Sports are popular all around the world. More than half of the population in the United States follow and watch sports on a regular basis. When you double that proportion by a worldwide audience, you can see how powerful sports can be. Even though top-earning sports stars often make over $1 million in earnings annually, sports fans have increased continuously year after year since the last few decades.
Sports have a significant influence on our society and culture. When kids play sports, they learn valuable life lessons like teamwork, respect, and how to loosen up. They also get a chance to appreciate the sheer talent and tactical knowledge of our most accomplished players. Sports have also been the centre of many new innovative trends and practices.
People are so passionate about sports that they strive to participate in them in some way or another. It may be by playing, watching, or cheering for their favourite athlete, or it could be as simple as putting a sports bet. Nevertheless, not all sports that we like are alike. Some are more popular than others.
Here we have listed the most popular and watched sports in the world in descending order:
- Soccer
Soccer reigns supreme. Every year, the World Cup is watched by more than half the world’s demographic. Furthermore, approximately 0.25 billion individuals claim to play soccer on a regular basis. This makes it the most popular sport on the globe in terms of both viewership and participation. Without getting into the ridiculous amount of TV viewers or commercial agreements, it’s vital to realise that soccer transcends national borders.
- Cricket
Cricket may not be a popular sport in the United States, but its worldwide appeal cannot be denied. The ICC World Cup attracts approximately 200 million spectators every year, and cricket is the most popular sport in several nations, including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and England, as well as other erstwhile British colonies.
- Basketball
Basketball’s ascent is a relatively recent phenomenon. Soccer and cricket are centuries-old sports with a rich history. Basketball, on the other hand, is a relatively new activity. It began in the late 1800s and has since grown to be a significant worldwide sport. Basketball’s fan base is growing at a breakneck speed, with new followers joining in all the time.
- Hockey
People all across the world enjoy ice and field hockey. Around 2 billion people worldwide enjoy hockey, particularly the NHL. Brands like Reebok, Gatorade, and others pay close attention to the men’s and women’s hockey leagues and are eager to negotiate endorsement deals with all these clubs.
- Tennis
Tennis is an extremely hard and physically demanding sport. Shocking results are not unusual. In the past few years, the development of fresh talents has contributed to the game’s excitement, much to the joy of tennis enthusiasts.
- Volleyball
This sport is different from the others since it doesn’t have the same fanbase or financial backing. The appeal of this game is largely due to its inclusion in the Olympics, and it is among the most closely followed events during the Summer Olympics.
- Table Tennis
Table tennis, or ping pong, has gained more than 850 million new fans since early 2000. Despite the fact that table tennis competitions are not as well-publicised as other major sporting events, it has a respectable amount of social media fans and admirers globally.
- Basketball
Basketball is undeniably another of the world’s most popular sports right now. In addition, the game has a number of female divisions across the globe, which garners media interest.
- Baseball
Baseball is a prominent spectator sport not just in the United States but also in the Indies and Eastern Asia. There are about 500 million baseball enthusiasts worldwide who follow Major League Baseball.
- American football
The number of people that watch American football compared to how much money the league makes is absurd. Even though American football is the most viewed sport in the United States, it isn’t broadcast in many other nations.
- Rugby
Globally, up to 10 million people participate in rugby, which is a sport for both men and women. Rugby is a physical sport with many parallels to American football.
