navigation bar U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany About the USA Sitemap Search Deutsch
   
 

Sports in America > School & College Sports
Sports in America | Baseball | Basketball | Football | Soccer
Athletes with Disabilities
| Women in Sports | School & College Sports

What kind of information materials are available?
CD: Texts available on CD version.Texts available in multiple languages.

Background
· American Alliance of Health, Physical Eduation, Recreation and Dance
· Center for Sports Parenting
· College Sports Info
· Go Out and Play: Youth Sports in America
· Institute for the Study of Youth Sports
· Kids Sports Network USA!
· National Alliance for Youth Sports
· National Collegiate Athletic Association
· National High School Coaches Association
· National High School Sports Record Book, by National Federation of State High School Associations
· North American Youth Sport Institute
· Promoting Better Health for Young People Through Physical Activity and Sport
CD
·
Rivals.com

· 2006 Shape of the Nation Report. Status of Physical Education in the USA
· The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

Statistics
· 2007 Youth Participation in Selected Sports with Comparisons to 1998
· National Federation of State High School Associations: Participation Figures Search
· National Collegiate Athletic Association: Statistics

 

School basketball  team

Youth is synonymous with energy — mental and physical. Organized and informal sports provide teens with an opportunity to expend some of that energy and, more importantly, to learn the value of fair play, to achieve goals, and to just have fun.

In 2003, 58 percent of boys and 51 percent of girls in high school played on a sports team. The most popular sports for boys are American football, basketball, track and field, baseball, and soccer (international football). For girls, the most popular are basketball, track and field, volleyball, softball, and soccer. As a result of a U.S. law that encourages women to take part in athletics, girls' participation in high school athletics has increased by 800 percent over the past 30 years. Other organized high school sports often include gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, tennis, and golf. Away from school, teenagers participate year-round in community-sponsored sports leagues. In addition, particularly in the summer, they engage in informal "pick up" games of one sport or another in the streets and parks of their neighborhoods.

Lamoine Lions Cheering Squad (Lamoine, Maine).Lamoine Lions Cheering Squad (Lamoine, Maine).

In 2001, a higher percentage of high school seniors reported participating in athletic teams (39 percent) and music/performing arts activities (25 percent) than academic clubs (15 percent), student council/government (11 percent), and newspaper/yearbook (10 percent). Females were more likely to participate in newspaper/yearbook, music/performing arts, academic clubs, student council or government, and other school clubs or activities than males. Males, however, were more likely to participate in athletics.

High school female participation

Sports also play an important role in the everyday social scene at American colleges and universities. University sports programs are offered at the intercollegiate (organized competition) and the intramural (club-like, less competitive) levels. Many universities offer sports scholarships at the intercollegiate level to students who are both academically qualified and skilled in a particular sport. Athletic scholarships are awarded for everything from archery to wrestling, with an eye on gender equality to achieve a balance between men’s and women’s scholarships.

Playing for a college team on scholarship is one way students help pay for the cost of earning an undergraduate degree. About $1 billion in athletic scholarships are awarded through the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) each year. Over 126,000 student-athletes receive either a partial or a full athletic scholarship. These scholarships are awarded and administered directly by each academic institution, not the NCAA. Award amounts vary from a few thousand dollars to nearly $30,000 for one academic year and do not necessarily cover the full cost of tuition and living expenses. Scholarships are offered on a percentage basis, and universities have strict limits on the total amount they can award each year.

Texts are abridged from U.S. State Department IIP publications and other U.S. government materials.

For High School Students
· KidsSportsNet.com
· Rise Magazine
· SportsKids.com

Teacher Resources
· Active & Healthy Schools Program
· Education World: PE and Health Subject Center
· PE Central: The Web Site for Health and Physical Eduation Teachers
· P.E.Links4U
· PE4Life

 

Sports Scholarships
·
Sports Scholarships
·
Sports Scholarships, Athletic Scholarships and Financial Aid for Student Athletes

Link Lists
·
Google Web Directory > Sports > College and University
· Google Web Directory > Sports > Youth and High School

· Open Directory: Sports > College and University
· Open Directory: Sports > Youth and High School
· Yahoo! Recreation > Sports > College and University
· Yahoo! Recreation > Sports > High School Sports

DISCLAIMER
Any reference obtained from this server to a specific commercial product, process, or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the United States Government of the product, process, or service, or its producer or provider. The views and opinions expressed in any referenced document do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government.
 
US Embassy
U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany
/Public Affairs/ Information Resource Centers 
Updated: October 2009