Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The major sports in Venezuela are baseball, and football. Baseball in Venezuela originates with the early twentieth century cultural influence of United States oil companies. The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League was established in 1945. Football in Venezuela lags behind baseball, but its popularity in recent years has grown. Basketball and rugby union are also popular sports; there has been a national basketball league since 1974. The Vuelta a Venezuela is one of six cycling events in the UCI America Tour. The polo club Lechuza Caracas has had some success in North American polo competitions.