As we all know, the fans are the ones who often propel a winning team. Sport team fan bases turn up year after year to follow their favorite teams. From the raging face painters to the tiniest of children, sports fans enjoy dressing in their favorite teams'' gear and attending as many games as they can.
When you think of fan based team sports, you probably think of the four major organized sports:
There is no doubt that baseball is the American pastime. Professional baseball, or Major League Baseball (MLB), has 162 games per regular season. Teams are divided into two leagues: the American League, consisting of 14 teams and the National League with 16 teams. Each league has three divisions: East, West and Central.
At the professional and college levels, baseball is played in nine innings. High school baseball has seven innings, and Little League is played in six innings.
The official baseball season typically starts at the beginning of April and lasts until the end of September, followed by the World Series in October.
Today, going to a baseball game is usually cheaper than professional football or basketball tickets, with the average ticket price for an MLB game costing approximately $27. The Boston Red Sox, who play at the smallest ballpark, boast the second highest average ticket price in the league at $50. Which team has the highest average price per ticket? Yep, you guessed it: The New York Yankees charge an average $73 per ticket.
Football has one of the most enthusiastic sport team fan bases in the United States. The National Football League (NFL) consists of 32 teams in two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).
The regular season starts on the first Thursday night after Labor Day, and runs until late December or early January. The NFL championship Super Bowl takes place in early February. The average ticket price for an NFL game is $75.
Along with NFL games, football fanatics can also indulge their passions for football by watching college football (NCAA) games. In fact, college football sometimes draws more fans than professional teams, and their ticket prices often match or exceed average NFL ticket prices. Although college athletes do not receive salaries, many do receive scholarships and financial aid from the universities.
Basketball is a sport that can be played not only on a professional court but also on just about every school yard in the world, on the street or in local community-based facilities.
There are several differences between college basketball and basketball at the NBA level, including that:
Soccer is another sport that can be played by people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds with only minimal equipment. The only thing you really need to get a soccer game going is a soccer ball, a field and a few other people.
Whether you play on a grassy field or on the street, a typical soccer game is divided into two 45-minutes halves. For children''s leagues, the halves are usually only 30 minutes each.
Major League Soccer (MLS), the U.S. professional soccer league, consists of 15 teams, 7 in the Eastern Conference, and 8 in the Western Conference. A typical season runs from late March or early April to November. Each team plays a total of 30 games per season. The average cost of an MLS ticket is around $22.
If youre looking for a team sport to get involved in, dont just stop at these top four. There are lots of sports that let you work on your individual talents and contribute to the overall success of the team.
Regardless of which sport you choose to follow, there is no doubt you will become part of team, whether it be as a player or as a fan. Participating in sports allows you to enjoy the benefits of team spirit, get in shape and, best of all, have fun.
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Major League Baseball Staff. (n.d.). Official rules. Retrieved September 25, 2009, from the Major League Baseball Web site: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/foreword.jsp.
Major League Soccer Staff. (n.d.). Rules. Retrieved September 25, 2009, from the Major League Soccer Web site: #.
National Basketball Association Staff. (n.d.). Official rules of of the national basketball association. Retrieved September 25, 2009, from the National Basketball Association Web site: http://www.nba.com/analysis/rules_index.html.
Team Marketing Staff. (2009). Team marketing research. Retrieved September 25, 2009, from the Team Marketing Web site: http://teammarketing.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/Fan%20Cost%20Index/MLB/MLB%20FCI%2009.pdf.