Brush Up on the Top American Sports Acronyms

As we approach the end of summer, we've got some good news for y'all - the American sports season is set to kick off!

It won't be long until we're celebrating touchdowns, watching the puck hit the back of the net and cheering for monster three-point throws.

If you haven't soaked up any of the action on the other side of the pond yet, there's no better time to get involved. We'll even give you a helping hand to get started. See, we love our acronyms in the USA (see what we did there?), and our sports are riddled with them. But without being a fan, it's hard to know what's what.

So, before you take a seat in front of the television this autumn, check out our guide to some of the most important acronyms from a selection of American sports.

American sports leagues

Folks, it's much easier to shorten the names of American sports leagues than spell out the full titles. Here's a selection of the main three-letter acronyms you need to have on your radar…

• MLB - make sure you don't strike out! The MLB stands for the Major League Baseball, which runs between late March and early November. Teams compete for the famous World Series, most recently won by the Texas Rangers.
• MLS – say hello to America's version of the Premier League, also known as Major League Soccer. More fans are tuning in to watch Major League Soccer than ever before, and five new teams have been added across the past four seasons. Next season San Diego FC will take to the field for the first time, taking the league up to 30 teams.
• NBA - the National Basketball Association is as big a slam dunk as ever, and each of the 30 teams plays an incredible 82 games in the regular season. As we've said before - we love to supersize things in the USA.
• NFL - arguably the most popular American sport globally, it won't take a punt to work out this stands for National Football League. Multiple games are now played internationally involving franchises from football, including in London, Munich and for the first time this year, Sao Paulo.
• NHL - get your skates on for the National Hockey League, founded over a century ago. The Stanley Cup is the big prize, which the Montreal Canadians have won 24 times.

Now you know the leagues, it's time to dive in and get a handle on some of the most common terms. We've picked three different sports, starting with football.

American football acronyms

The NFL features 32 teams, split evenly into two conferences of 16, and then into divisions of four. You'll see the names AFC and NFC constantly when watching football in the States, so here's what they mean:

• AFC - American Football Conference, which features reigning Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs, plus six-time winners the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• NFC - National Football Conference, where you'll find the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers, each with five titles to their name.

When game day arrives, if you're looking to place some football bets, these are some of the terms to look out for in the Bally Casino markets:

• ATS - against the spread, which means you believe a team will perform better than their handicap. If the Atlanta Falcons start with a -3.5 handicap against the Carolina Panthers, for example, they have to win by at least four points for the wager to land.
• FG - a field goal is worth three points, and they can help to decide close games when a team is narrowly behind or level.
• FUM - every running back’s nightmare: a fumble. The runner loses possession by dropping the ball, which can be recovered by the defence and lead to a turnover.
• INT - now for the quarterback’s nightmare. An interception is a thrown pass that is caught by the defence, which can be incredibly costly.
• ML - don't want to bet ATS? You can take the moneyline option instead and place a wager on a team to win the game outright without any handicaps to think about.
• QB - the most important player on any football team is the quarterback. They're responsible for calling the plays to their teammates and throwing the ball to the receivers on offensive drives.
• TD - when the quarterback throws a pass into the end zone that is caught by a receiver, the team scores a touchdown and receives six points.

Baseball acronyms

As the baseball season approaches its most critical time - just over a month of the regular season remains - step up to the plate with these common acronyms.

• AVG - this is the batting average of a baseball player. Any player with an average above 0.300 is generally one of the better hitters around.
• CS - trying to move between bases before the ball has been batted is a very sneaky move, and it's hard to pull off. When the fielding team tags out a base runner with the pitcher yet to throw, it’s known as being caught stealing.
• H - this is a simple one. H stands for hits, and it refers to the number of times the batter strikes the ball into play fairly, reaching or passing first base.
• HR - the money shot. The batter strikes the ball and makes it around all the bases back to the home plate, usually by hitting it into the crowd.
• SB - if the base runner isn't caught moving before the ball has been hit, they get a stolen base and move closer to making it back home safely.
• SH - a sacrifice hit or a bunt is a deliberate play to allow one of the base runners to advance to the next base, which can be very hard to defend.
• SO - three strikes and you're out! When the batter misses three fair deliveries from the pitcher, it's a strikeout, and the next player has to face up.

Basketball acronyms

Get ready for the start of the NBA season in October! You'll often see these terms when reading about basketball, and here's what they refer to…

• 3PT - nothing but net. A three-point throw is a field goal made from outside of the three-point line, which is an arc at each end of the court.
• FGP - field goal percentage is the rate of shots from a player that results in points being scored. Three-point attempts are included in this too, and the record is currently DeAndre Jordan's 0.673.
• L10 - a crucial part of any game, the last 10 minutes is often where winners and losers can be decided. Points at this stage are incredibly valuable.
• OT - back in the USA, we aren't big fans of ties or draws. So, if the scores are level at the end of regulation time, there's a period of overtime to decide the winner.
• REB - a rebound is when a player recovers the ball after a missed shot from someone else on their team. These are hugely important to prevent counter-attacks.
• STL - when a defensive player takes the ball off an attacker, it's a steal. This can be done by intercepting or deflecting a pass, or swiping the ball during a dribble.
• TO - a steal is also a way for the defensive team to regain possession with a turnover. The ball also changes hands if there is a violation by the offensive team.

Now you've brushed up on your sports knowledge from across the pond, dive in and get the American gaming experience at Bally Casino!

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