#558-560

 Fun Fact #558

A sporting try

Now the 13 Colonies may have given a good start to The US competitive nature, but, the biggest reason we dominate at sports today is actually the continuation of this competition into the schools which has produced one of the widest, most popular and most successful amateur sports leagues in the world. 

Even when broken down to raw numbers the US has more amateur athletes per 100,000 people than all but one other country in the world. This means that Americans actually have greater opportunity to try out sports and learn how to compete and thus creating a larger more developed pool of people to pull pros from than anyone else in the world –except Ireland. Not really sure what's going on in Ireland to cause their numbers per 100,000 to be almost double the US, as the data seemed noticeably absent but I will keep digging and keep you posted. 

Amateur Atheletic Union Logo.

Fun Fact #559

Sports Network

Alumni for colleges are a wonderful thing and many people keep in touch with those they know. Yet for many colleges creating networks of and keeping track of their Almuni is an important part of Sports, since inviting them back for large events boosts crowds, and excitement locally . While some of the more successful members will sometimes donate to school programs allowing for better equipment than other regions. Although this aspect is far more limited in scope. 

These networks also allow for people to spread ideas, tactics, and even bounce ideas off each other to get better advice, which allows them to be more competitive in the commercial sector with ideas for start-ups, tech, and other pursuits post college. Thus Networking can be considered a secret weapon in the heart of country’s Sporting Spirit.

Fun Fact #560

Forged through Fire

It's no secret that Rivalries stir up interest in the local communities and Alumni to turn out for games, but do they play a bigger part in sports competitiveness? Well it likely won’t surprise you to learn that they do in fact play a major part, since rivalries between schools and teams are a great way to crank up the stakes of games no matter the time of the season. They encourage players who want to win to stay late, study harder, and really push the boundaries of what they’re capable of all so they can crush their opponents at those big games. In short, teams and even individuals with rivals tend to perform better than those who do not (runners with rivalries tend to run up to 4 seconds faster than those without –which can make all the difference in some cases).

However as with all things it is only good in moderation. Rivalries have a dark side as they can encourage unethical behavior (Cheating or violence for example), and taking risks which are not proportional to the possible positive outcome. What's worse is a bad enough loss can demoralize your team for weeks affecting their performance, particularly if they’re on a losing streak against that rival. 

However Rivalries can be very powerful tools for change when used correctly. Several schools and teams will often use rivalry nights for some of their biggest fundraisers for Non-profits each year. They can also bring not just teammates together but whole crowds as they peel away the differences which can divide as everyone invests their time Rooting for “their Team”, which has helped heal communities on a regular basis (and why inserting politics in sports can actually harm this benefit and actually increase division and violence in a community). 

So, to recap, the best Rivalries are often framed around building up each other and their communities rather than just being about winning.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings with one of the longest running continuous rivalries in Hockey (NHL specifically) having started in 1926. Also I did take the time to find a version with the logo with the BLackhawks on top, because in my opinion that’s where they belong (lol).