"U-S-A!" is a chant of the United States of America's initials popular in supporting American national sports teams. The chant was documented at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, during the basketball tournament final between the United States and the Soviet Union, but was popularized after being yelled by fans during the 1980 Winter Olympics, held in Lake Placid, New York, where the U.S. men's ice hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in what became known as the "Miracle on Ice", later moving on to beat Finland for the gold medal. The origin of the cheer is unknown, although there are reports which pre-date the 1972 Olympics. It was chanted during the finals of the 1500 meter event and the long jump at the 1936 Summer Olympics and can be heard in Leni Riefenstahl's Festival of Nations documentary.

The United States of America (USA), commonly referred to as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major territories and various possessions. The 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., are in central North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwestern part of North America and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. At 3.8 million square miles (9.842 million km²) and with over 320 million people, the country is the world's third or fourth-largest by total area and the third most populous. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The geography and climate of the United States are also extremely diverse, and the country is home to a wide variety of wildlife.