Sport (or sports) can be any type of generally competitive physical activity that, through organised or casual participation, attempt to employ, hone or enhance sporting ability and abilities while also providing entertainment for participants, and occasionally, spectators. Some types of sports are competitive, like horse racing, tennis, soccer, softball, ice hockey, golf and football, while others are more general, such as swimming, sailing, camping, mountain biking and bicycling. Sports can be performed by humans and animals, and are associated with a range of social and environmental norms. For example, contact sports such as boxing, wrestling and snooker are commonly regarded as exercises, whereas contact sports involving animals such as dog breeding and horse riding are frequently seen as fun.
In international sporting competitions, sportsmanship is very important, especially when it comes to throwing the whistle to end an exhibition or match, or when it comes to making a fair call when the goal is live. A third umpire is allowed to officiate a sporting event to either help to control the game or to protect players and participants. In the United States, three different umpires are allowed to officiate games, although there have been instances where two or more umpires have been seen stopping a game due to conflict of interest. There are several hundred recognised sports, and the American college athletic association is the National Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA, and it organises sports throughout the country.
The NCAA is the governing body for over one hundred different men and women’s athletic organisations including college, university, professional and high school athletics. The NCAA is run by a non-profit organisation, the North Division Foundation, which is funded by college athletic organisations. The association football rules are based on the sport rules of the United States government and are based around baseball, basketball, football, hockey, volleyball and gymnastics. The men’s divisional records for each sport are known as the men’s college records and women’s college records. It is the responsibility of the NCAA to ensure that its athletes are protected and that they receive a fair chance to compete against other people from other countries.