There is the greatest variety of sports in the world. That is why it is difficult to say which one is the most popular. Everyone has their own preferences regarding sports. Then the question arises, what is the criterion for determining the popularity of sports?
Everything is simple here: such criteria directly include fame, the number of viewers (media rating in the media).
We present to you top 10 most popular sportshaving millions of fans all over the world.
10. Golf
Golf is known primarily as the game of the rich. To understand why this happened, just estimate the scale of the playing field and roughly calculate its cost. Moreover, golf is one of the oldest sports.
Worldwide, there are over six hundred million fans of this sport, which makes it a high ranking official sport.
9. Rugby
Rugby has many names and varieties. This game is often confused with American football, which is associated with an identical ball and similar rules of the game, however, this is a completely different sport that originated in the UK.
In Russia, rugby is not popular, but in South America, New Zealand and Argentina, a completely different picture is observed. In recent years, the number of fans of this sport has risen to as much as 200 million people.
8. Table tennis
Probably one of the most popular games among young people. In addition, table tennis is also the fastest sport.
According to statistics, today there are more than 300 fans of this kind of tennis. Fun fact: Table tennis was invented in the United States and is considered one of the most popular sports in China.
7. Hockey
Perhaps the most masculine sport. Hockey is the national game of the northerners, which include mainly Canada, the USA, Russia and Finland. In the context of the subcontinent, hockey is the second most popular sport. But gradually he was recognized by the whole world, and now he has millions of fans in every corner of the globe.
It is worth noting that hockey is played not only with the puck: there is also bandy, field hockey and air hockey.
6. Basketball
Basketball is the most popular game among American youth, especially among its blacks. There is an opinion that in America every second person is born "with a ball in his hands." And this is not an empty phrase.
By the way, all basketball players are united by one dream - to get into the National Basketball Association (NBA).
5. Baseball
Baseball is a national American game. But apart from the United States, the sport has found its recognition in China and Taiwan as well.
Baseball fans can be found in 11 countries around the world, and in general there are about six hundred million. Fun fact: Baseball players are considered to be among the richest athletes.
4. Volleyball
Almost 900 million people - so many people around the world are fans of volleyball. At first it was just a beach game "for fun," but then volleyball became an official sport that is played professionally.
At the moment, athletes from more than 100 countries of the world participate in sports competitions in this game.
3. Tennis
The three leaders of our rating are opened, of course, by tennis. The number of fans of this sport is approaching one billion people! The most popular tennis courts are America and Australia, where the world famous Wimbledon tournaments are held.
Some nice statistics: Russian tennis players Maria Sharapova and Anna Kournikova are recognized as the most beautiful athletes in this sport.
2. Swimming
People even several millennia BC knew how to swim, and their styles resembled modern breaststroke and crawl. Today, 8, 1% of all those who go in for sports are engaged in it, which is explained by the huge health benefits of water sports, and the practical absence of injuries and contraindications.
Swimming involves many muscle groups from all parts of the body, providing an intense workout, and swimming is a great way to build up.
1. Football
The prototypes of football existed in antiquity, but the official date of the birth of this game is 1848, when the rules of the game were written. Today 8.4% of athletes play football, and more than a third of the world's population are fans.
Football the most popular sport in Russia... When you play it, oxygen consumption triples, not to mention muscle development. Also, in addition to physical development, football helps to learn tactics, besides, many cannot perform monotonous exercises for a long time, and the game nature of this sport provides a steady interest.
But what about athletics?
Of course, athletics is the most popular direction in world sports, but it consists of several types, each of which is not so popular in isolation. Today, we considered specific ones, so we did not include athletics in the top 10.
Sport is an integral part of a healthy person's life. This is the same constant link without which a healthy lifestyle as such is not possible. In the conditions of modernity, constant changes, some sports are becoming a thing of the past, some, on the contrary, take their place on the podium and popularity, and some are just beginning to gain momentum.
The most popular sports remain unchanged. You can hardly imagine a world without football or hockey, for example. Sport is a legacy that we must pass on to future generations for the health and prosperity of the peoples of the Earth.