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Top 10 Most Popular Sports in The World Based on 15 Ranking Criteria
Sports Show ^ | 09/11/2019 | Sourav Das

Posted on 09/11/2019 1:06:38 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Today we are going to take a look at the top 10 most popular sports in the world. But before we do that it is important to know the importance of sports and criteria that should be used to make a ranking of sports.

Sports play an important role in our lives. From early childhood years where we take sports very seriously to the later years in life where we consider it as a hobby, fitness ritual, and sometimes even a profession. Today in every part of the world some sport is passionately followed. People take their sporting heroes as their role models and often have an emotional attachment with their favourite sports stars and sports teams. People in different regions of the world have different favourite sports. This makes ranking sports quite a challenging and difficult job. This is exactly why it is hard to ascertain the reliability and accuracy of different sports lists out there.

Here, it is important to know exactly what do we mean by most popular sports. The word “popular” could mean “most-watched sports,” “most played sports,” or “most revenue-generating sports”. But in all honesty, it would be unfair to rank the sports by popularity, if we take just one or two criteria. Therefore, we have decided to use 15 different criteria in order to rank the most popular sports in the world.

Criteria Used for Ranking:

  1. Global Fan Base and Audience
  2. Viewership on TV
  3. TV Rights Deals
  4. Popularity on Internet
  5. Presence on Social Media
  6. Number of Professional Leagues in the World
  7. Average Salary of Athletes in the Top Leagues
  8. Sponsorship Deals
  9. Number of Countries in Which the Sport is Popular
  10. Biggest Competition
  11. Relevancy Throughout the Year
  12. Gender Equality
  13. Access to the General Public
  14. Number of Amateur Players in The World
  15. The prominence of the sport in sports headlines on print and electronic media

(Excerpt) Read more at sportsshow.net ...


TOPICS: Society; Sports
KEYWORDS: popularity; sports
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Here is a Table of Top 10 Popular Sports
rank Sport Estimated Fans Regional Popularity
1. Soccer / Association Football 3.5 Billion Europe, Africa, Asia, America
2. Cricket 2.5 Billion Asia, Australia, UK
3. Basketball 2.2 Billion US, Canada, China, and the Philippines
4. Field Hockey 2 Billion Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia
5. Tennis 1 Billion Europe, Americas, and Asia
6. Volleyball 900 Million Asia, Europe, Americas, and Australia
7. Table Tennis 850 Million Asia, Europe, Africa and Americas
8. Baseball 500 Million US, Japan, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic
9 Americal Football Rugby 410 Million 410 Million USA mainly France, England, New Zealand, South Africa
10 Golf 390 Million Europe, Asia, America, Canada

1 posted on 09/11/2019 1:06:38 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

I like golf, I guess I like to stay away from the herd.


2 posted on 09/11/2019 1:09:07 PM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: SeekAndFind; All

Cricket!?! You have to eat crumpets to like cricket.
And what is field hockey? is that lacrosse?


3 posted on 09/11/2019 1:13:40 PM PDT by notdownwidems (Washington D.C. has become the enemy of free people everywhere!)
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To: SeekAndFind

First, no way in the world do I think there are nearly that many Basketball fans. There aren’t that many people in the nations listed. And if there were that many Chinese playing basketball, you’d have to expect them to dominate. Because, yes, young Chinese are as tall as anyone else. Instead, China went 0-5


4 posted on 09/11/2019 1:15:29 PM PDT by dangus
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To: SeekAndFind

“4. Field Hockey 2 Billion Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia”

Field hockey is not the fourth most popular sport in the world. The summary table says “Field hockey”, the article bizarrely combines field hockey and ice hockey.


5 posted on 09/11/2019 1:16:48 PM PDT by FewsOrange
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To: SeekAndFind
Don't cricket matches last for days? And I bet that's the only thing on TV in those countries. So when there's nothing else to watch, I guess it would be popular.

I knew a guy, big black guy, built more like a football player than a basketball player, but he was a basketball player.

He went to Ireland to play professionally. When I heard that I thought, Ireland?!?!... But apparently it's pretty big over there.

Right next to Hurling...

6 posted on 09/11/2019 1:17:55 PM PDT by real saxophonist (Yeah, well, y'know that's just like, uh... your opinion, man.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Curling ... I want to see curling on this list.


7 posted on 09/11/2019 1:19:38 PM PDT by Nothingburger
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To: real saxophonist

“He went to Ireland to play professionally. When I heard that I thought, Ireland?!?!... But apparently it’s pretty big over there.”

I wouldn’t say pretty big but big enough to be able to get a semi pro American for the top teams. They would be fixed up with a job, and that, combined with playing and maybe some coaching money would be good enough to live on for someone just out of college.


8 posted on 09/11/2019 1:20:51 PM PDT by FewsOrange
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To: SeekAndFind
What? Tree-Catching isn't on the list?


9 posted on 09/11/2019 1:21:34 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dangus

Just being tall doesn’t make one good at basketball.
See tall White people like Shawn Bradley, or those
other guys sitting on the bench.
If computer programming was a sport, the Chinese would be good.


10 posted on 09/11/2019 1:22:20 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: notdownwidems

Cricket is awesome.

Been following “The Ashes” between England and Australia.


11 posted on 09/11/2019 1:22:29 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: SeekAndFind

I don’t see cornhole on that list anywhere.


12 posted on 09/11/2019 1:23:19 PM PDT by Disambiguator (Keepin' it analog.)
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To: dangus

I’ve noted that the world’s 4 most populous countries: China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and the US, all stink at Soccer.


13 posted on 09/11/2019 1:24:21 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: SeekAndFind
It doesn't matter which sports are "most popular."

All I know is that THIS sport is the best ...


14 posted on 09/11/2019 1:24:25 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave." -- Frederick Douglass)
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To: SeekAndFind

Drum Corps is a sport. So said the great Freddy Martin.


15 posted on 09/11/2019 1:24:53 PM PDT by real saxophonist (Yeah, well, y'know that's just like, uh... your opinion, man.)
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To: dfwgator

That’s 5 most populous countries. Brazil is the 6th most populous country, and yeah, they’ve had some success in soccer.


16 posted on 09/11/2019 1:24:57 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: 1Old Pro

Cricket is huge because of its enormous popularity in highly-populous India (and next-door Pakistan).


17 posted on 09/11/2019 1:25:26 PM PDT by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's Economic Cure)
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To: real saxophonist

Gaelic Football is a great game. It’s close to Aussie Rules, only with a round ball, and you can kick it soccer-style.


18 posted on 09/11/2019 1:26:02 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Disambiguator

You win.


19 posted on 09/11/2019 1:26:42 PM PDT by real saxophonist (Yeah, well, y'know that's just like, uh... your opinion, man.)
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To: SeekAndFind

No surfing? Beach Boys were wrong? Baseball and football rocks my American born and bred world, hell with the globalist views on sports.


20 posted on 09/11/2019 1:26:48 PM PDT by Karliner (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28 Isa 17 "This is the end of the beginning" W Churchill)
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