Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is another popular sport in the United States. Commonly referred to simply as "hockey" in the U.S., thegame is most popular in regions of the country with a cold winter climate, namely New England and the states ofMinnesota, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. However, in recent years hockeyhas become increasingly popular in the Sun Belt due in large part to the expansion of the National HockeyLeague to cities like Tampa, Florida; Dallas, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona.
The is the major professional hockey league in North America, with 24 U.S.-based teams and six Canadian-based teams competing for the Stanley Cup. Other professional leagues in the U.S. include the American HockeyLeague and the ECHL. Additionally, nine U.S.-based teams compete in the three member leagues of theCanadian Hockey League.
USA Hockey is the official governing body for amateur hockey in the U.S. The United States Hockey Hall of Fameis located in Eveleth, Minnesota.
occer
Soccer has historically had a smaller following in the United States than in many other parts of the world. Severalattempts have been made to bring top-level competition to the United States, most recently Major League Soccer(MLS). Since the 1980s, soccer participation at the recreational and scholastic levels has grown significantly, fueling interest in and national teams, as well as MLS, though viewership and attendancelevels for soccer games still remain relatively low, when compared to other professional leagues. Soccer is widelyplayed by both men and women in the U.S., one factor in the pioneering success and popularity of the women'snational team, and the United States is one of only a few nations (along with China, Canada, and Scandinavia) where the women's national team is more successful than the men's team. Soccer in the U.S. has a surge ofmedia and fan interest following the arrival of David Beckham to MLS side LA Galaxy in a big money move inJuly, 2007. MLS is continuing to grow in terms of fan base and media coverage and has become much morefinancially secure. As a result the MLS has had a huge amount of interest from businesses and investors lookingto bring to their respective cities in the next few years. Popular players having played in the U.S. include Pelé, Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer, in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in '70s, andLandon Donovan and David Beckham in the MLS.International soccer in the United States is reasonably popular. The United States Mens National Team regularly sells out games and in major tournaments is followed by a largeportion of the country. Foreign national teams are also popular do to the large immigrant population. Rivalriesbetween teams such as US and sell out some stadiums.
Other team sports
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