American Sports
Basketball
Athletic sport, usually played on an indoor court in which two competing
teams of five players each attempt to score by throwing an inflated ball
so that it descends through one of two baskets suspended, at each end of
the court, above their heads. The team scoring the most such throws, through
field goals or foul shots, wins the game. Because of its continuous action
and frequent scoring, basketball is one of the most popular spectator as
well as participant sports in the world. 
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Football
Outdoor game, played by two opposing teams with a ball of various types,
usually an inflated bladder or rubber bag in a leather or rubber cover,
spherical or ellipsoidal in shape. The object of the game is to score points
by carrying the ball across the goal line of the opponents, or by kicking
the ball through or over the goal of the opponents. National
Football League (NFL)
Baseball
Competitive game of skill played with a hard ball and bat between two teams
of nine players each. Baseball is often called the national pastime of
the United States, because of its strong tradition and great popularity.
It is played throughout the world by people of all ages. Major
League Baseball (MLB)
Lacrosse
Field game played by two opposing teams, with a ball and a special netted
stick, or crosse, with which the ball is caught, carried, and thrown. The
game was originally played as training for warfare by the Native Americans
of North America. The game has been widely played in the United States
since the 1880s. Popular mostly in eastern and southern colleges at first,
lacrosse gradually spread throughout the country and was also adapted to
high school and athletic club programs. The object of lacrosse is to send
the ball, using the crosse, through the goalposts of the opposing team.
Lacrosse
History
Hockey
Game in which two opposing teams attempt to drive a ball, puck, or other
small object through the goal of the opponent by means of sticks that are
curved or hooked at one end. The two main forms of the game are ice hockey,
played indoors or outdoors, and field hockey, generally played outdoors.
ESPN
Sports Illustrated