Fewer people are playing sports because of the implementation of new technologies in our daily routines. This might be true, but we still have a lot of major events that bring billions of viewers every four years. One example is the soccer World Cup which can be compared to the Olympic games when you look at the number of viewers.
The popularity of a certain sport depends on every country, and the global numbers don’t represent what every nationality focuses on. So, when you are doing your NFL picks against the spread and thinking how big the league is, you would be surprised that football isn’t in the top 10.
Even if they are not among the most popular sports in the world, football and NFL have to be mentioned because of how huge they became in the US. The same goes for the NBA, but basketball is among the top sports based on viewership. There is a difference between NBA and European basketball, but football rules are the same in most countries worldwide.
5. Volleyball
Volleyball is in fifth place, with over 900 million fans worldwide. The whole point of the game is to score 25 points before your opponent and do the same for three sets. The maximum number of groups that can be played is five during a game, but the last scene is played until someone gets to 15.
If we exclude the Olympic games, the world championship is the most-watched volleyball event. It may seem like everyone can play it, but it’s mostly for tall people. The main reason is that you need to jump higher than others to avoid getting blocked.
4. Tennis
The only singles sport in the top 5 in Tennis, but it can also be played in doubles which is far less popular. With over 1 billion fans, it’s also the biggest sport for one person to play, and it’s also the only sport that uses different fields depending on the tournament.
Grass, clay, and hard surface are the three main types of fields you can play on, but there are others similar to these, like artificial grass. Grand Slams are the most popular tournaments, bringing a lot of attention each year, considering that there are only 4.
3. Hockey
Many people are surprised when they find out that hockey is in the top 3 sports in the world, but they have over 2 billion fans. There are different types of hockey, but the most popular is the one on ice. Russian and the USA league are the most popular in the world, but it is very popular in Sweden and other parts of the world. The most interesting thing about hockey is that it’s a fast-paced sport with many contacts.
2. Cricket
When you have a country with over 1 billion people where cricket is a national sport, it’s obvious that it will be among the most popular sports in the world. But India isn’t the only country where cricket is a national sport. Australia loves it, as does Pakistan and even Jamaica.
Even if most people worldwide don’t understand the game’s rules, it can be fun to watch because it lasts for several hours. SomSome games last for a few days, depending on the rules.
1. Soccer
With over 3.5 billion fans, soccer is far at the top among the popular sports, whereas cricket is around 1 billion fans behind. This isn’t anything new, considering the big events they have, including the World Cup. But, their champions league is also the most watched in the world among the NFL, NBA, MLB, and other companies.
This probably won’t change in the future, and it will gain even more fans because it still didn’t become very popular in the US. But, after the WC in Qatar, many people started to watch soccer in the states.
