Although the honorees generally do not compete together as a unit, the term is used in U.S. team sports to refer to players who are selected by members of the national media.
Walter Camp selected the first All-America team in the early days of American football in 1889.
Both AP and USBWA choose three teams, while WBCA lists 10 honorees.
This differs from the practice in men's basketball, in which the NCAA uses a combination of selections by AP, USBWA, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and Sporting News to determine a consensus All-America team.
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced its 15-member 2020 Academic All-America team on March 9, 2020, divided into first, second and third teams with Brittany Brewer of Texas Tech chosen as women's college basketball Academic All-American of the Year.