| Americans love their sports. Baseball, football, | | | | Tuinei played for the Cowboys and has three |
| basketball, hockey, professional and collegiate; the | | | | Super Bowl rings, Dave Dixon is a pro bowler for |
| United States is a nation with citizens that are | | | | the Vikings, as Luther Ellis is for the Lions, and |
| crazy about sports and athletes, causing | | | | Junior Seau is considered one of the best |
| professional sports to become a multi-billion dollar | | | | linebackers in history. Anyone who closely follows |
| business. Sometimes there are positive influences | | | | the NFL will recognize every single one of those |
| on other countries as a result of the devotion | | | | names. It is an interesting fact to note that a high |
| people place on "America's pastimes." The | | | | school player from one of the Pacific Islands is |
| Dominican Republic, for example, is known for | | | | over 40 times more likely to make it to the NFL |
| producing a large number of good baseball players | | | | than a student from the rest of the United |
| who often become successful at even the highest | | | | States. This is even more impressive in light of |
| level. One of the best known current examples | | | | how little proper equipment the teams on |
| would be former Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa, | | | | American Samoa have compared to their |
| who would otherwise most likely be consigned to | | | | mainland counterparts. They commonly play on |
| a life of poverty and little hope if not for his ability | | | | poor fields with the absolute minimum of |
| to play baseball on a professional level in the | | | | equipment. Not is the number of players who |
| United States. Sometimes sports transform some | | | | move up from this background amazing, but over |
| of the most unlikely areas, becoming more than | | | | 200 Samoans currently play Division I college |
| another pastime, and actually becoming adopted | | | | football (Graber 2). |
| as an accepted source of a people's proud culture. | | | | Why has this "American" sport done so well in the |
| A prime example of this is the influence that | | | | Pacific islands? One reason may be that there are |
| American football has had, and is continuing to | | | | many young Samoans who don't see football as |
| have, on the tiny island of Samoa. | | | | an American sport. Michael Mapu, a high school |
| American Samoa has a population of under | | | | quarterback/defensive end who is a Division I |
| 65,000 people, yet there are 28 Samoans | | | | prospect is quoted as even saying: "I think it is |
| currently on the roster of NFL teams, as well as | | | | Samoa's sport, not America's sport." Many of the |
| many others who are continually competing and | | | | Samoan youths grow up watching their older |
| on the brink of making it on a team. If other | | | | brothers playing football, and then want to do the |
| Pacific Islanders are included, such as individuals | | | | same. The ability to go out and play full contact, |
| from the islands of Tonga and Fiji, there are then | | | | to hit people, is a big draw, and in some ways |
| over fifty Pacific Islanders in the NFL, or 2% of | | | | football has been referred to as the modern |
| the total players, which is even more impressive | | | | version of village warfare. American football was |
| considering the competition from the United | | | | introduced in the 1960s, and became a quickly |
| States, a nation of 350 million people. Many of | | | | accepted part of Samoan culture (Miller 5). |
| these players are not simple no-namers. Mark | | | | |
