Wednesday, July 28, 2010

AMERICANS LOVE BASEBALL


In China, when we talk about sports of America, the first thing come into our mind is NBA. We are fanatic for Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, surely for our own hero Yao Ming. However, as a matter of fact, basketball is not that popular in America. Instead, Americans love baseball! At first, I couldn't understand the reason why Americans like a seeming boring game, without much body contact and fierce competition, until I finally got some information about the culture and history of American baseball game.

I think baseball is a mirror of America and it reflects its spirit and culture. For one thing, there's so much pressure in Americans' life, and they need a kind of sports to let off steam and get some rest. Baseball is such a game, not much physical activities, not much special equipments and specific fields, and it's suitable for both boys and girls. Another thing that impresses me a lot is that in baseball rules, everyone has equal chance to hit the ball. No matter how skillful you are, you have to strike in a certain sequence. This rule represents Americans' spirit of equality. Finally, when we pay attention to the players of baseball game, it is not difficult to find that people with different races were accepted and even became successful through baseball game, say, Joe DiMaggio Italian, Hank Greenberg Jewish and Jackie Robinson African American. All these people, regardless of their races, became famous and realized their American dream through baseball games.

To sum up, I think basketball seems to be more interesting and exciting than baseball, however, if you want to know more about American culture and spirit and to think in an American way, it is necessary to learn baseball, since it is a game that every American knows well and most Americans are fond of.

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