian superstar Wayne Gretzky has been injured by American defensemen Suter.

they defeated Canada Canada was defeated by them.

Canadians now view the American team as its main rival The American team is now viewed as its main rival by Canadians.

Transform the underlined sentences into the passive voice. Mind the tense!