Los Angeles Bid For The 2016 Summer Olympics - Sport Culture

Sport Culture

Los Angeles is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, the home of the Los Angeles Riptide of Major League Lacrosse (2006-2008), and the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League (2000-2008). Los Angeles has been without an NFL franchise since 1995 despite being the second-biggest television market in North America. Prior to 1995, the Rams (1946–1994) and the Raiders (1982–1994) of the NFL were in the Los Angeles market. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Anaheim Ducks are both based in nearby Anaheim. No reference to the sport culture of Los Angeles would be complete without mentioning the immensely successful intercollegiate athletics programs at UCLA and the University of Southern California, both of which have been the breeding grounds for countless Olympic gold-medalists in nearly every Olympic sport.

Beach volleyball and windsurfing were both invented in the area (though predecessors of both were invented in some form by Duke Kahanamoku in Hawaii). Venice, also known as Dogtown, is credited with being the birthplace of skateboarding and the place where rollerblading first became popular. Area beaches are popular with surfers, who have created their own subculture.

Los Angeles has twice played host to the summer Olympic Games: in 1932 and in 1984, both of which were profitable, the latter being the most profitable Olympics in history, with profits of over $200 million. When the tenth Olympic Games were hosted in 1932, the former 10th Street was renamed Olympic Blvd. The 1984 Summer Olympics inspired the creation of the Los Angeles Marathon, which has been celebrated every year in March since 1986. Super Bowls I and VII were also contested in the city as was the World Cup Final in 1994.