<P> Soccer is very popular as a participation sport, particularly among youth, and the US national teams are competitive internationally . A twenty - team professional league, Major League Soccer, plays from March to October, but its television audience and overall popularity lag behind other American professional sports . </P> <P> Boxing and horse racing were once the most watched individual sports, but they have been eclipsed by golf and auto racing, particularly NASCAR . Other popular sports are tennis, softball, rodeo, swimming, water polo, fencing, shooting sports, hunting, volleyball, skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, Ultimate, Disc golf, cycling, MMA, roller derby, wrestling, weightlifting and rugby . </P> <P> Relative to other parts of the world, the United States is unusually competitive in women's sports, a fact usually attributed to the Title IX antidiscrimination law, which requires most American colleges to give equal funding to men's and women's sports . Despite that, however, women's sports are not nearly as popular among spectators as men's sports . </P> <P> The United States enjoys a great deal of success both in the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics, constantly finishing among the top medal winners . </P>

What is the dominant culture in america today