By that, I don't mean the sports themselves, because Americans are addicted to a variety of sports, and likely always will be. With apologies to the late Carl Sagan, billions and billions of dollars change hands every year in the world of American sports. Many people, including yours truly, are avid sports fans.
But that's not the point. Americans became used to thinking they were the best at many sports. Perhaps they were in years past, but nowadays the landscape looks a lot different.
Baseball? It's probably a pretty safe bet to say the Major Leagues represent the game at its highest level. But who plays on those teams anymore? Take away all the "Latino" nationals and chances are you've gutted many teams of their best players. Even the Little League World Series isn't fair, if you think about it. Though the US hosts the tournament, every other country in the world gets to send one team. Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, American teams compete against each other until only one is left. Bottom line? The US is always guaranteed a spot in the finals.
Football? Nobody would question the NFL rules. Thing is -- no other countries seem interested in even playing the game. The NFL tried to expand into Europe, but that crashed and burned. People there, and everywhere else in the world, are more interested in soccer.
Speaking of which, men's soccer in this country doesn't fare well against international competition. Ladies soccer is a force, but they don't play much professional football either.
Basketball? It used to be the NBA was the best. Even at the Olympic level, the original "dream team" blew everybody away. It's no slam dunk for the gold medal anymore. Other teams from other countries have not only closed the gap, but when it gets down to maybe the semi-finals or so, the squad from the USA is going to get tested -- hard. Those other guys you never heard of are pretty good too.
Hockey? Not sure, but I think the Canadians have been playing that since before the glaciers receded. They were certainly dominant for a very long time. It's like it's in their DNA or something, and I salute them for being so passionate about the sport. American players always seemed to be a fringe element. One here, a couple there, but their presence has steadily grown over the years. Regardless, take away the Swedes, the Russians, the Slovacs, and a lot of teams would be in serious need of talent.
Golf? It used to be all about Tiger Woods. Once he got married, and the other ugly events subsequently unfolded, he seems to be in nowhere land these days. There might be a few "young guns" coming up, but the Europeans pretty much occupy the top spots. Don't believe me. Check the world rankings.
Tennis? On the men's side, I can't remember a dominant American player since Pete Sampras. When's the last time you heard of an American playing in a men's Final? It's been a while. On the ladies side -- pretty much the same thing. The Williams' sisters are getting old in pro tennis years, and Serena just got blown off the court in the Australian Open by another young girl who last name ends in "ova". Americans are no longer competitive there either.
Other sports? How about bowling? It's still hugely popular in this country, but at the highest levels, it's seldom even televised anymore. Curling? I think the Canadians still rule that, but I'm not sure. I can't get channel 9 on my dish to find out.
Even if American atheletes "ain't what they used to be", there's still one thing in the world of sports that all the other countries combined will never even come close to matching us at.
Talking heads on the 4-letter network.
Hey, even if it's ugly, a win is a win.
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