Soccer
No one knows exactly when soccer started. But the game has existed in some form for over three thousand years. It has been played in China, Japan, and even Greece.
Britain is considered the birthplace of modern soccer. It is called football there. Scotland and England were the first to play soccer as an organized sport. It was a game that had been popular since the 700s.
Soccer did not catch on in America until around 1862. It was played mostly by college teams. As more people moved from Europe to America, the game became more popular. The American Football Association formed in New Jersey in 1884. By the late 1890s the game was being played across the country. In 1900 soccer was added to the Olympic games.
In 1904 American soccer teams competed in the St. Louis Olympic games and won the gold medal. Soon soccer became a professional sport. It was not until the 1960s that soccer truly caught on as a popular sport in the United States.
Soccer remains a popular outdoor sport in America today. The Women's United Soccer Association was formed in 2001. In 2002 the Men's National Team had their best performance in the World Cup. They were just one goal short of making the final four teams to compete for the title. The World Cup is the most important soccer competition.