page_title: Sports in the United States
section_title: Overview
hierarchical_section_title: Sports in the United States / Popular team sports / Overview
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Cities in the United States and Canada with at least one team in the MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL or NHL, June 2018 Deutsch: Karte der Städte in den USA und Kanada, in denen mindestens eine Mannschaft in der MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL oder NHL spielt, Stand: Juni 2018
context_page_description: Sports in the United States are an important part of culture in the United States. American football is the most popular sport to watch in the United States, followed by baseball, basketball, and ice hockey, which makes up the "4 major sports". Soccer, Rugby union, Rugby league, tennis, golf, wrestling, auto racing, softball, field lacrosse, box lacrosse, handball, volleyball, and water polo are also played in the country. Based on Olympic Games, World Championships, and other major competitions in respective sports, the United States is the most successful sports nation in the world.
  Based on revenue, the four major professional sports leagues in the United States are Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and the National Hockey League. The market for professional sports in the United States is roughly $69 billion, roughly 50% larger than that of all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa combined. All four enjoy wide-ranging domestic media coverage and are considered the preeminent leagues in their respective sports in the world, although American football does not have a substantial following in other nations.
context_section_description: The most popular team sports in the United States are American football, baseball/softball, basketball, ice hockey, and soccer. All five of these team sports are popular with fans, are widely watched on television, have a fully professional league, are played by millions of Americans, enjoy varsity status at many Division I colleges, and are played in high schools throughout the country.
  TV viewing record measures the game with the most TV viewers in the U.S. since 2005 for each sport: 2016 Super Bowl, 2016 NBA Finals Game 7, 2016 World Series Game 7, 2014 FIFA World Cup Final, and 2010 Winter Olympics Gold medal ice hockey game.
  The column titled "States (HS)" represents the number of states that sponsor the sport at the high school level. For the purpose of this table, Washington, D.C. is counted as a state.
caption: All cities in the US and Canada with at least one team in the MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL or NHL, 2018
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