ABSTRACT
This and the following chapters provide an insight into the various institutions which organize sport and sport competitions in the USA. In contrast to other countries, there is no umbrella organization governing the various sports on different levels and in different contexts. The main sport providers (sport according to the American terminology) are high schools, colleges and universities, and the professional leagues, and they refer to a very different clientele. Schools are responsible for a large number of children and young people, and have, besides organizing sport, an educational responsibility, whereas professional sport is limited to a very small group of extraordinarily gifted and successful athletes. In the following chapters, we will explore the organizations and their structures, the discourses and practices as well as the opportunities and problems of the American sport system.
