Americans love their sport. Baseball, football, basketball, hockey, professional and collegiate; the United States is a nation with citizens who love sports and athletes, professional sports are a multi-billion dollar company. Sometimes there are positive influences on other countries as a result of the dedication of people place on "America's pastime." The Dominican Republic, for example, is known for the production of a large number of good baseball players who often successful at even the highest level. One of the best known current examples would former Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa, who probably would otherwise be transported to a life of poverty and little hope, if not for his ability to play baseball at a professional level in the United States. Sport transform sometimes some of the most unlikely areas, increasing more than any other pastime, and actually being adopted as an accepted source of pride culture of a people. A good example of this is the influence that American football has had, and still have, on the small island of Samoa.
American Samoa has a population of under 65,000 people, but there are 28 Samoans currently on the roster of NFL teams, as well as many others, who constantly compete and on the verge of a team. If other Pacific Islanders, such as people from the islands of Tonga and Fiji, there are more than 50 Pacific Islanders in the NFL, or 2% of the total number of players, which is even more impressive given the competition from the United States, a nation of 350 million people. Many of these players are not simple no-namers. Mark Tuinei played for the Cowboys and has three Super Bowl rings, Dave Dixon is a pro bowler for the Vikings, as Luther Ellis for the Lions, and Junior Seau is considered one of the best linebackers in the history. Anyone who follows the NFL recognizes each one of these names. It's an interesting fact to note that a high school player from one of the islands of the Pacific more than 40 times more chances to make it to the NFL than a student of the rest of the United States. This is even more impressive in the light of how little good equipment the teams on American Samoa have compared with their counterparts from the Mainland. They play mostly on poor fields with the bare minimum of equipment. Not is the number of players that up from this great background, but more than 200 Samoans currently play Division I college football .
Why has this "American" sports so well done in the Pacific Islands? A reason may be that many young Samoans that football is not an American sports. Michael Mapu, a high school quarterback/defensive end which is a Division I prospect is quoted as saying: "I think it is Samoa of sport, not of America sports." Many of the Samoan youth growing up watching their older brothers play football, and then want to do the same. The possibility to go out and play full contact, to the affected people, is a big draw, and in some respects football has is referred to as the modern version of village warfare. American football was introduced in the 1960s, and was a quickly accepted part of Samoan culture.
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