List of European Sport Games

Europeans and Americans enjoy many of the same sports. Soccer and bicycling do not have the same popularity in the United States as they do in Europe, but they are still popular in both parts of the world. Some other popular sports in Europe are largely unfamiliar to Americans, such as team handball, cricket and Rugby.

  1. Team Handball

    • Team handball is one of the most popular sports in the world but it has yet to catch on in the United States. Team handball is very similar to soccer in that you have players on a field, a ball that looks like a small soccer ball, goals at each end of the field and goalies to guard them. The difference is that you cannot kick the ball in team handball. Each player can move three steps before he has to throw the ball to another player and advance the ball toward the opponent's goal. When the goalie is in his marked-off area, defensive players cannot throw the ball to him.

    Cricket

    • Cricket is very popular in Europe but does not have an audience in the United States. The setup of cricket is very similar to American baseball. There are batters, fielders, pitchers known as bowlers and runs scored. Each defensive team has 11 people on the field, and each offensive team has two batters. Behind the batter is a set of wooden stakes called a wicket. Behind those is a defensive player known as a wicket keeper. The bowler tosses the ball to the batter and the batter either hits the ball or misses. If the batter misses, he is out. If he makes contact, he tries to score as many runs as possible before the fielders get the ball back to the bowler. Just as in baseball, if a batted ball is caught before it hits the ground, the batter is out. There are 10 outs per side.

    Rugby

    • Many elements of Rugby will look familiar to American football fans. Each team tries to carry an oblong-shaped leather ball toward the goal and score. The field is 110 yards long and 75 yards wide, more akin to a soccer field than an American football field. Play in Rugby is continuous until one side scores. Players pass or kick the ball to each other while running it toward the opponent's goal. Once they reach the goal they can set the ball down over the goal line for 5 points or kick the ball between the goal posts for 3 points. After a 5-point goal, the scoring team tries to kick the ball between the goal posts for a 2-point conversion.