The rating of the most popular sports in the world in the number of fans. You will not believe what the game is in second place!

The most popular sports

In the article we will call the most popular sports on a global scale, relying primarily on the number of fans. The rating of popular sports was unusual: in second place sport, for whose fans to see the whole match is already an achievement, and boxing and MMA were not at all included in the ten most popular disciplines.

1. Sports rating: TOP-10 in popularity
2. 1. Football. 3.5 billion spectators
3. 2. Cryak. 2.5 billion spectators
4. 3. Basketball. 2.2 billion spectators
5. 4. Hockey. 2 billion spectators
6. 5. Tennis. 1 billion spectators
7. 6. Volleyball. 900 million spectators
8. 7. Table tennis. 850 million spectators
9. 8. Baseball. 500 million spectators
10. 9. American football and rugby. 410 million spectators
11. 10. Golf. 390 million spectators
12. Sports rating in popularity: TOP-25

In the modern world, sport has ceased to be only sports: any public action becomes part of the media space, which gradually replaces show business in its usual perception. Large television channels and streaming services are fighting for the rights of broadcasting sports competitions, the richest companies (including bookmaker) sponsor sports clubs, and athletes themselves often earn more on advertising contracts than on the field.

What species are popular, most of all depends on geographical factors: it is quite obvious that the popularity of hockey in the USA or Canada is noticeably higher than love for football, and in Latin America the situation is opposite. Sometimes the scale of a particular person is interfering in the matter – if Fyodor Emelianenko, many Russians would never have love mixed martial arts.

Sports rating: TOP-10 in popularity

We present a rating of sports in popularity around the world. The number of spectators of sports competitions according to Sports Show was taken into account. .

Place

Kind of sport

The number of spectators

American football and rugby

1. Football. 3.5 billion spectators

Few sport causes such a contradictory attitude as the most popular sports game in the world. Some consider football an integral part of life, hold sleepless nights at the screen, watching the matches of their favorite team, or go to the other end of the world to support the idols. And others do not understand: what is interesting is to follow how 22 millionaires kick the ball?

One thing can be said with confidence: football is the most popular view in the world as on television coverage according to Mediascope, in Russia only the Olympic Games in Sochi in recent years have attracted more audience than the World Cups. , and in terms of the number of people involved in an amateur or professional level according to the Ministry of Sports of Russia, more than 3 million people are engaged in football in the country. .

In favor of the fact that football is the most popular sports game in the world, money is also said. According to Forbes, the top three of the highest paid athletes in the world includes two players at once: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But in the top ten most expensive clubs in the world, football has not so impressive representation – only three teams, these are Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United.

The main factor in the popularity of football is its availability. Enough the ball and comrades in the game – and you can play, the rest is a matter of imagination and desire.

2. Cryak. 2.5 billion spectators

Critical is exotic for the post-Soviet space, but this is the most popular sport in Asia countries that were once the colonies of Great Britain. Most of the fans of the cricket in India, a country with a population of 1.36 billion people almost 10 Russia. . The main distinguishing feature of discipline is a completely unrealistic duration of matches. Testy -limited tests, and not the number of points or avers. Games can last five days for six hours!

Cryakket resembles a more well -known baseball in the broad masses: Bits and ball are also used for the game. Each team has 11 players who are divided into submitting (bowler) and reflecting (bassmen). The purpose of the Batsmen is to reflect the throw so that the ball reaches the boundaries of the field or fly away far enough from the opponents, which would allow him to run to the other end of the pitch of a rectangular platform for the game. .

3. Basketball. 2.2 billion spectators

Basketball was invented in the 19th century as a college teacher in the United States, and in our time it has become one of the most popular sports thanks to crazy dynamics and entertainment. The geography of the spread of sports covers almost the whole world: the USA, Argentina, Greece, Spain, Russia and even China.

The main basketball league is the American NBA, which attracts most fans all over the world. Three NBA clubs at once are included in the top five most expensive teams in the world: New York NIKS, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden Stete Warriors.

Basketball, although it does not lead the rating of the most popular sports, but there is more and more interest in it every year. It is unlikely that he will be able to catch up with the popularity of football, but to compete with a crycote for the second line of basketball is clearly affordable.

Basketball closes the five most popular sports in Russia among athletes of professionals and lovers – more than 1.5 million people are engaged in it.

4. Hockey. 2 billion spectators

Hockey is one of the most popular sports in the countries of the Northern Hemisphere: in Russia, for example, in a survey of the Ministry of Sports, more than half of the population is interested in and monitor the ice battles. Sports are attractive to its dynamism and aggression: aesthetics lovers enjoy abandoned goals and elegant transmissions, and fans, preferring stiffness and extreme, monitor tough strength techniques or fights on ice.

Well, what about the southern hemisphere? There, sports fans came up with playing hockey on the grass with a ball, and competitions in this variety of sports have been held since 1970: even exotic teams of Australia, India and Pakistan have managed to visit the world champions!

The richest and most popular league in hockey (yes, taking into account the classical hockey and hockey with the ball, and hockey on the grass) – NHL: there are the best hockey players in the world, huge salaries, giant amounts of rights to television broadcasts.

5. Tennis. 1 billion spectators

The first individual sport on our list. Tennis attracts spectators from around the world, except with the exception of African countries in which this sport is not developed enough for one reason: it is considered one of the most expensive in the world, because African athletes rarely have the opportunity to achieve heights in tennis.

Tennis is a sport of big money. It is not for nothing that Swiss Roger Federer fell into the top ten of the highest paid athletes: And the point is not only in the prize in tournaments, but also in the personal brand of the tennis player who brings him a considerable income.

Another plus in favor of the popularity of tennis: the difference between male and female competitions is practically leveled in it. If we talk about team sports, then men's competitions are of much greater interest, and in tennis men and women's tournaments have about the same audience.

6. Volleyball. 900 million spectators

Volleyball is the most common sport in the world, which is indicated by one simple fact: in the world the most volleyball federations of sports are most in the world – 222. For comparison, in football, which is certainly considered at the number one sports, the main international organization of FIFA includes 211 federations.

Despite its prevalence, volleyball does not have such a number of finances as in football or hockey: a high rating only have the broadcasts of the Olympic Games and World Championships. Volleyball is clearly not enough more media to break into the top five.

7. Table tennis. 850 million spectators

Table tennis is widespread around the world, but gained particular popularity in Europe and the countries of Southeast and East Asia, which explains such a large number of regular viewers.

With a relatively small number of professional athletes, table tennis has a wide amateur coverage: who did not have a person at school who would be fond of this not quite typical sport?!

Only broadcasts from the Olympic Games are very popular, and the world championships and other leagues do not attract so many spectators outside Southeast Asia.

8. Baseball. 500 million spectators

Residents of the CIS countries may have the impression that baseball is purely American sport. They heard something else about Japan, but actually no one is interested in them … This is a huge misconception: in the world of 120 baseball federations, and sport is wildly popular in Cuba, Venezuela, China, South Korea, Mexico and even in the Czech Republic with the Netherlands .

The main league of the world, of course is the American MLB, in which most finances and audience interest are concentrated. The baseball club New York Yankis is the second in the world in value.

9. American football and rugby. 410 million spectators

Testosterone, brutal and sometimes bloody sport of rugby is widespread around the world, but it is of particular popularity in France, New Zealand and South Africa.

It is interesting that until 1995, sport was not truly professional: due to restrictions on wages, most clubs preferred to remain amateur. Translations of the rugby leagues are practically not sold abroad, they are watched almost exclusively inside the country. This also affects the wages of the players: the salary of the rugbyists of the best world leagues is approximately 60 thousand dollars.

A completely different situation with American football – the NFL League sells broadcasting around the world, and in the USA the tournament is considered the most popular. With financing, too, everything is very decent: a player of Duck Prescott is one of the five of the highest paid athletes in the world.

But with the spread of American football, everything is not so excellent: at a more or less professional level, sport lives in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Germany, France, Austria and Sweden.

10. Golf. 390 million spectators

Golf is widespread only in the USA, Canada and Europe. It differs from other sports in that age is nothing for golf. If players can have a sports pension in football, tennis and hockey, then in golf everything rests only on the desire of the athlete himself.

The legendary Tiger Woods, thanks to which Golf became known all over the world, for a long time was one of the ten most paid athletes in the world.

Sports rating in popularity: TOP-25

Place

Kind of sport

Peculiarities

The most popular species in Asia, which were once colonies of Great Britain

The most common view in the world. Most of all volleyball federations

With a relatively small number of professional athletes, table tennis has a wide amateur coverage

Formula 1 races are monitored by people around the world, but the solid duration of the races interferes with popularization.

Once Boxing was one of the five most popular sports in the world, but over time its position decreases.

One of the most rapidly developing sports at the moment.

Another exotic sport for the CIS, but in Europe and the Far East, motorcycles have a wide television coverage.

In terms of sports accessibility, athletics is considered one of the most common sports in the world, although on TV makes ratings only during the Olympics

Cosmically popular in China, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Korea.

It is quite problematic to monitor the races due to their duration, however, broadcasts are sold around the world.

Swimming at an amateur level is considered one of the most popular sports in the world along with football and athletics.

At a professional level, the snaker is played in a small number of countries: Great Britain, China, Pakistan. But broadcasts are of interest around the world.

Shooting is becoming popular only during the Olympic Games.

Sports gymnastics are highly popular in the UK, Germany, the USA and China-in these countries, a TV-broadcast of the championship collects a good number of spectators.

Handball is very popular in Europe, but due to its small distribution outside the continent, it does not occupy high positions in the ranking.

The fight is one of the most popular amateur sports in many regions: Russia, the USA, Cuba, Iran.

The popularity and distribution of skiing is limited by a simple fact: you need snow.

In Arab countries, jumps are of wide interest among the population-this is a TPO-VID in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. A good audience in the UK, the USA and the Netherlands.