National team

A national team, or national side, is group of competitors together representing a nation in a sport, usually but exclusively in team sports. Depending on the sport, nation, and era in question, membership on the national team maybe earned through indivdual play (as is the case for an Olympic athletics team or a Davis Cup team), players may be selected by managers and coaches appointed by a national sport association such as the Football Association or the Canadian Hockey Association, a team may have to win a national championship in order to receive the right to represent their nation (as in the World Curling Championships).

In some sports play between national teams is more popular and pretigious that club play (e.g. cricket, rugby union), while in others club play predominates and international play is a minor concern, often because only a few nations have a population to draw from (e.g. American football, Australian rules football). Most popular sports fall somewhere in between the two extremes, in association football and ice hockey a large pool of nations can field or ice competitive teams and international play is highly popular, but club play is also strong. In basketball and baseball the United States was formerly so dominant that international play was not considered very imnteresting, and national leagues were considered more important, however increasing parity has changed that

The sport with the most national teams is undoubtly association football where nearly every state and territory has its own side.

ee also

* Team Canada