| Spectator Sports | Information | Troop Meetings | Main Event |
Related Advancement
- Tenderfoot requirement 1a
- Second Class requirement 1a
- First Aid requirement 3
- Emergency Preparedness, Safety, and Sports merit badges
Spectator Sports Information
Football – There are 11 players to a side, one team advancing an oval ball over a rectangular field while the other team tries to keep them from doing so. Touchdowns, field goals, passes, and penalties are all part of the fun. Don’t get caught offsides or the penalty will cost you. This game combines well-thought-out plays with brute force.
Basketball – The object of this game is for a team to get a ball through a basket 10 feet off the ground, one, two, or three points at a time, while the opposition tries to keep them from scoring and will attempt to score themselves. If you want hustle, this the game for you. Five players on each side run up and down a wooden court, testing both skill and endurance. It’s no wonder why this is one of the world’s most popular sports.
Baseball – What begins with a head-to-head battle between the pitcher and the batter becomes an amazing, choreographed display of teamwork the second the ball comes into contact with the bat. Nine players on the field try to keep a handful of rotating players from running home. Watching a baseball game is as American as apple pie. Just wait for the seventh-inning stretch.
Hockey – The scores may not get very high, but the action is nonstop. As if trying to put a rubber puck with a wooden stick through a defended goal isn’t hard enough, try doing it on ice skates. Two teams of six (five players and a goalie) provide one of the fastest-played games today. Hockey is a very physical sport, and referees are a little more lenient than other sports as tussles can occur. (Perhaps you have heard someone say they went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.) Just don’t get sent to the penalty box.
Soccer – What Americans call soccer, the rest of the world calls football. And unlike in American football, soccer players use their feet all the time to advance the ball (along with their elbows, their heads, and any body part but their hands). Soccer is something like hockey played on grass, but without sticks. (Keep the grass and add sticks, and you have lacrosse or field hockey.) Don’t get a red card, or you’ll be out of the game.
Olympic Sports – Held every four years, the summer and winter Olympics bring together the top athletes from more than 200 nations to compete in a huge array of team and individual sports. The Olympic Games are considered to be the world’s foremost sports competition. If you are lucky to view any of these events, you are sure to remember them for the rest of your life.
Leading up to the Olympics are the Olympic trials that determine who will represent their countries; these competitions offer more accessible alternatives to the Games themselves. Also, some Olympic sports have their own regional, national, and world championships.
Performing Arts– While sporting events are the struggles of the here
and now, the performances of the arts are ones that endure over time. Performing arts include dance, music, opera, theater, magic, spoken word, circus arts, and musical theater. While it’s all about
showmanship, these performers train every bit as hard as the most elite athletes. For them, the world is a stage, and the show must go on.
Class Act – These rules of etiquette apply to all kinds of events and venues.
- When the national anthem plays before a game, show your respect by standing, removing your hat, and placing your hand over your heart. If you are walking when the anthem begins, face the flag and stand still until the completion of the anthem.
- Spectators should refrain from talking and using mobile phones while in the stands. If you must keep your phone turned on, put it in “vibrate” mode so you won’t disturb others.
- Treat the opposing team and fans of the opposing team with respect; refrain from jeering and from throwing objects in the stands.
Safety in Public Settings
- Keep your eyes open for unattended packages and bags, and report them to authorities.
- Watch your bags, and don’t accept packages from strangers.
- Always use the buddy system.
- Identify times and places for the group to reconvene.
- Be sure everyone has a list of cell phone numbers for the group.
- When you arrive at the venue, identify locations of emergency exits and first-aid stations.
| Spectator Sports | Information | Troop Meetings | Main Event |