Allamunnic National Athletics Alliance
"Promoting On-Field Excellance and Off-Field Citizenship"
Est. 1984
"I turned on the TV to watch some nice, good, ol' fashioned violence, and then, suddenly, a hockey game broke out!"
-Heinrich Grimm, speaking at a banquet for the benefit of the Zagreb Hockey team, 2002
The ANAA consists of the official association of seven major sports within the Federal Republic: Gridiron Football, Ice Hockey, Field Hockey, Football/Soccer, Baseball, Lacrosse, and, amazingly, jousting/tourney.
Sports play a large part in entertaining the people of the Federation, and there are major professional leagues in multiple sports, most of which are popular throughout most of the Federation.
The most majorly followed sports are as follows:
Major League Sports:
Football (Gridiron):
American Football is generally acknowledged as the most popular sport within the Federation, and just about every major city has its own team. Football stars are national celebrities. Often enough, they have spent time in the Federal Army, which in the eyes of some of the more conservative families, mean that they are appropriate role models. Irresponsible behavior (drunk driving, drug use of any kind) are often rewarded with expellation from the League. The Fanboyist National Football League holds its Super Bowl every year in March. A regular season consists of 18 games, and the number of play-off games is five, including the Championship. A list of teams is as follows, based on conference. There are 80 teams in four conferences.
Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey is easily the second-most popular sport in the Federation (after football). Again, most major cities or provinces have at least one team. The Anders Cup is the award given to the ultimate champion of the league, and is named after Walther Anders, a celebrated player who led Copenhagen to three back-to-back championships and another six others. The Fanboyist Ice Hockey season begins in late November and ends in April. The regular season has 64 games, and there are four rounds in the play-offs, excluding the Championship.
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is the newest of the major league sports to take root in the Federation; it didn't become popular until the 6th World Lacrosse Championships, in which the debuting Volunteers, composed entirely of semi-pro players (the up-to-then highest level) managed to go 7-1 in total play, making an appearance in the finals and losing at literally the last second to sporting powerhouse Dancougar. The enthusiasm was quickly merited, as the Lax Volunteers remain to date the most successful Fanboyist international team after following up in the 7th World Lacrosse Championship by winning the championship over Newmanistan. A proper national professional league was formed shortly thereafter, and while not as popular or wide-spread as gridiron or ice hockey, it is quite popular and well-followed. The league is considerably smaller, with only 24 teams.
Field Hockey
It is anyone's guess as to why field hockey is so popular in the Federation. Regardless, most major cities or provinces also have a field hockey team. The season is 14 games long, plus a four-round playoff.
Baseball
Baseball is, technically, a major team sport in the Federation in the loosest sense of the word: it does not have a particular following, as many view it as too boring. There is just enough interest to merit a national league. But not much more than that.
Jousting
It's anyone's guess as to why Jousting is popular in the Federation. Probably the old militaristic roots. Regardless, many cities (and private clubs) host jousting teams and tournaments. A club tends to have between 4 and 8 members, who play individually or in pairs. All weapons used are heavily blunted and proper armor is worn. Jousting and tourney are very rigorous sports, though not as popular as some other sports. Skraelings tend to be very good at this.
Football/Soccer
(OOC: I personally know next to nothing about soccer, so I'm not going to really be using it for anything in here, thus the lack of much detail here. The extent of my knowledge is that scoring is good, and punching people out is bad.)
Soccer is also quite popular in the Federation, and, again, most cities have a team. Most are not as well-publicized as the teams for other sports in the city, but they are present all the same.
Minor League Sports:
Dodgeball
Dodgeball is actually sort of the opposite of baseball in the Federal Republic; Dodgeball is only barely a Minor League sport, as it's following is actually rather large. It's a rather interesting sport, as well, because of inherent silliness and melodrama that tends to follow people with names like "Patches O'Hoolihan" and teams like "The Certified Public Assassins."
Rugby
This is generally viewed as gridball with wierd pacing.
Basketball
Basketball has a limited following in the Federation, of similar scale to baseball.
Ultimate Frisbee
Has a growing following, after contact with athletes and citizens of the Babbage Islands.
Handball
It's following is growing, as a result of contact with athletes from the Babbage Islands.
Curling
Curling is not so much a sport as a national joke. Most people think it is exceedingly silly.
Bowling
Bowling has a following. A rather small one, like golf, but it's there.
Golf
Golf has a following. An even smaller one than bowling, but it's there.
Tennis
Tennis has a following. That following tends to be foreigners. Go figure.
