Baseball and basketball 2 most popular american sports. But how well USA is doing in those games in international level?? Reality Check: Basket ball: USA didn't even make into the final at Athens Olympics in 2004. They were beaten by Argentina in semi-final (Yes, it's SEMI-FINAL; not even final). Baseball: In last year's world baseball championship, USA didn't even make into semi-finals. They were eliminated from the second round.