Sporting USA: Touchdown and tune in

This year sees Fenway Park – arguably the USA's most iconic baseball arena – reach its centenary, making 2012 the perfect time to head to Boston. But from pitcher's mounds in San Diego to end zones in Miami, America is alive with sites where visitors can sample the fervour of a land serious about sport.

Baseball

A compact amphitheatre, vastly atmospheric, Fenway Park is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium still in use. The home of the Boston Red Sox hosted its first fixture on 20 April 1912, and famously witnessed the swinging genius of Babe Ruth from 1914 to 1919. Tours are available daily (001 617 226 6666; boston.redsox.mlb.com; $16/£10), while game tickets – the baseball season runs March to October – start at $20 (£12.50).

Folklore has it that the transfer of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees ushered in an era of decline for the Red Sox under the "curse of the Bambino". Still, the Yankees are the most successful team in World Series history (with 27 titles). Stadium tours (001 646 977 8687; newyork.yankees.mlb.com; Monday to Friday, selected weekends) cost $20 (£12.50), tickets for matches from $12 (£7.50).

The reigning champions are Missouri's St Louis Cardinals. Tours of their Busch Stadium, a gleaming 2006 creation (001 314 345 9565; stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com; daily), cost $10 (£6), games from $5 (£3). Wrigley Field has been the evocative base of the Chicago Cubs since 1916, perched on the edge of Lake Michigan. Tours are available daily (001 773 404 4734; chicago.cubs.mlb.com) for $25 (£16), with match tickets costing from $8 (£5). Fans can also tip their hats to the sport's greats at the Baseball Hall Of Fame (001 888 425 5633; baseballhall.org; daily 9am-5pm; $20/£12.50) in Cooperstown, New York state.

American football

Keeping the US warm throughout the winter, the football season runs from September to February, culminating in the Super Bowl. This season, the neon showdown (Super Bowl XLVII) will take place on 3 February at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans. Gain an early glimpse of the setting by watching the local team, the New Orleans Saints (001 504 731 1700; neworleanssaints.com), run out at this futuristic steel structure, a venue worth seeing for its architecture alone.

National Football League (NFL) games are generally season-ticket-only affairs (the sport is immensely popular), but vacant seats can be bought through the NFL Ticket Exchange (nfl.com/ticketexchange). Prices depend on the match, but expect to pay from $30 (£19).

The New York Giants (001 201 935 8222; giants.com) are the current champions, donning helmets at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A recent construction (2010), the arena is open for tours on Saturdays (10am, 1pm) for $20 (£12.50).

With 13 national titles, the Green Bay Packers (001 920 569 7500; packers.com) are the most successful team in the sport's annals, plying their trade at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This venerable, noisy bear-pit dates back to 1957, and offers daily tours, from $11 (£7). By contrast, the Dallas Cowboys – ranked last month by Forbes as the second most valuable sports franchise on the planet (behind Manchester United) – shoulder arms at the sleek 2009 cauldron that is the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington (001 800 745 3000; dallascowboys.com). Daily tours of the home of the sport's richest team cost $18 (£11).

Elsewhere, in Canton, Ohio, the Pro Football Hall of Fame celebrates the game's seismic moments (001 330 456 8207; profootballhof.com; daily 9am-5pm). Admission $21 (£13).

Basketball

All speed, co-ordination and lightning counter-attacks, basketball is another US winter favourite – with the National Basketball Association (NBA) season lasting from October to April. The current champions are Miami Heat, based at the American Airlines Arena in the Downtown district of Florida's biggest city (001 786 777 1000; nba.com/heat). This is the stomping ground of point-scoring superstar LeBron James. Tickets start at around $17 (£11).

However, to many casual observers, basketball is the plaything of the Chicago Bulls (001 312 455 4000; nba.com/bulls). Levels of brilliance may have dipped somewhat since the team won six championships in eight years during the Nineties, thanks in large part to the genius of Michael Jordan. But a statue of this court tyro stands outside the United Center in the Loop, recalling the glory days. Tickets to see the 2012 line-up cost from $44 (£27.50).