Top 10 Most Popular Sports in the World
Top sports in the world is a list of sports with a huge fan following worldwide. The huge inherent revenue the sports bring with it also decides the place of the sports on the list.
Every region in the world has its favorite sport. But some sports are hugely popular among the global population and have a large fan following.
The system of a sport, the way players play it, and the rules and regulations thrill the audience and they become diehard fans.
Here, let’s list the top sports in the world
Read more to know 25 popular sports in the world
Football
Football tops the list and is undoubtedly the top sport with the huge fan following of 4 billion. It has ardent supporters all over the world. Europeans like the game more than anything and it’s a part of their life.
As per worldwide viewership on T.V, it has a record of 3.9 billion viewers during the FIFA world cup 2014.
In terms of prize money awarded, the price for TV rights, the number of professional leagues, the highest pay the individual gets and the popularity on social media, football supersedes all other sports and reign in Number One.
FIFA is the governing body of football. It is the acronym of the “Fédération Internationale de Football Association”.
The organization conducts football’s major international tournaments notably the World Cup which commenced in 1930 and the Women’s World Cup which commenced in 1991.
For the latest news about football visit ESPN
Basketball
Nearly a billion people follow this sport and basketball is one of the top sports in the world. NBA is a well-known name in basketball and it generates huge revenue. Many professional leagues are active in European countries and new leagues are forming up every year.
By the average earning of the individual players, the endorsement deals it gets and the number of professional leagues, basketball takes second place to football.
In the sports arena, everyone knows The International Basketball Federation as FIBA. It’s the acronym of the French Name Fédération Internationale de basketball.
The FIBA conducts the Basketball World cup once in four years.
You would appreciate the fact that sports teach us a lot and like to read more about life lessons that sports teach you.
Cricket
The game has two billion followers and people in Commonwealth countries are ardent followers of the sport. It’s the third most-watched competition in the world after the FIFA world cup and Rugby world cup.
After the introduction of the T20 format, it is becoming more popular.
The International Cricket Council functions as the governing body of cricket from 1909.
The council conducts international tournaments like World Cup for one-day matches, ICC Championship, and Championship for T20 matches.
Tennis
Most people across the globe love to play and watch tennis. It has more than 1 billion followers.
In the beginning, tennis became popular in France, and then people started to play the game in other parts of Europe.
The four grand slams: Australia Open, French Open, Wimbledon and Us Open are the most popular events in the world and tennis is also famous for the prize money the individual player receives.
It is the most prestigious sport and players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal gets annual earnings of more than $100 million.
The governing body of world tennis is the International Tennis Federation (ITF). It governs the sport from 1913. It has 211 national tennis associations and six regional associations under its wing.
Field Hockey
The number of followers for this sport exceeds 2 billion and is the main attraction in European countries. It is equally famous in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
People played the game in England in the 1800s. Players use the stick to drive the ball and the fans could feel the thrill because of the dynamics of the game.
The countries India, Australia and Pakistan are the prominent countries in this sport
The Fédération Internationale de Hockey commonly known by the acronym FIH is the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey.
Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. FIH conducts field hockey’s major international tournaments, including the World Cup.
Volleyball
The game with over 900 million fans has its influence in Western Europe and North America.
Borrowing from basketball, tennis, handball, and baseball, William G.Morgan of America invented the game in 1895.
Two teams of 6 players each play the game and throw the ball over the net. The simplicity of the game is the reason for its popularity.
The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball, commonly known by the acronym FIVB, is the international governing body for all forms of volleyball. The English equivalent for the name is International Volleyball Federation.
More than any other sports, the game has the highest number of national federations.
Table Tennis
The sport has more than 875 million followers.
In the 19th century, people started to play the game in England. It had a name Ping Pong and is a miniature version of lawn tennis.
South Korea, Sweden, and China are famous for the sport.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the governing body of the sport.
It governs all national table tennis associations, forms rules and regulations and implements technological improvements for the sport of table tennis.
The ITTF is responsible for conducting numerous international competitions, including the World Table Tennis Championships.
Baseball
The sport is prevalent in the United States of America and has a fan base of 500 million worldwide followers.
Though it has a huge fan following in the US, baseball is one of the top sports in the world.
It’s a bat and ball game and two teams played the game. Each team comprises nine players each.
In Japan and the Caribean islands, people played the game with the same vigor as in the US.
The International Baseball Federation (IBAF) is the worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
Rugby
Nearly 475 million people worldwide follow the sport.
In medieval England, the game was played which resembled the modern form. From England, it spread to the colony countries like Australia and New Zealand.
Now it is played between two teams and each team comprises 15 players each.
The players carry, kick or pass the ball and score points when the ball crosses the end line.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) is the world governing and law-making body for rugby and was founded in 1886.
IRB currently has ninety-six member unions and five regional associations. It carries out its governing functions from its headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.
Golf
Nearly 450 million people follow the game globally.
Undoubtedly, golf is one of the top sports in the world.
It is widely played in Western Europe, East Asia, and North America.
Golf is played by the use of different clubs to hit a ball, over a determined course, using the fewest possible amount of strokes.
The modern sport was first played in Scotland from where it spread to the UK and the rest of the world.
The International Golf Federation (IGF) was founded in 1958. It is the international federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the world governing body for golf.
You may also like to read about top sporting events in the world.
Image Source – Featured Image : https://receive.news/
