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emphasis on their local high school team. American football games usually include cheerleaders and marching bands which aim to raise school spirit and entertain the crowd at half-time.

Many American s recognize a fourth sport - Ice hockey. Always a mainstay of Great Lakes and New England-area culture, the sport gained tenuous footliolds in regions like the American South in recent years, as tlie National Hockey League pursued a policy of expansion.

Tlie quickly growing sport of mixed martial arts has taken off in America sińce its introduction in tlie early 1990s. Today, tlie Ultimate Figli ting Championship is one of tlie most profitable organizations in tlie country.

Sports and community culture

Homecoming is an annual tradition of tlie United States. People, towns, high schools and colleges come together, usually in late September or early October, to welcome back former residents and alumni. It is built around a central event, such as a banquet, a paradę, and most often, a gamę of American football, or, on occasion, basketball, or ice hockey. Wlien celebrated by schools, tlie activities vaiy. However, tliey usually consist of a football gamę played on tlie school's borne football field, activities for students and alumni, a paradę featuring tlie school's marching band and sports teams, and tlie coronation of a Homecoming Queen (and at many schools, a Homecoming King).

Sports in the United States is an important part of American culture. Tlie four most popular team sports are ones tliat developed in Nortli America: baseball, American football, basketball and ice hockey. Tlie major leagues of tliese sports, tlie National Football League (NFL), tlie Major League Baseball (MLB), tlie National Basketball Association (NBA) and tlie National Hockey League (NHL) enjoy massive media exposure and are considered tlie preeminent competitions in tlieir respective sports in tlie world. Eacli of tliese leagues besides tlie NFL have teams tliat play in Canada, and all four are among tlie most lucrative sports leagues in die world. Soccer (association football) is less popular as a spectator sport in tlie United States tlian it is in many otlier coiuitries, tliougli it has wide amateur participation, particularly among youtlis.

Professional teams in all major sports operate as franchises witliin a league. All major sports leagues use tlie same type of Schedule witli a playoff tournament after

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