Now, at my favorite time in the sports calendar, I often reflect upon the amazing nature of sports. It is something that can be totally unifying, and at the same time, completely divisive.
Some people quite literally live and die on the success of their teams.
It is something that transcends all of the normal boundaries that are set for us in life. A young man can grow up on the streets, but die a hero to his country because he excelled at a sport.
In the midst of my reflection, I couldn’t help but realize that the United States is hands-down the greatest sports country in the world.
I would also argue that it is the greatest country in the world, but that is for a different forum.
Who can honestly say that another country even comes close?
First, let’s look at the competition that brings the world together to determine who is best at numerous sports—the Olympics.
Which country has hosted the most Olympics?
You got it—the US with eight. France is next in line with five, and numerous other countries have three.
Who cares? It is the medals that matter, not who hosts it.
Very well, let’s take a look at the total medal count.
Germany 719, France 730, Great Britain 737, and the USSR 1,204.
How many does the US have?
United States: 2,548.
So if I did my math correctly, the US has twice as many medals as the next closest country, and that country doesn’t even exist anymore!
The Olympics are for amateurs. Give me some pro sports if you want to talk about who is the best.
Okay fine, how about the MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB?
Soccer is the world’s game, and that is fine.
Pretty much every soccer league in the world is better than MLS. While they have gotten better over the years, they still just don’t come close to competing with any of the major leagues in other countries.
I will concede that the rest of the world is better at soccer, but that is just about where their superiority ends.
No other country even has a professional American football league, so I guess we win that one.
There are some decent baseball teams in Asia and even a few other good national teams across the globe, but there is a reason that people are willing to defect to come to America and play.
One of the reasons I love the spring so much is the start of baseball season.
I know it isn’t everyone’s favorite, but it is America’s pastime and not much beats a warm summer day eating hot dogs and nachos at the ballpark.
Europe has improved their basketball standing dramatically since the Dream Team dominated the world, but the last time I checked, Europe isn’t a country, it's a continent.
So to even come into the outskirts of our basketball world, it takes an entire continent.
It is pretty easy to see that the US dominates the professional sports world, too.
Hmmm, I feel like I am forgetting something…
College sports.
Do other countries even play sports in college?
They do have some athletics, but nothing that even comes close to competing with the professional leagues.
March Madness is one of the greatest tournaments in the world when it comes to finding a champion. Some people hate the one-and-done format, but I for one, love it. It means you can’t relax for one second, or you will be done.
Just ask Kansas how that feels.
While I don’t like the BCS format, it is hard to argue that college football is not one of the most entertaining regular seasons in all of sports. If you want to be amongst the elite, you can’t afford to lose even once, if at all.
So in summary, the US is the best when it comes to sports.
You can take your World Cup (though I think the US will legitimately contend there at some point too), because in every other sport, you just don’t measure up to the standards we set in the US.
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