Sports in American Samoa are slightly different from sports inSamoa. The main difference is thatSamoans inAmerican Samoa are more likely to follow or play American sports such asAmerican football,basketball, andbaseball. Western Samoans are more likely to follow or playrugby union,rugby league, andnetball. Sports such asmixed martial arts,boxing,professional wrestling, andvolleyball are popular among most ethnic Samoans regardless of location.
American football is the most popular sport in American Samoa. Per capita, theSamoan Islands have produced the highest number ofNFL players. It's estimated that a boy born to Samoan parents is 56 times more likely to get into theNFL than any other boy in America.[1]
Samoans have been at the forefront as a wave ofPolynesian players and coaches have found success in the sport. In 1945,Al Lolotai became the first Polynesian to play in theNFL. In 2014,Marcus Mariota became the first Polynesian player to win theHeisman Trophy. In 2015,Junior Seau became the first Polynesian player to be inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame.Troy Polamalu won theNFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2010 and is the first Polynesian player to be on the cover of aMadden NFL video game.Ken Niumatalolo is believed to be the first Polynesian head coach in college football history.[2]
Baseball is a growing sport in American Samoa, where the national team has won silver and bronze medals at thePacific Games. In 1968,Tony Solaita became the firstMajor League Baseball player to come from American Samoa. On April 21, 2018,Sean Manaea became the firstpitcher of Samoan descent to throw ano-hitter inMLB history.[3] Other notableSamoan Americans who have played in the major leagues areMike Fetters,Chris Aguila,Matt Tuiasosopo,Jacob Hannemann, andBenny Agbayani who is best known for hiswalk-off home run in Game 3 of the 2000National League Division Series.[4]
Basketball is popular in American Samoa due to mainlandUnited States influence. American Samoa's national teams are major contenders in theFIBA Oceania zone as they have won multiple medals at international events such as thePacific Games. In 1980,Wally Rank became the first Samoan to play in theNBA. In 2000,Naomi Mulitauaopele became the first Samoan woman to play in theWNBA.Peyton Siva is known for leading theLouisville Cardinals to twoFinal Four appearances and a national championship in 2013.[5] Other notable Samoans in basketball areJames Johnson,Bubba Lau'ese,Wendell White,Rashaun Broadus andMekeli Wesley.
In recent years,3x3 basketball has gotten more popular as well. American Samoa's Men's division has 11 registered teams, the Women's features six teams and there is a U19 division.[6]
American Samoa women's national basketball team won the title as Basketball Champion at the2019 Pacific Games.[7]
The number ofSamoans in the world ofboxing has increased over the years. In 2004,Maselino Masoe became the first Samoan boxer to win a major world title by capturing theWBAworld middleweight title.[8] In 2011,Jai Opetaia became the first Samoan amateur boxer to win a world championship by taking thelight heavyweight gold medal at the 2011AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships inNur-Sultan,Kazakhstan.[9]Joseph Parker became the first Samoan boxer to win aWBOworld heavyweight title in 2016.[10] Retired professional boxerDavid Tua won a bronze medal at the1992 Summer Olympics while representingNew Zealand.[11]
Mixed martial arts is a growing sport among ethnic Samoans all over the world.Mixed martial artists of Samoan descent who have fought in theUFC areMark Hunt,Max Holloway,Kendall Grove,Andre Fili,Robert Whittaker,Tyson Pedro,Falaniko Vitale andKailin Curran. BothWhittaker andGrove are previous tournament winners ofThe Ultimate Fighter in themiddleweight andwelterweight divisions respectively.Max Holloway is the first fighter of Samoan descent to win aUFC world title.[12] Outside ofUFC,Mark Hunt has won the 2001K-1 World Grand Prix.[13] On September 24, 2016,Siala-Mou Siliga won theRoad FCOpenweight Tournament atRoad FC 33.[14] On February 25, 2018,Genah Fabian became the first woman of Samoan descent to win aWMC world title.[15]
A number have ofSamoans have ventured intoprofessional wrestling. Members of the prominentAnoaʻi family such asDwayne Johnson,Savelina Fanene,Leati Anoaʻi,Rodney Anoaʻi,Solofa Fatu, andEdward Fatu are known for their work inWWE. Other notable Samoan wrestlers includeSarona Snuka,Nuufolau Seanoa,Cheree Crowley,Danielle Kamela,Emily Dole, andSonny Siaki.
Rugby union in American Samoa is a growing sport. The governing body is the American Samoa Rugby Union, which is a full member of both theFederation of Oceania Rugby Unions and theInternational Rugby Board. Rugby union has been played in American Samoa since at least 1924,[16] but the national development of the game has been overshadowed by the popularity ofAmerican football since the 1970s. The American Samoa Rugby Union was established in 1990, and did not become fully affiliated to the International Rugby Board until 2012.[17]
The national team has competed in the 1988, 1992, 1998 and 2004Pacific Cup competitions. The team has also competed in the 2003 and 2004Rugby League World Sevens qualifiers in the 2005 World Sevens competition. American Samoa's first match in international rugby league was in the 1988Pacific Cup againstTonga. The Tongan national team won the match 38-14 which is still the biggest loss by an American Samoan team. American Samoa's biggest win was in 2004 againstNew Caledonia with the score ending at 62–6.
American Samoa's national team is ranked near the bottom of theFIFA rankings. It also has the distinction of suffering the worst loss in international football history. They lost toAustralia31–0 in aFIFA World Cup qualification match on April 11, 2001. They won their first international match 2–1 against Tonga on November 24, 2011.[18]
In the world ofSumo,Fiamalu Penitani became just the second non-Japanese-born wrestler to reachyokozuna, the highest rank in the sport.Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reachōzeki, the second-highest rank in the sport.Kilifi Sapa is known for being the third non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach the top division. However, his highest rank wasmaegashira, the lowest of five ranks in themakuuchi division.[19]
Volleyball is a popular sport in American Samoa. The women's national team won the gold medal at the2015 Pacific Games by defeatingTahiti and they are known as one of the top teams inOceania.[20] Many mainlandSamoan Americans can also be seen in both volleyball and beach volleyball.Eric Fonoimoana won a gold medal at the2000 Olympic Games representing theUnited States inbeach volleyball.[21]
SeveralSamoan Americans have won medals at theSummer Olympic Games.Greg Louganis won four gold medals and one silver forDiving in consecutive Games from 1976 to 1988 representing theUnited States.[22] Louganis also took five gold medals at theFINA World Aquatics Championships. In 1984,Robin Leamy won a gold medal forswimming as a member of theUnited States men's 4×100-meter freestyle relay team.[23][24]Tumua Anae andSami Hill have won gold medals with the United States women'sWater polo squad at the2012 Summer Olympics and2016 Summer Olympics respectively.[25][26]
Inprofessional bodybuilding, SamoanSonny Schmidt became the first Pacific Islander to win aMr. Olympia event when he was crowned the 1995 Masters Olympia winner for contestants over 40 years of age.[27][28]
Lisa Misipeka won a bronze medal at the1999 IAAF World Championships in Athletics for the Women's hammer throw. Her third-place finish gaveAmerican Samoa its first ever medal at a world athletics championship event.[29]
| Stadium | Capacity | City |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Memorial Stadium | 5,000 | Tafuna |
| Pago Park | 2,000 | Pago Pago |
| DYWA Gym | 500 | Tafuna |
| Tony Solaita Baseball Field | 500 | Tafuna |
