As we all know, the West Coast is significantly warmer than the East Coast, in the summer as well as throughout the year. Due to the differences in these climates, it highlights aspects such as sports. Key sports affected by this are baseball, softball, football, soccer, and hockey

Baseball and Softball: It may be thought that dealing with harsh climates, both in the winter with blizzards, and the summer with scorching heat and potential humidity, may have an effect on “America’s pasttime.” However the Little League Baseball World Series (LLWS) champion proves this wrong. The 2016 LLWS champion is the mid-Atlantic region. For college baseball, Coastal Carolina. The number one team in the country right now, their players hail mostly from South Carolina and Pennsylvania, proof of East Coast dominance…Dominant: East Coast

Football: Generally associated with thanksgiving and the harshness of winter surprisingly is cut down the middle. Looking at MaxPreps Freeman rankings for 2016, we see that half of the schools are from the Midwest, such as the number one Bishop Gorman, in Nevada, as well as the number two spot, IMG Academy in Florida. Up there on that list, at the number 8 spot is DC’s very own St. John’s. With the University of Alabama at number one and Clemson University at two, the list for the East Coast stops. However the majority of these high-quality teams are not located on the west Coast, there are smack dab in the middle of the country. We see this with Texas A&M at the number 7 spot and University of Michigan holding the number 5 ranking…. Dominant: Midwest

Soccer: In soccer, a sport that can typically be played in any climate on any surface, all you need is a ball. The high schools that take advantage of this are mostly on the East Coast, such as, Conestoga Berwyn in Pennsylvania, Christian Brothers Academy in New Jersey, Pennington School in New Jersey, St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey, and Salesianum in Delaware, all are in the top ten. As far as college soccer goes, the top three schools are Syracuse University, Duke University and Wake Forest University, all on the east coast. Seeing the majority of winning teams being East Coast doesn’t surprise, these schools are taking advantage of the simplicity and adaptability of soccer….Dominance: East Coast

Hockey: The cold arena filled with crazy fans is most popular in cold regions, places where you can play hockey outside with friends. Almost all of the top high schools in the US for hockey are in Minnesota or Massachusetts. Four of the ten top colleges for hockey are in Massachusetts– Boston College, Boston University, College of the Holy Cross and Harvard University…  Dominance: Northeast

All in all, the East Coast dominates more sports than the West Coast does. East Coasters take advantage of their cold climate and the sports that can be played even in borderline extreme conditions.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS