What is the most popular sport in the world?

Photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash

Every country in the world has a signature sport that is considered a favorite by the majority of its population. Many of these sports are included in the program of the Olympic Games, which are held every four years.

On this occasion, we have listed the 10 most popular sports globally according to the number of followers they have.

1. Soccer (4 billion followers)

Soccer is currently the most popular sport in the world. It is estimated that more than half of the world’s population is a follower of this sport. Ancient soccer dates back to China and is recorded as early as the 2nd century. The Romans, Greeks, and Japanese were considered the first soccer players in history.

However, as it is known today, soccer began to be played in England. It began to gain prominence and spread to the rest of the world, becoming the most popular in Europe and America. Now soccer is a popular topic of discussion, many articles are written about it, and students are assigned to write relevant essays, many samples of which can be found at https://www.paperhelp.org/. In addition, an important match is an occasion for family gatherings and friendly gatherings over a mug of beer and tasty snacks.

2. Cricket (2.5 billion followers)

Cricket has a worldwide following estimated at around 2.5 billion followers. Its main sphere of influence is in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries. The cradle of the sport was England in the 16th century, and just two centuries later, it became the country’s national sport.

Two teams of eleven players each play cricket, aiming to score as many runs as possible. A sport that is overwhelmingly popular in the former British colonies of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Australia.

3. Field Hockey (2,000 million followers)

Field hockey has about 2 billion followers worldwide, especially in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Field hockey, as it is known today, was first played in England in the 19th century. However, today it has a solid area of influence in countries such as Pakistan, India, and Australia.

4. Tennis (1,000 million followers)

Tennis is one of the sports with a global sphere of influence. In fact, it is not centered in a specific area of the world but rather extends across the entire planet. It is believed that the first versions of this sport appeared with the Egyptians, being later adapted by the Greeks and Romans.

However, modern tennis did not appear until it arrived in France and, from France, it began to spread to other European countries and later to the rest of the world.

5. Volleyball (900 million followers)

The main influence of today’s volleyball comes from Western Europe and North America. This sport was invented in 1895 in the United States by William G. Morgan. Morgan was inspired by some elements of basketball, tennis, handball, and baseball for its diffusion.

Since its creation, volleyball has evolved into the sport it is today.

6. Table tennis (875 million followers)

Table tennis or ping-pong began to be played in 19th century England as a miniature version of tennis. However, it gradually became detached from the sport of the racquet to become an independent discipline. Today, it has a huge influence in countries such as South Korea, Sweden, and China.

7. Basketball (825 million followers)

Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith in the state of Massachusetts (United States). He created it as an alternative to soccer since it could be played indoors and had less chance of injury to the players. However, since then, it has acquired the enormous notoriety it has today.

8. Baseball (500 million followers)

Baseball enjoys a higher level of popularity in places such as the United States, Japan, and the Caribbean countries. Each game is played by two teams of nine players, who must try to score as many runs as possible. Different versions of this sport were played in the United States until it acquired a status similar to the current one.

9. Rugby (475 million followers)

Rugby is played mainly in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The basis of this sport has its origins in medieval England, and, from there, it spread to other British colonies, such as Australia and New Zealand. Each rugby match is made up of two teams of 15 players each.

10. Golf (450 million followers)

The main area of influence of golf is located in Western Europe, East Asia, and North America. The first news of the existence of golf as a game took place in Scotland, from where it spread throughout the United Kingdom and later to the rest of the world.