ANZC[]
With the destruction of Melbourne, Australian Rules Football suffered a devastating, but not fatal, blow. Though the sport had its centre in Melbourne, supporters throughout the state of Victoria, and elsewhere in Australia, fought to keep the sport alive. Footy, as it is popularly referred to, has resurfaced as one of the most popular sports throughout the ANZC. The Australian Football League is the de facto sanctioning body of the sport, and is headquartered in Canberra. Its franchises are located in:
- Adelaide (Adelaide Crows, Port Adelaide Power)
- Auckland (Auckland Hawks)
- Brisbane (Brisbane Bears)
- Bunbury (West Coast Eagles)
- Canberra (Canberra Swans)
- Darwin (Darwin Buffaloes)
- Geelong (Geelong Cats)
- Gold Coast (Gold Coast FC)
- Hobart (Tasmanian Devils)
- Jervis Bay (Jervis Bay Bulldogs, St. Kilda Saints)
Second-tier leagues exist in each of the Australian states, as well as in New Zealand and Hawaii.
Rugby union has a storied history in both Australia and New Zealand. While rugby league is set up on the AFL/American football franchise model, rugby union's top domestic competitions are set up by state and associated territories, as seen in the annualSuper 12 competition, comprised of provincial sides from Australia, New Zealand and Samoa, plus the nations of Tonga and Fiji. The ANZC sends three sides, Australia, New Zealand and Samoa/Hawaii to compete in theSix Nations Series against Chile, the United American Republic and Oceania (Fiji, Tonga and other islands). There has been discussion about expanding the series by inviting sides from the Singapore and some nations of South Africa. Club competitions are lower profile than their counterparts in league and the AFL, but exist in every state, governed by their respective state's sanctioning body for union. In 2004, the CRB (Commonwealth Rugby Board) professionalized the sport as to allow for better competition with rugby league for players.
Rugby league, with roots as the preferred rugby code in New South Wales and Queensland, has taken off in the last decade due to a perceived more-open, free-flowing style of play and the fact that the Australian Rugby League was willing to pay its players and, subsequently, was prevailing in competition with union for players through the early 2000s. The de facto sanctioning body for the sport, in the ANZC and worldwide, is the Australian Rugby League. The ARL was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Auckland. It is comprised of franchises, based on the American football model. Its franchises are:
- Auckland (Auckland Warriors)
- Brisbane (Brisbane Broncos)
- Canberra (Canberra Raiders)
- Gold Coast (Gold Coast Titans)
- Hobart (Tasmania Tigers)
- Jervis Bay (Jervis Bay Rabbitohs)
- Newcastle (Newcastle Knights)
- Papua New Guinea (PNG Rangers)
- Townsville (North Queensland Cowboys)
- Wellington (Southern Orcas)
- Penrith (Penrith Panthers)
There is talk of expansion to Singapore, Fiji and/or Samoa in the next couple of years.
Association football (soccer) is rapidly growing in popularity, especially among youth. The Football Federation of the ANZC (FFA) was formed in 2004 after a reorganization of the previous overseeing domestic body, Soccer ANZC. The FFA formed a domestic league, the A-League, in 2005. It operates the league which, unlike leagues in other countries built on a pyramid model (several levels of leagues with promotion and demotion), is franchise-based (this is under review, as the Asian Football Federation has requested that FFA change to a pyramid model). The current franchises are:
- Adelaide (Adelaide United)
- Auckland (Auckland FC)
- Brisbane (Brisbane Roar)
- Bunbury (Western Glory)
- Darwin (Darwin Wolves)
- Geelong (Geelong Victory)
- Gold Coast (Gold Coast United)
- Newcastle (Newcastle Jets)
- Townsville (North Queensland Fury)
- Wellington (Wellington Phoenix)
Association football's popularity has been boosted by the national side's success in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in the Celtic Alliance. Some observers believe in the far future, association football will become the dominant code in the country.
Cricket is the favored summer sport in the ANZC. The national cricket teams of Australia and New Zealand play a Test Match series with matches in Brisbane, Geelong (Boxing Day), Canberra (New Year's), Wellington and Christchurch. The ANZC cricket board is in discussions with its counterparts in India, the British Isles, the Caribbean Federation, and the South African states about restarting Test Matches and one-day international matches. Because of the logistical issues involved, such matches will not take place until 2013 at the earliest.
Regional cricket leagues exist in every state in Australia and in New Zealand, and there is discussion of expansion into Samoa and Hawaii.
Basketball, at the men's and women's adult levels, has had some success in recent years. ANZC athletes are approaching world-class status in several Olympic sports, such as swimming and track and field.
The most popular women's sports include association football, basketball and netball (a variation of basketball played only by women).
American football has gained longevity and popularity as a niche sport within the ANZC, its growth fueled by expats and refugees from the United States. The Oceanic Football League was founded in Samoa in 1991 as the American Football League, to tie it to the sport of American football and to distinguish the league from the Australian rules and rugby codes. Teams from across the Commonwealth and its associated states participate. The ten franchises are:
In 2010, the Oceanic Football League consists of ten teams playing in two divisions:
EASTERN DIVISION
- Samoa Dolphins (Pago Pago)
- Auckland Raiders
- Brisbane Cowboys
- Newcastle Giants
- Canberra Colts
WESTERN DIVISION
- Darwin Bears
- Adelaide Rams
- Tasmania Browns (Hobart)
- Western Broncos (Bunbury)
- PNG Ropens (Port Morseby)
American football has certainly not surpassed the traditional sports of Australia and New Zealand, but it has become an important niche sport. After much discussion amongst owners, the AFL approved a name change to the Oceanic Football League in a hastily arranged owners meeting in mid-December. The OFL owners are expected to vote in January 2010 on whether to retain its headquarters in Pago Pago or move to other proposed locations, including Auckland.
During the 1980s and early 1990s it looked as if baseball would join American football as a popular niche sport in Australia. The Australian League was formed in 1986 with six teams, and lasted until 1995. The Claxton Shield, the AL's successor, lasted from 1997 to 2002. Today, baseball is played at an amateur and youth level by Australian enthusiasts and the children of expatriate Americans; the ANZC Baseball Federation governs the sport, most particularly the ANZC's participation in international competition. Supporters are not optimistic about the sport reaching the level of popularity and participation as American football, much less the other football codes.
The highest-drawing sports in 2008 were the Australian Football League (36,000 per match), the Super 12 (21,000), the ARL 16,000), the A-League (15,000) and the American Football League (12,000).
In accordance with the Remembrance Act of 1995, no sporting events of any kind are played in the Commonwealth on 26 September.
Alaska[]
One of the most unique sporting events in the world is the Iditarod, a trail sled dog race began in 1973 and resumed in 1996. The old route went from Anchorage to Nome; today, the race still ends in Nome, but begins in Valdez.
Ice hockey has emerged as the predominant team sport, owing to the already existent support for the sport, as well as favorable weather conditions and the low expense of manufacturing basic playing equipment. Baseball is played at an amateur level by locals during the summer. Hunting, fishing and skiing also are popular.
Alpine Confederation[]
Ice hockey is considered to be the most popular team sport in the country. Alpine's national federation kept the sport alive in Europe post-Doomsday and was a leading force behind the reformation of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The national association football team's shocking 1-0 victory over Brazil in the 2006 World Cup final spiked interest throughout the country in football. The Alpine First Division, established in 1990 by clubs from former Switzerland and Austria, has been considered one of the top European leagues for the past two decades. The Alpine Confederation will host the European Championships - the first since Doomsday - in 2011.
Skiing, both at casual and competitive levels, has taken off within the past ten years. The Alpine national federation is considered the de facto international governing body, but is working with the Norwegian and Vermont federations to form an independent global sanctioning body.
Argentina[]
Association football, as in most other countries, is not only the most popular sport but deeply ingrained into the culture. Argentina's World Cup victory in 1990, the first World Cup held since Doomsday, is fondly remembered by fans.
Diego Maradona, the popular Argentine football star who is thought to have died on Doomsday while in Spain as a member of FC Barcelona, was the "honorary captain" of the 1990 UAR national team. Popular folklore portrayed Maradona as the "Angel of the Albicelestes" who watched over and helped the team to victory.
Argentina has produced many great footballers in its history, including Gabriel Bautista and Javier Zanetti.
The domestic league boasts some of the best clubs in the world outside of Brazil, including Boca Juniors, Independiente, Newell's Old Boys, Racing, River Plate and Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro.
Argentine citizens also enjoy and watch a variety of other sports, including basketball; Argentina has won the past three FIBA (Federation de Basketball Association) World titles.
Rugby union is growing in popularity and stature. Tennis, field hockey, motorsport, men's volleyball, polo and golf are widely played and watched as well.
Assiniboia[]
The Assiniboians have restarted organized sports in the area to keep the populace happy.
Football: The country re-established the Blue Bombers, out of respect to destroyed Winnipeg. It currently plays in the North American Football League under American football rules.
Ice hockey: In order to pay respect to the most popular Canadian sport, the Assiniboians have revived the long-dead Jets hockey team, which plays in the NAU Northern Hockey League. Most of the towns have local hockey teams (ex: Niverville Clippers), and there is an annual tournament for a Stanley Cup-inspired trophy.
Bolivia[]
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Brazil[]
Association football is by far the most popular sport; Brazil's national side has been the top-ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings for most years post-Doomsday, and is a heavy favorite to win the 2010 World Cup.
Most of the world's top active footballers - including Adriano, Kaka, Luis Fabiano, Maicon and Robinho - play in Brazil's domestic league.
Two of the best post-Doomsday players - Ronaldo and Ronaldhino - also hail from Brazil.
Domestic competition is split among national and state competitions. The national league is a pyramid system with four levels, and competition runs from April through December. The state championships are organized by the football federations of each state; the major state competitions run from January or February through April or May, while the smaller states w/o clubs playing in national competition have their seasons from April through October.
Some of the top clubs include (but not limited to) Palmeiras, Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Flamengo, Fluminense, Gremio, Internacional, Sao Paulo and Vasco da Gama.
After football, volleyball is the most popular sport, followed by basketball and motorsport.
Brazilian entrepreneurs, most notably former racing champion Emerson Fittipaldi, are at the forefront of a move to restart the Formula One auto racing series no later than 2013.
Jiu Jitsu - spearheaded by the Gracie family - is a martial-arts based sport that has been growing in popularity not just in Brazil but throughout the world, due to exhibitions in ANZC, Singapore, Mexico and Alpine Confederation.
Canada[]
Ice hockey remains the national sport. Even in the months after Doomsday, the sport was played locally; amateur leagues restarted in the mid-1980s. The Canadian Hockey League - considered to be the successor to the old National Hockey League - was founded in the early 1990s. It is by far the most popular league in the country for any sport. There are ten teams, including one from Aroostook and one from Vermont, admitted in 2011-12. They are divided into two divisions of five teams each, where the second and third place teams in each play a five game series, with the winner taking on the first place team in a seven game series, and then the two division winners competing for the title. These teams are:
Southern
- Bathurst (Bathurst Rangers) New for the 2012-2013 Season
- Charlottetown (Charlottetown Abbies) Current Champions
- Houlton, Aroostook (Houlton Americans)
- Manchester, Vermont (Manchester Bruins) (named for the old Boston Bruins team)
- Sydney (Nova Scotia Voyageurs)
Northern
- Corner Brook (Corner Brook Royals)
- Gaspe (Gaspe Canadiens) (named for the old Montreal Canadiens team)
- Iqaluit (Iqaluit Nunavummiut)
- Sept-Iles (Sept-Iles Mineurs) New for the 2012-2013 Season
- St. John's (St. John's Senators) (named for the old Ottawa Senators)
The Gaspe Canadiens suspended play after the invasion of Gaspe by Superior and Saguenay. There was speculation that the remainder of the CHL season could be canceled due to the crises. However, the new Canadian government, specifically Prime Minister Walter Natynczyk, insisted that the season would continue. The team was reinstated for the 2010-2011 season.
It is currently believed that discussions are currently under way with the city governments of Churchill, Kingston, Kuujjuaq, and Summerside about teams being established in those locations, though it is unknown how likely it will be that it occurs, at least for the present.
Some have suggested also competing with the teams in the Victorian Hockey League, of the Republic of Victoria, or even merging the two. This, however, is still hypothetical. Curling and lacrosse (Canada's official summer sport) are also popular.
Canadian football is supported in part by the national government. The Canadian Football League restarted in 1994 and currently has six teams, the second and third of which play in the playoffs for the right to play the first place team for the championship. These teams are:
- Charlottetown (Charlottetown Maples) Current Champions
- Corner Brook (Corner Brook Growlers) New for the 2011-2012 Season
- Gaspe (Gaspe Alouettes)
- Iqaluit (Iqaluit Rock)
- St. John's (St. John's Schooners)
- Sydney (Nova Scotia Huskies)
Curling and lacrosse are also popular, and association football (referred to as soccer in Canada) is starting to gain popularity among younger people.
Canada is a member of FIFA and the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Celtic Alliance[]
Within former Ireland, Gaelic games (Gaelic football, hurling, rounders and camogie) are the most popular, followed by association football, rugby union, cricket and boxing.
The Gaelic Athletic Association is the official sanctioning and overseeing body over the four Gaelic games throughout the Celtic Alliance.
Within the portions of the country formerly part of the United Kingdom and France, association football is by far the most popular sport, with many of the national side players coming from the portions of former England, Scotland, Wales and France controlled by the Celtic Alliance.
There is a three-tiered association football pyramid in the Celtic Alliance. The Celtic First Division and Second Division are the top two flights and include the following clubs:
- Bohemians
- Bray Wanderers
- FC Brittany
- Celtic
- Cork City
- Derry City
- Drogheda United
- Dundaik
- Galway United
- Heart of Midlothian
- Hibernian
- Liverpool FC
- Milton Keynes FC
- New London FC
- Normandy FC
- Rangers
- St. Patrick's Athletic
- St. Johnstone's
- Shamrock Rovers
- Sligo
- Stromness FC
- FC Wales
There is discussion among some fans and officials of reviving some or all of the London-based pre-Doomsday football clubs. Aside from the issue of a lack of a population base to support all (or most) of them, Celtic football officials also have cited a desire for a "new" football club for residents of the rebuilt London to support.
Rugby union and cricket are also seeing renewed interest throughout the country. Rugby league had disappeared post-Doomsday, but there is a small national federation attempting to renew interest in the sport, with help from the ANZC's Australian Rugby League.
Gaelic games have virtually no following outside former Ireland, although the GAA continues to attempt to establish them among the youth.
Golf has made a comeback of sorts in recent years, particularly as the famous St. Andrews Golf Course was salvaged and restored in 2008.
Chile[]
Association football is by far the most popular sport. Chile's national football team has had its best results in 1962, finishing third in the World Cup tournament it hosted, and with fourth-place finishes in 1986 and 1998.
Chile has also done well in the sport of tennis. Marcelo Rios was the top-ranked world men's player for six years, garnering favorable comparisons to such legends as Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, until a back injury forced him to retire in 2004 at the age of 27.
Rodeo, skiing, surfing, and basketball are also popular.
Kingdom of Cleveland[]
- See main article: Sports in the Kingdom of Cleveland
Colombia[]
More to come
Costa Rica[]
Football is the only sport worth mentioning in Costa Rica, popular at all levels. Play takes place at four levels: the national team, 1a División, 2a División, and Aficionado (amateur).
1983 and 1984 saw Costa Rica's nearest neighbors fall into collapse, the fighting spilling over both borders, but the local teams managed to have nearly-normal seasons. The expansion, cease-fire, and resumption of civil war in 1985-1989 disrupted all professional play. When the Sandinistas declared a new national government, they placed a high priority on restoring professional football, even negotiating with clubs outside their zone of occupation, but ongoing war and the Limón earthquake meant that by the early '90s, the sport was mostly played in fields and vacant lots .
The national unity government that took power in 1993 also worked to quickly bring back professional sport in Costa Rica. All three divisions held tournaments that year, though it took some time for enough clubs to get back on their feet with full rosters of players. The First and Second Divisions remained functionally a single league for the rest of the decade, until enough top-level teams were again ready to compete on their own. During the long standoff with separatists in Limón (1997-2005), the club in that city continued to participate in the national league on friendly terms, politics aside. In the late 90s, international football also resumed again in Central America, though politics and war often meant that the games were tense and had to be canceled often.
Today there are ten teams in the First Division:
- Alajuela
- Cartago
- San José (El Monstruo Morado)
- Heredia (Saprissa FC)
- Limón (La Tromba del Caribe)
- Municipal de Pérez Zeledón (Los Guerreros del Sur)
- San Carlos (Los Toros del Norte)
- Guápiles (La Marea Roja)
- Puntarenas (Los Tiburones, founded in 1990 by the Sandinistas)
- Golfito (Los Salvajes del Golfo, promoted in 2006 to represent Panamanian refugee communities)
Cuba[]
Baseball is the most popular sport by far; it is the national sport and more popular even than association football.
Cuba is considered by some experts to be the top baseball nation in the world, based upon the quality of its domestic league and its consistent excellent results in international competition over the years. Cuba's domestic league is government-owned and operated and considers its players to be amateurs, although their salaries are paid for by the government or the companies that sponsor their respective clubs.
The national football team came close to qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
Basketball is a popular winter sport.
Deseret[]
Deseret's dominant religious body, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormonism), operates amateur sports leagues in numerous sports, including baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, football, ice hockey, volleyball, track and field, etc. In keeping with the traditions of the Church, no Church sanctioned athletic competitions of any kind are contested on Sundays (a tradition that dates back to Brigham Young University's participation in U.S. intercollegiate athletics).
Beginning in 2006, organized athletic competition was held on a domestic level and with teams from nearby Dinetah and the North American Union. pre- and post-Christmas high school basketball tournaments in Provo and Fillmore attract teams from all corners of the Deseret, as well as from the NAU and Dinetah.
There has also been talk of teams from Deseret joining the professional football and ice hockey leagues of the NAU.
BYU has approached universities in Lincoln, the NAU, Superior, Vermont and West Texas about some type of resumption of intercollegiate athletics, at least on a regional level.
[]
As the domestic situation stabilized, and Dinetah established a school system for its children and teenagers, the schools were invited to compete against their counterparts from Deseret. In recent years Dinetah high schools have played in tournaments against schools from Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
Amateur American football, basketball, and association football leagues abound, and Dinetah leaders established the Dinetah Football (Soccer) Association in 2009 with the goal of joining FIFA and participating in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Dominican Republic[]
Baseball is the most popular sport in this country, and many experts believe it to produce the best players. The Dominican does have an on season domestic league, but its best players compete in the Mexican major and minor leagues. In the off season, from October to January, the best players in the region come to the Dominican and compete in the Dominican Winter League.
The national team competes with Cuba for the title of the world's best side.
Basketball is another popular sport in the country. A semi-professional league has of late produced players who have signed contracts with Brazilian and UAR professional clubs, most notably Felipe Lopez and Al Horford.
Other popular sports are boxing and volleyball. Association football is a popular spectator sport, but the country has not done well on the international scene nor produced notable players in recent years.
Dominion of South Africa[]
Association football proved to be the one sport that all ethnic groups had a passionate interest in, and has been a very important social unifier for the entire country. Its national side qualified for the 2010 World Cup.
Rugby union, popular in both England and former South Africa, has garnered a tremendous following in its own right. The national team is nicknamed the Lions. the DSA's national federation has approached the ANZC about beginning a series, and has discussed forming an African Series with the Good Hope and Union of South Africa federations.
Other sports garnering interest include cricket and tennis. Its national cricket federation has expressed interest to the ANZC, the East Caribbean Federation and the RZA about resuming Test Match series in some form by 2013.
East Caribbean Federation[]
Association football, overall, is the most popular sport in the country. But its degree of popularity over cricket, and even whether cricket is more popular, varies by region, and sometimes by island.
The nation currently is considered the standard-bearer for the sport of cricket. With very limited interest and participation from other countries in its region, and distance preventing regular competition against the world's only other remaining power, the ANZC, the East Caribbeans have had to compete against themselves. The national federation has taken the lead in re-establishing the International Cricket Federation, and is currently gauging interest in the sport in other parts of the world (most notably Sri Lanka, the ANZC, the Celtic Alliance and the DSA).
Association football is also extremely popular, especially with the national team having qualified for the 2010 World Cup. Dwight Yorke, a native of Trinidad, is a veteran of Argentine professional football and is considered perhaps the East Caribbean's best-ever footballer.
(eastern) Texas/south Texas/Rio Grande Valley/central Texas/northern Texas[]
Initially, sports throughout the former state of Texas were played as close to 1983 standards as possible. However, materials available to produce equipment and balls meant that often times sports was played under, as one Nacogdoches sports writer put it, "20th-century rules with 19th-century tools".
When formal contact between West Texas and eastern Texas was made in the 1990s, West Texas scouts and military observed baseball games in Nacogdoches and high school football practice in Tyler. They were described by a West Texas military soldier as "what might be if you took modern sports and transported them back to the old West". Similar stories were told regarding football, soccer, baseball, golf, basketball and other sports in the survivor towns of Graham, Paris, Hebbronville, Edinburg and, more recently, Kerrville and San Marcos:
American football was played as it was pre-Doomsday, although the type of ball the locals have been able to manufacture have forced the sport to become more of a running game than a passing game. Helmets are a hybrid of leather with facemasks made out of copper, iron or other metals.
Baseball also is played as it was pre-Doomsday, although the ball is more "dead" (which has cut down on home runs); home plate is made out of wood; and batting helmets are made out of cast iron, with primitive, cotton-based padding inside.
Association football, known as soccer in the region, became a very popular spectator and participatory sport in south and east Texas, especially in the RGV.
Today, equipment has been upgraded to 1970s/1980s status in the various nations at the youth, high school, collegiate and adult levels.
American football overall is the most popular sport, with men's soccer coming a close second and baseball third. Nacogdoches and Tyler have teams in the Texas League, an independent baseball league affiliated with Mexico's Major League Baseball.
Basketball is the main winter sport.
Golf is a popular participatory sport, especially amongst the upper class and among businessmen in Tyler, Nacogdoches, Graham, Edinburg, College Station and Hebbronville.
Fishing and hunting continue to be popular outdoor sports.
Ecuador[]
More to come...
Egypt[]
More to come....
Fiji[]
Rugby is played in Fiji and the nation often plays with Tonga in the Six Nations competition. Fiji is one of the few nations in the world that play Australian rules football. Fiji is also a member of the International Rugby Board and FIFA.
Former France[]
Football is the most popular sport among the numerous republics found in former France and in its overseas territories. Many of them have recently joined FIFA, the sport's sanctioning body. The European republics have also joined UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), football's sanctioning body in Europe. All have had some sort of domestic competition going on for the past several years, and many are in the process of scheduling friendlies to gauge their standing among other European nations.
Other popular sports throughout former France include tennis; rugby union; handball; basketball and cycling.
Friesland[]
Football is the most popular sport on this country. As on the old Dutch territory, the main (and current league) is the Eredivisie, with the more popular clubs being the SC Cambuur-Leeuwarden and the Sportclub Heerenveen.
Klootschieten (Ball shooting" or "Road bowling" in English) is a popular frisian game, similar to the french game of boules.
During the winter, the Elfstedentocht (a long-distance tour skating event on natural ice) has been restored, as it is the biggest ice-skating tour in the world. It follows a closed or circular route along frozen canals, rivers and lakes, starting from Leeuwarden.
Greece[]
Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic games and the host nation for the first revival of the summer Olympics in 1896. In the ensuing years since Doomsday, various sports have captured the interest of the various peoples within the Confederation of Greece.
Association football remains the most popular sport. The top flight is the Alpha Ethniki, which resumed play in 1989 and currently consists of 12 clubs throughout the Confederation, most notably New Olympiacos FC and New Panathinaikos.
Basketball is the second-most popular sport. Although Greece was one of the founding members of FIBA (Federation Internationale de Basketball) in 1932, the sport didn't take off in popularity until several years after Doomsday.
The Hellenic Rugby Federation, established in 2004, oversees the rapid growth of rugby union in Greece. The next step is official membership in the sport's international sanctioning body, International Rugby Board.
Greece is considered the world power in the sport of water polo, and has had success and interest in such traditional Olympic sports as athletics and weightlifting.
Guyana[]
More to come....
India[]
Cricket continues to have a very large following in the nations that make up the former country of India.
Indonesia[]
More to come....
Israel[]
More to come....
Japan[]
Traditional Japanese sports, in particular sumo wrestling and various forms of martial arts, have enjoyed a renaissance since Doomsday. The sports were pushed by the government as national sports and disciplines, and are extremely popular.
Despite anti-American sentiment, Japan is still known to play the sport of baseball at a competitive, professional level. Observers from Siberia reported seeing practices by professional teams and a few Japanese league games in Kyoto, and being told that the government was pushing for fundamental changes to the game to make it significantly different from the "American pastime." To date, the fundamentals of the game in Japan have not changed, as doing so would make it impossible for Japanese teams to ever compete on an international scale.
Some western sports not strictly associated with the United States, particularly track and field and association football, are played at all levels in Japan.
Cuban officials have approached Japan's baseball federation about playing a series of games sometime in 2010. Japan is said to be more receptive to joining FIFA, especially given its good relations with the ANZC and the Philippines, than to join the League of Nations.
Kentucky[]
Intercollegiate basketball and horse racing were two of the most popular sports in the former state of Kentucky pre-Doomsday.
People's love for those two sports persisted over the years.
Basketball has been the national sport since the Commonwealth became an independent nation, and is played at all age levels. The national high school tournament is extremely popular. There are plans to start a semi-professional league, the Kentucky National Basketball Association (KNBA) in 2010 or 2011. However, government officials have been surprised at the overwhelming popular support for resumption of intercollegiate athletics, in particular the men's basketball program at the recently reopened University of Kentucky in Lexington.
Although UK has not played a game since the spring of 1983 - its last full season before Doomsday - lore of the program has stayed alive over the years. Supporters see UK basketball as a potentially unifying national symbol, and are pushing not only for the establishment of a national intercollegiate sports association, but for competition with universities in other countries. Presently, supporters have informally discussed scheduling games with counterparts in Superior, Vermont and Virginia.
The recent reopening of Ellis Park in Henderson represents what officials hope is the rebirth of the horse racing industry.
Other traditional U.S. sports, including American football, baseball and golf, are also popular.
Lincoln[]
Though baseball and basketball are played, it is American football that the Lincolnites are obsessed with. Their love for the sport goes back to the loyal and enthusiastic following the University of Nebraska team enjoyed in the region pre-Doomsday.
There is a 20-team amateur American football team in the country. The government continues to support a professional franchise, the Lincoln Cornhuskers. It has rejected supporters' desire to compete in the North American Union league, due to an ongoing dispute with the NAU regarding territory belonging to the former U.S. state of Nebraska, but is said to be considering applying for membership in the RSNFL (Republic of Superior National Football League).
Malaysia[]
More to come....
Mexico[]
Association football remains the top sport here. The top division of its domestic league, the Primera Division, is considered the third best in the world, after the top divisions in Brazil and the UAE.
The Primera Division consists of 18 teams playing in three groups of six teams apiece, and is split into two seasons - the apertura (opening) season, from August through December, and the clasura (closing) season, from January through May. The current teams are:
- America (Mexico City)
- Atlante (Cancun)
- Atlas (Guadalajara)
- Guadalajara (Guadalajara)
- Cruz Azul (Mexico City)
- Chiapas (Tuxtla)
- Mexica FC (Mexica DC)
- Monarcas Morelia (Morelia)
- Pachuca (Pachuca)
- Puebla (Puebla)
- Queretaro (Queretaro)
- Pumas (Mexico City)
- San Luis (San Luis)
- Santos Laguna (Torreon)
- Estudiantes Tecos (Zapopan)
- Toluca (Toluca)
- Acapulco FC (Acapulco)
- Real Mexica (Mexica DC)
The Mexican national team is considered to be a contender to reach the World Cup championship match in 2010.
Baseball is a close second in popularity. The Mexican and Nacional Ligas are considered to be the successors to the United States's Major League Baseball, and have the top talent in the world besides Cuba. Their preseason training begins in February, with exhibition play in March and the regular season running from April through September. The postseason is contested in October.
The franchises, by league, are:
Mexican Liga
- Campeche Pirates
- Guadalajara Leones
- Mexica Tigers
- Mexico City Reds
- Puebla Parrots
- San Luis Potosi Athletics
- Tabasco Olmecs
- Veracruz Red Eagles
Nacional Liga
- Acapulco Dodgers
- Mexica Diablos
- Mexico City Rangers
- Minatitlan Oilers
- Oaxaca Warriors
- Quintana Roo Tigers
- Toluca Giants
- Yucatan Cubs
Other sports that have gained interest are boxing, basketball and American football, in large part because of the presence of many American refugees. Boxing already enjoyed tremendous participation and interest before Doomsday, and the entrance of Americans into the country increased that interest further. American football has been played on the intercollegiate level in Mexico since its beginnings in the country. Most of the Americans came from states where intercollegiate football was held in the highest regard, and have transferred that loyalty to the Mexican universities. A semi-professional American football league was founded in 2007.
Mexico has also recently joined the International Rugby Board in rugby union and the International Ice Hockey Federation in ice hockey. American expatriates formed a thriving amateur ice hockey federation in the early 1990s, and a semi-pro league took the ice in November 2009 for its first official season. Golf is more of a popular participatory sport, but Lorena Ochoa has the distinction of being the world's top female golfer. Racquetball, polo, tennis and taekwondo are notable minor sports. Although more theater than sport, lucha libre is almost as popular among spectators and the public as football.
Municipal States of the Pacific[]
On April 26, 2009, the Central Committee announced that it would sponsor a new baseball league, the Pacific Baseball League. The league was organized with the help of officials from Mexico's major baseball league and observers from the sports federations of the ANZC and Chile. Member cities are allowed to sponsor teams to compete in the league. It was the hope of the Central Committee that friendly competition between member cities will help promote unity and cooperation in the MSP as a whole.
The inaugural season began on April 5, 2010. The Gold Beach Dodgers beat the host Coos Bay Pirates 10-2. The initial eight teams were:
- Coos Bay Pirates
- Crescent City Giants
- Gold Beach Dodgers
- Grants Pass Athletics
- Medford Padres
- Port Orford Mariners
- Redding Cubs
- Yreka Angels
The PBL season will run through August, and end with a best-of-five championship series between the first- and second-place teams in early September.
Australian rules football, rugby (both union and league) and association football have also become popular in the MSP, due in large part to the influence of Australians and South Americans who helped the locals set up the national government. The MSP has recently become a member of the International Rugby Board and FIFA. Locals are attempting to revive the traditional American sports of basketball and American football.
Niue[]
Despite Niue being a small country, a number of different sports are popular. Rugby is a popular sport played both by men and women. Netball is played only by women. There is a nine-hole golf course at Fonuakula. There is a lawn bowling green under construction. Football is popular as evidenced by the Niue Soccer Tournament.
Nordic Union[]
- Norway − A mountainous country with a long and cold winter, Cross-country skiing is by far the most popular winter sports activity in Norway. Norway has won the most international competitions in cross-country skiing, closely followed by Sweden and Finland. Most-winning Norwegian cross-country skiers include Bjørn Dæhlie, Petter Northug Jr. and Marit Bjørgen. Norwegians also enjoy biathlon, also being one of the best countries in the world in this category (with Ole Einar Bjørndalen being the most-winning biathlon skier). Ski jumping is also very popular. Ice hockey is an emerging favorite winter team sport in Norway, and it competes with Sweden, Finland, Canada, the Alpine Confederation and Czechoslovakia on the most professional level. In the summer, Handball is one of the favorite team sports in Norway, with the women's national team ranking as one of the best. Sailing, javelin throw and swimming are other popular sports in Norway, along with association football.
- Sweden − Like Norway, Sweden is a country with a long and cold winter. Ice hockey is by far most popular winter sports activity in Sweden. Ranking as one of the best in the world, the national teams of Sweden, along with that of Finland and Norway have competed with the Alpine Confederation and Czechoslovakia in recent years to be the top national side in the sport. Cross-country skiing is also a popular winter sports activity in Sweden. Sweden is second only to Norway in cross-country competitions, having spawned talents like Markus Hellner.
- Finland − Like Sweden and Norway, Finland is a country with a long and cold winter. Ice hockey is by far most popular winter sports activity in Finland. Finland's national team has competed with Sweden, the Alpine Confederation and Czechoslovakia in recent years to be the top national side in the sport. Cross-country skiing is also a popular winter sports activity in Finland, along with Pesapallo (similar to baseball) and ski jumping.
- Denmark − Having a more mild climate than the other Nordic countries, Denmark emphasizes summer sports activities like association football and handball. Denmark is the best soccer country in the Nordic Union, and competes with Norway to be the best handball nation in the Union, and like Norway are among the best nations in the world in handball. Other activities include cycling, sailing, badminton and gymnastics.
Association football is the most popular spring and summer sport throughout the Union. Each member state has its own domestic league, with clubs also competing in the annual Nordic Cup competition.
North American Union[]
Within the states of the United States, the traditional American sports - American football, baseball, basketball and, in the northern states, ice hockey, along with tennis and golf - retained their interest and popularity among the public.
In Alberta and Saskatchewan, people are interested in the same sports as their U.S. counterparts, with a few notable distinctions. Ice hockey is the most popular team sport. The Canadian version of American football is the preferred code in the two provinces. And, the Canadian sport of curling has retained some interest and popularity.
In the nation of Lakotah, sports meshed well with Lakotahian life, particularly basketball and American football. Basketball is very popular in Lakotah, and former high school and college coach Larry Brown has worked for years helping build up the sport in Lakotah and elsewhere in the NAU. Lately, as news of the outside world has come to Lakotah, some in the country have proposed that association football (aka soccer) be considered as a national priority, with the idea that as the world's preeminent sport, it would help raise Lakotah's awareness and status in the eyes of the outside world. Many tribal leaders have failed to understand this, but nevertheless preliminary work on establishing a Lakotah Football Association has begun.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders, a gridiron football club, were based in Regina pre-Doomsday and re-established in Saskatoon in the 1990s. They play in the North American Football League, under American football rules. There is currently no professional league for Canadian football, which is played by youth and by amateurs, though talk of establishing one has been heard in some corners.
Professional leagues[]
There are professional leagues in the NAU for American football and ice hockey. The key here is they are 'professional' in the sense that players do get paid for their services, but not enough for them to have it as their only work, year-round. Plans for a baseball league are currently in motion as well.
The NAFL teams play in high school stadia, and the quality of play is judged roughly to be at a pre-Doomsday semi-pro level. The lack of pay players receive means that they do not give up their day jobs upon joining a team. Thus, games are played on the weekends, which has the added effect of easing travel expenses. The teams are divided into two divisions, with first and fourth placed teams and the second and third placed teams in each division playing each other in the playoffs, followed by the winners of those two games playing for the division title and then those two teams for the league title. Currently, the cities of Casper, Pasco, Provo, and Spokane are thought to be pursuing teams in the league.
The North American Football League teams are:
American Division
- Billings (Billings Mustangs)
- Coeur d'Alene (Coeur d'Alene Miners)
- Dodge City (Dodge City Chiefs)
- Fort Collins (Colorado Cougars)
- Porcupine (Lakotah Warriors)
- Scottsbluff (Nebraska Cornhuskers) Current Champions
- Torrington (Wyoming Eagles)
Canadian Division
- Brandon (Brandon Wild)
- Lethbridge (Lethbridge Stampeders)
- Medicine Hat (Medicine Hat Rattlers)
- Prince Albert (Prince Albert Rams) New for the 2011-2012 Season
- Red Deer (Red Deer Packers) New for the 2011-2012 Season
- Saskatoon (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
- Steinbach (Assiniboia Blue Bombers)
Teams in the NHL (no relation to the former league of that name) are usually considered to be the equivalent of a team from the former American Hockey League, which functioned as a farm league to the former National Hockey League before Doomsday. The players play full-time during parts of fall and spring, and all of winter, while working other jobs during the remainder of the year. The teams are divided into two divisions, with the top 4 teams in each advancing to the playoffs, playing a semi-final of seven games and a division final of seven games, followed by a league finals of seven games between the two division winners. The cities of Estevan, Grand Prairie, Pasco, and Spokane are thought to be currently pursuing teams in the league.
The Northern Hockey League teams are:
American Division
- Steinbach (Assiniboia Jets) Current Champions
- Billings (Bilings Bighorns)
- Brandon (Brandon Wheat Kings) New for the 2012-2013 Season
- Butte (Butte Magic)
- Casper (Casper Ghosts)
- Coeur d'Alene (Coeur d'Alene Colts)
- Porcupine (Lakotah Thunderbirds)
Canadian Division
- Lethbridge (Lethbridge Broncos)
- Medicine Hat (Medicine Hat Tigers)
- Moose Jaw (Moose Jaw Canucks) New for the 2012-2013 Season
- Prince Albert (Prince Albert Raiders)
- Red Deer (Red Deer Rustlers)
- Saskatoon (Saskatoon Blades)
- Swift Current (Swift Current Flames)
North Germany[]
Assosiated football is by far the most popular team sport. In 1999, the government and major businesses formed a semi-professional league, the Nord-Deutsche Bundesliga (NDB). The consists of two divisions of eight clubs each. At the end of each season, the team at the bottom of is relegated to the NDB II, to be replaced by the top team in the NDB II. Several clubs are based in Freisland.
The governing board of the NDB is in discussions with their counterparts in the Kingdom of Prussia to revive the annual German Cup tournament.
North Germany is a member of FIFA.
Ice Hockey is gaining in popularity, due to a North German team in the Nordic Union's ice hockey league.
Pakistan/Afghanistan[]
After the Islamic Revolution of 1984, athletic competitions were prohibited on pain of death. The ban was later rescinded at the insistence of Pakistan's neighboring states. The two most popular sports are cricket and association football. Cricket matches are today regularly played domestically, as well as with teams from allied nations. There has even been unofficial discussions with Sri Lanka and the UPI about resuming international matches.
Pais del Oro[]
Association football helped unify this country in its early days. It remains by far the most popular spectator sport. Its national team has qualified for the World Cup.
Athletics, basketball, tennis, golf, handball and cricket also are contested.
Paraguay[]
More to come...
Peru[]
More to come....
Piedmont Republic[]
More to come for this recently discovered republic....
Portugal[]
Association football is the main sport in Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world's top footballers who plays professionally in Brazil, and the 2008 FIFA World Footballer of the Year, is considered a national hero.
Martial arts, athletics, and such aquatic sports as surfing also are popular.
Prussia[]
Association football is, as it was pre-Doomsday, the most popular sport. The 1.Bundesliga, established in 1996, is the top flight in Prussian football, followed by 2.Bundesliga and 3.Bundesliga. Hertha Berlin is considered the top club. Other top clubs include Dynamo Berlin, Bayern Berlin, 1.Union Berlin, FC Neuer Königsberg and SV Babelsburg 03.
Basketball, cycling and tennis also are popular sports in Prussia.
Puerto Rico[]
Baseball is the most popular sport in a country that sends its best players to the Mexican professional leagues. The Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, which plays in the winter, has operated for over a century. The champion advances to the Caribbean World Series
Association football and basketball are also very popular. Boxing, equestrian sports, martial arts, distance racing and track and field also have strong support bases.
Cockfighting is legal in Puerto Rico and is as heavily wagered on as horse racing was in the pre-Doomsday United States.
Saguenay[]
This country may have broken away from Canada, but it still shares a love of ice hockey with its now-rival nation.
As a symbol of the alliance between Saguenay and Superior, the Nordiques de Saguenay, have been accepted as an expansion team in Superior's RSNHL in 2010. It is rumored that the team containes several members of the disbanded Gaspe Canadiens of the CHL who defected to Saguenay.
Singapore[]
The country's association football team is one of the best in the Asia/Oceanic region. Singapore also hosts a popular domestic six-team league.
Rugby league has become more popular in the small nation than rugby union, leading to speculation that a local team may join the ANZC's National Rugby League.
Singapore is a "test nation" as the International Rugby Board experiments with the revival of the sport of rugby sevens, a version of rugby union played by seven players per side.
Singapore's athletes in badminton and table tennis are considered to be the best in the world.
Socialist Siberia[]
Sport is strictly controlled by the government, which seeks to develop world-class athletes in every Olympic sport, both individual and team. Domestic ice hockey and association football leagues are very popular, and some national players have found their way into European hockey and the domestic ANZC and Singapore football leagues.
Boxing has also become very popular, as basic boxing techniques are taught as early as in elementary schools and it is a popular indoor sport. The Socialist Siberian Boxing League is currently looking for countries to participate in a possible international boxing championship held in the USSR.
Superior[]
Even after Doomsday, Baseball was inherited from the mother nation of the United States to become the national pastime, along with other sports such as American Football and Ice Hockey. Golf has also become popular on the Upper Peninsula, though it is mainly relegated to the elderly, and no organized national tournament of any sort has yet been formed by the government.
Tennis, softball, track and field, cross country, volleyball, and soccer are played by many, albeit at either an informal level, or formally in youth leagues, middle and high school competition and adult amateur leagues.
In 1989, the “Tri-League Games Act” was passed through Congress, as a way to re-institute old sports back into the population, both to support the economy and general morale. Three Leagues were established as a result:
- The Superior Baseball League
- The Superior Football League
- The Superior Hockey League
All have proven to be largely successful, though Football has steadily gained more and more popularity as time has gone on.
Each of the three leagues is run by an independent Board of Commissioners. Each Board is given broad powers to ensure the franchises remain financially viable and competitive. In extreme circumstances, the Boards have the authority to revoke an ownership groups franchise.
The SFL (Superior Football League) has franchises in twelve cities, with the top four teams competing in a single-elimination playoff, with two semifinal games and a championship game played in January at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Currently, it is believed that several cities are seeking teams, but these are the current ones:
- Escanaba (Escanaba Stags) new for the 2011-2012 season
- Green Bay (Green Bay Packers)
- Houghton (Houghton Panthers) Current Champions
- Iron Mountain (Iron Mountain Flyers)
- Mackinaw (Mackinaw Wheels)
- Madison, Wisconsin (Wisconsin Badgers)
- Menominee (Menominee Blazers)
- Marquette (Marquette Lions)
- Sault Ste. Marie (Sault Ste. Marie Steelers)
- Stowe (Stowe Eagles)
- Sudbury (Sudbury Spartans)
- Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay Giants)
The SBL (Superior Baseball League) has franchises in twelve cities, with the top four teams playing in semifinals and then for the SBL Championship at the end of the season in September, all of which are five-game series. Currently, it is believed that several cities are seeking teams, but these are the current ones:
- Boyne City (Boyne City Boosters) new for the 2011-2012 season
- Houghton (Houghton Reds)
- Green Bay (Green Bay Blue Sox)
- Iron Mountain (Iron Mountain Wolverines)
- Mackinaw (Mackinaw Mariners)
- Madison, Wisconsin (Madison Brewers) renamed from the Madison Badgers after the 2010 season
- Marquette (Marquette Tigers)
- Sault Ste. Marie (Soo Beavers)
- Stowe (Stowe Senators) Current Champions
- Sudbury (Sudbury Miners)
- Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay Twins)
- Traverse City (Traverse City Resorters) new for the 2011-2012 season
The SHL (Superior Hockey League) has franchises in sixteen cities, divided into two divisions, East and West, of eight teams each, with six teams advancing to the playoffs in each, with the top two in each getting a "bye" into the second round, where they will play the winners of the quarterfinals. The best-of-three quarterfinals, as well as the semifinals and the division and league championship series are contested in March and April:
West
- Escanaba (Escanaba Owls)
- Green Bay (Green Bay Bobcats)
- Houghton (Houghton Chiefs)
- Iron Mountain (Iron Mountain Flags)
- Madison, Wisconsin (Madison Blues)
- Marquette (Marquette Iron Rangers)
- Menominee (Menominee Mohawks)
- Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay Maple Leafs)
East
- Chicoutimi, Saguenay (Saguenay Saguenéens)
- Espanola (Espanola Eagles) new for the 2012-2013 season
- Mackinaw (Mackinaw Red Wings)
- Manitoulin (Manitoulin Islanders)
- Sault Ste. Marie (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
- Stowe (Stowe Capitals)
- Sudbury (Sudbury Wolves) Current Champions
- Wawa (Wawa Travellers) new for the 2012-2013 season
Despite the recent political change in Thunder Bay, their teams will remain in the leagues, at least for the time being. The communities of Blind River, Calumet, Eagle River, Thessalon, and Traverse City are in negotiations with the League over resurrecting their hockey teams from before Doomsday, and the towns of Marathon and Newberry are attempting to establish teams as well.
A growing tourist attraction is the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame Museum in Green Bay. Located at Lambeau Field - the last remaining National Football League stadium - the museum contains an extensive amount of Packer and NFL memorabilia dating back to the early 20th century. It includes items owned by Superior entrepreneur Elliott Gold and donated on a rotating basis. Memorabilia salvaged from the former Pro Football Hall of Fame in the abandoned town of Canton, Ohio, will be shown, in rotations, through summer 2011.
Green Bay is likely to become the home for the new Professional Football Hall of Fame. Gold financed an expedition into former Canton, Ohio in 2009, to scout out the original pro football hall of fame. Much of the memorabilia was deemed salvageable, as were the busts of the various members of the hall of fame. The decision was made to move anything that was salvageable to Green Bay, where a new hall of fame would be built. The groundbreaking occurred in October 2010, with construction to get underway in the spring of 2011, and the official opening for August 2012.
The pro football hall of fame will be governed by a board, initially made up of enthusiasts from across Superior. Long-term plans include expanding the board to include any former players and coaches that are still alive anywhere in the world, as well as enthusiasts from Texas, Mexico and the ANZC. One of the board's duties will be to posthumously elect members to the hall of fame from 1978-1983, and to annually consider anyone who was not elected either pre-DD or by the board.
The Superior Soccer Federation was established in 2007 by enthusiasts to develop the sport in their country. It is a member of FIFA, with the condition of establishing a formal league by 2015.
Taiwan[]
Baseball is the national sport of Taiwan, a legacy of decades of Japanese rule. A six team professional league is based in Taiwan. There is also a Little League competition throughout the country. Other popular team sports are association football, basketball, field hockey and handball.
Various martial arts, such as taekwondo, karate, and kung fu are popular as both spectator and participatory sports.
Thailand[]
Thai boxing Muay Thai (Thai: มวยไทย, RTGS: Muai Thai, literally, "Thai Boxing") is a form of hard martial art practiced in large parts of the world, including Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. The art is similar to others in Southeast Asia such as: Pradal Serey in Cambodia, Lethwei in Burma, Tomoi in Malaysia, and Muay Lao in Laos. Muay Thai has a long history in Thailand and is the country's national sport.
Traditional Muay Thai practiced today varies significantly from the ancient art Muay Boran and uses kicks, punches and knee and elbow strikes in a ring with gloves similar to those used in Western boxing.
Sepak Takraw (Thai: ตะกร้อ) is a sport native to Thailand, which the players hit a rattan ball and only be allowed to use their feet, knee, chest and head to touch the ball. Sepak Takraw is a form of this sport which appears in volley ball style, the players must volley a ball over a net and force it to hit the ground on oppnent's side. It is a popular in other countries in Southeast Asia also.
Rugby is also a growing sport in Thailand with the Thailand national rugby union team rising to be ranked fairly high in the world. Thailand became the first country in the world to host an international 80 kg welterweight rugby tournament in 2005. The national domestic Thailand Rugby Union (TRU) competition includes several universities and services teams such as Chulalongkorn University, Mahasarakham University,Kasetsart University, Prince of Songkla University, Thammasat University, Rangsit University, the Thai Police, the Thai Army, the Thai Navy and the Royal Thai Air Force. Local sports clubs which also compete in the TRU include the British Club of Bangkok, the Southerners Sports Club (Bangkok) and the Royal Bangkok Sports Club.
Golf Thailand has been called the Golf Capital of Asia as it is a popular destination for golf. The country attracts a large number of golfers from Japan, Korea, Singapore and the ANZC who come to play golf in Thailand every year. The growing popularity of golf, especially among the middle classes and expats, is evident since there are more than 200 world-class golf courses nationwide Other sports Other sports in Thailand are slowly growing as the country develops its sporting infrastructure, like weightlifting and Taekwando.
Football Thammasat Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 25,000. It is located in Thammasat University's Rangsit campus. Its appearance is that of a scaled down version of the Rajamangala Stadium. The tribunes form a continuous ring which are quite low behind each goal but rise up on each side. Unlike the Rajamangala though, Thammasat has a roof covering both side tribunes. Most striking about this stadium are the floodlights. Thai architects usually favour concrete pylons but these are the steel variety. As viewed from the exterior of the stadium the base of each pylon seems to grip the outside of the stadium and they dramatically lean over the tribunes so as to better illuminate the playing area Rajamangala National Stadium is the biggest sporting arena in Thailand. It currently has a capacity of 65,000. It is located in Bang Kapi, Bangkok. The stadium was built in 2001.
Tonga[]
More to come...
Union of South Africa[]
In former South Africa, association football was the most popular sport amongst the black majority and colored minority, while the white minority preferred rugby union, cricket and golf.
Football is the runaway most popular sport currently in the region, including the nations that comprise the new Union of South Africa. Golf has all but been abandoned, seen as a symbol of the long-disbanded apartheid government. Rugby union and cricket had been, too, but have reemerged as (so far) minor sports in the area. Their status is helped by the work being done by the DSA's federations, who are presenting both sports as opportunities for all peoples to compete in several sports (including but not just football), and by the participation and popularity of the two sports among black and colored peoples within the Dominion itself.
The DSA's sports federations and the Good Hope government are currently working together to help organize football, rugby union, cricket and athletics in the region.
Venezuela[]
More to come...
Vermont[]
People generally like to participate in activities and sports more than watch it, but an amateur baseball league and a semi-pro ice hockey league are popular.
The Vermont Hockey League teams are:
- Manchester Bruins
- Torrington Whalers
- Burlington Islanders
- Dartmouth Rangers
- Montpelier Capitals
- Barre Flyers
The owners of the Manchester Bruins hockey team in the Vermont league are pursuing membership in either the Canadian Hockey League or the Republic of Superior Hockey League for the 2010-11 season. The owners had been given the go-ahead in November 2009 to pursue this. However, with the RSNHL recently accepting an expansion team from Saguenay, Vermont officials are now said to be against Manchester's membership in the league, citing Vermont's need to protect its neutrality.
The Vermont government is said to be supportive of a professional regional league, consisting of teams in Canada and Vermont, along with Aroostook, Saguenay and possibly Superior. However, due to the ongoing conflict between Canada and Saguenay, the prospects of such a league, for the foreseeable future, are slim at best.
Vermont is likely to be the first nation in the former United States to resume intercollegiate athletics. The sanctioning body is provisionally called the Vermont Collegiate Athletic Association (VCAA) and is said to be open to membership from other area nations, as well as competition against universities from other North American nations. Competition will commence in the 2010-11 calendar year in American football, men's and women's soccer (association football), men's and women's basketball, men's and women's athletics, men's and women's tennis and baseball. The founding members are:
- University of Aroostook
- Dartmouth University
- Franklin Pierce University
- University of New Hampshire
- Norwich University
- University of Vermont
The VCAA is reported to be in discussions with universities in Deseret, Kentucky, the NAU, Virginia and West Texas regarding scheduling games for next season.
Victoria[]
Ice hockey is the most popular sport in this survivor state from old Canada. The Victorian Hockey League, created from the remnants of the British Columbia Hockey League and expanded, currently has twelve teams:
Island Conference
- The Comox Valley Chiefs
- The Alberni Bulldogs
- The Cowichan Capitals
- The Nanaimo Clippers
- The Campbell River Eagles
- The Victoria Grizzlies
Mainland Conference
- The Prince Rupert Sea Wolves
- The Powell River Kings
- The Everett Silvertips
- The Port Angeles Ravens
- The Mt. Vernon Giants
- The Bellingham Ice Hawks (current Cromwell Cup champions)
To emphasize Victoria's British roots, traditional British sports of cricket, rugby union, and association football have been heavily promoted by the government. Every public school in Victoria is required to include these sports in their athletic activities (the Washington territories will be required to do so as well beginning in January 2010). This has been criticized by the CRUSA as an attempt to "De-Americanize" the youth of former Washington.
While there are no organized professional leagues, baseball and American football are still popular in the Washington territories, with organized competitions at the youth and amateur adult levels and in the middle and high schools.
Virginian Republic[]
The government looked to sports as a way to help increase the morale of its citizens (and, for that matter, its own military, many of whom enjoyed the domestic leagues as much as the citizens did). Football, baseball, track and field, tennis, wrestling, swimming, volleyball and golf each have government-sanctioned organizations that oversee their respective sports.
Football: Charleston Chiefs, Beckley Buccaneers, Danville Dolphins, Roanoke Raiders, Lynchburg Lions, Lexington Saints, Woodstock Titans, Fairmont Eagles.
Baseball: Charleston Nationals, Beckley Giants, Danville Dodgers, Roanoke Rangers, Lynchburg Royals, Lexington Yankees, Woodstock White Sox, Fairmont Brewers.
Waldeck-Hesse[]
As with Germany prior to Doomsday, the sport of football, increasingly referred to as soccer in the area, is quite popular. However, with the former American servicemen living in the area, along with prior interest, basketball is now the largest sport in terms of both membership and popularity. The national mens team was even able to win gold at the 2010 Europa Games in Berlin, in a close match over Woodbridge. Baseball and American Football, while not the most popular sports by far, has also increased in participants since 1983, though rank a distant third and fourth behind the other two. Track and field, especially running events, as well as swimming in the more mountainous areas of the area, have also become larger events.
There is currently a basketball league, the Waldesliga, or the Waldeck Basketball League, and a football league, the Fußball-Waldesliga, or the Waldeck Football League, in the country. Both have a single division. Each principality has at least one team in each of the two leagues.
The WBL has the following members:
- Alsfeld Swords
- Arolsen Monarchs
- Brilon Keys
- Fritzlar Wheels
- Fulda Americans
- Gießen 46ers (Current Champions)
- Gilserberg Castles
- Hersfeld Rams
- Korbach Stars
- Lich Basketbears
- Marburg Lions
- Marsberg Rifles
- Paderborn Baskets
- Schotten Eagles
- Siegen Stags
- Spangenberg Fossils
- Warburg Flowers
- Wildungen Knights
- Winterberg Ice
And the WFL has these members:
- Arolsen Crowns
- Borussia Fulda
- Brilon FC
- FC Alsfeld
- FC Gilserberg
- Korbach Roosters
- Lich Demons
- Marsberg Fire
- SC Paderborn 07
- Schotten FC
- Sportfreunde Siegen
- SVA Hersfeld
- SVA Wildungen
- VfB Marburg (Current Champions)
- VfB Spangenberg
- Warburg Battle
West Texas[]
High school sports is held in high regard, particularly American football. The annual regular-season games between Midland Lee, Midland High and Odessa Permian high schools, as well as the Republic championship game (which no school other than those three has played in since high school football resumed in 1989) is said to draw the interest of the entire region. Also held in high regard are soccer matches between the three schools, which draw crowds as large as those for the football games. Initially Anglos and African-Americans gravated towards football and baseball, while Hispanic refugees gravated towards soccer, and baseball. Now, all three ethnic groups enjoy, and participate in, all three sports.
The West Texas Interscholastic League is the sanctioning body of high school sports in the republic. All schools play in one division for all sports except for football, which is broken down into Division I (11-man) and Division II (eight- and six-man). Division I football schools, besides Lee, Permian and Midland High, are Odessa High, Fort Stockton, Carlsbad, Hobbs, Big Spring, Sonora, Monahans and Pecos.
American football is still king in this part of old Texas. High school football on Friday nights is a near-sacred tradition in the country, and the West Texas Interscholastic League's two divisions (11-man and eight-man) are followed as closely as professional and collegiate football were pre-Doomsday.
A six-team semi-professional league that plays games on Saturdays and Monday nights is also very popular. The teams were named after two franchises in the old U.S. National Football League and four teams from universities in former Texas. Almost all games are played in Midland and Odessa, with occasional regular season and exhibition games in other towns throughout the country. The teams are:
- Aggies
- Cowboys
- Longhorns
- Mustangs
- Oilers
- Red Raiders
Beginning in the fall of 2010, West Texas University will field a varsity football team, competing against teams from Texas A&M University and Stephen F. Austin University in eastern Texas, Pan American University from the RGV, Brigham Young University and Colorado State University from the North American Union, as well as schools from Dinetah and Mexico.
Baseball continues to be popular, with a large number of players at the youth, Little League, high school and adult levels.
The area's only professional league, the Texas League, has eight teams spread across West Texas, eastern Texas and the Rio Grande Valley, and plays its season from April through September. The league, though independent, has a working agreement with Mexico's Major League Baseball.
The teams are:
- Big Spring
- Edinburg
- Fort Stockton
- Midland
- Monahans
- Nacodgoches
- Odessa
- Tyler
Competitive amateur leagues play during the summer in Monahans, Sweetwater, Odessa and Big Spring.
High school baseball has solid popular support; its season culminates in the Texas Series in June, with the West Texas champion playing teams from the RGV, South Texas and eastern Texas in a double-elimination tournament in Midland.
Association football is mainly referred to in West Texas as soccer,or futbol. It is popular on both the high school and semi-pro levels and has solidified itself as the nation's second-most popular sport. Most of the 12 club teams in the nation's top flight are based in Midland and Odessa; Army FC, sponsored by the military and based out of Fort Stockton, is one of the better sides. West Texas established the West Texas Football Association, and joined FIFA in December 2009, thanks in no small part to the help of Mexico's national federation.
One interesting phenomenon is that although the Anglo majority tended to prefer American football in the early years of the country, and the Latino minority soccer (and both groups enjoying baseball), over the years both groups, along with the African-American minority, equally participate and enjoy all three sports.
Basketball is the most popular indoor sport. Golf is mainly a participatory sport, contested by more affluent residents. Track and field is limited to youth and high school competition, although with the resumption of the Summer Olympics in 2012, that is anticipated to change.
The University of West Texas, with assistance from the government and from private Mexican sources, has begun work on a new sports complex on its main campus in Odessa. The facilities are to be used for professional, intercollegiate, high school, amateur and international competition, and include:
- A 50,000-seat stadium for American football, soccer, track and field, and other large-scale events, which will be completed by summer 2010, and dedicated with an exhibition match between the West Texas and eastern Texas national soccer teams in August.
- A 12,000-seat arena for basketball and other indoor sports, to be completed by November 2011.
- A 15,000-seat baseball stadium to be completed by spring 2012.
- Various practice and training facilities.
Despite criticism from conservatives, West Texas sports federations - particularly in association football - are developing closer ties with their counterparts in Mexico.
Wisconsin[]
The Green Bay Packers, which was founded in 1919 and was the third-oldest franchise in the old NFL, was restarted in 2006 as an expansion franchise in the RSNFL (Republic of Superior National Football League). The franchise initially was going to play in Madison, Wisconsin, in keeping with its origins as a franchise based in old Wisconsin. However, complaints from league and Superior political officials led to the team being taken over by the Green Bay territorial government. It plays in a rebuilt Lambeau Field. Madison officials decided to "professionalize" the University of Wisconsin's athletic teams and use its Badgers identity, and the university's facilities, for all of its teams in the Republic of Superior professional leagues. The football franchise plays at the restored Camp Randall Stadium. The RSNHL (Republic of Superior National Hockey League) franchise plays off campus at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The baseball franchise, renamed the Brewers (after the old Milwaukee Brewers baseball team) for the 2010 season, plays its home games at Madison Park, built in downtown Madison, with a view of the National Capital Building in the outfield.
Woodbridge[]
Cricket and Football are played by the civilian population whereas American Football, baseball and basketball are still popular with serving and former members of the ex-USAF units that used to control the nation. To a lesser degree these sports are also popular with the post-Doomsday generation. The organisations that run cricket and football within Woodbridge hope to apply for membership of the ICC and FIFA respectively in the next few years. The current league champions in football are Woodbridge FC and Saxmundham CC are the current WCA (Woodbridge Cricket Association) league champions.
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