Sports

The American football (pre) season started a few days ago.

I don't really watch football. I used to watch more when I was a bartender, as opening time on Sunday was when NASCAR or Chiefs football started, or 1pm, whichever was earlier.

As I was picking up some Boddingtons at the liqour store, the clerk asked if I was going to be watching football that night, and that made me remember a thought I had a while ago.

What sports are the most popular in the U.S.?
Baseball, basketball, and football.
Granted, baseball isn't as popular since the strike a few years ago, but it's still in the top three.

There are quite a few other sports out there, but these three dominate in America.
Hockey, golf, rugby, soccer, cricket, and many others are popular in other countries, but not as much in the U.S.
Golf and hockey are in the top ten, but they still don't have the draw that the big 3 do.
Golf could be exchanged with baseball, but I still think baseball is a bit ahead. Golf is more popular in the 'go play' sense than the 'watch on TV' sense.
Who knows what's going to happen with hockey in the next couple of years.

Why are these "big 3" so popular and the others aren't?

What do they all have in common?

They were all invented in America.

Football has some origins in rugby and soccer, but it's basically an American invention.
Basketball was invented in Springfield, MA, though James Naismith was Canadian by birth.
Baseball was based on the English game of 'rounders' but like football, is basically an American game.

Why do we take from others, change the rules, and call it our own?
Independence I guess.
America is the rebelious teenager of the world.

I'm a hockey and rugby man.