7 Most Popular Sports in the World

Sports have been around for centuries, and they have evolved over time to become the popular pastimes we know today. From basketball to rugby, table tennis to volleyball, soccer to badminton, field hockey to cricket, swimming to athletics and baseball, there are seven sports that have become the most popular in the world. Basketball is the only major American sport with a clearly identifiable inventor. James Naismith, an American-Canadian teacher, invented the game in 1891 and it has since grown to become one of the most popular sports in the world with an estimated 825 million fans.

Table tennis, also known as ping pong, has seen its fan base grow to 875 million since 2003. Volleyball is a sport that attracts up to 900 million fans worldwide, particularly in North and South America, Western Europe, Australia and Asia. Soccer is a team sport with the largest number of participants in the world with an estimated 270 million players. Football has been played since ancient times but it wasn't until 1815 that formal rules were established at the University of Cambridge. Badminton may come as a surprise to some people but it is an incredibly popular indoor sport played by approximately 220 million people regularly around the world.

The game is played by two or four players on a rectangular court with a high net in the center and players try to score points by hitting a wheel through the net with a racket. Field hockey is a team sport played on grass or artificial grass and is one of the most popular sports in the world with an estimated 270 million players. The game is played with a ball and a stick (called a “hockey stick”) and the ball is made of rubber. It is also played on a field of the same width as the ball.

The Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA) estimates that at least 450 million people participate in basketball worldwide either for recreational purposes or in organized competitions. Tennis is normally played between two people or groups of two players and each player would use a racket to hit a tennis ball over or around a net and enter the opponent's court. Cricket is one of those games that are played with a ball but this time they hit it with a bat. It is played between two groups of eleven players on an oval field with three wooden stumps at each end that must be knocked down by hitting them with the ball through the leg before the gate (LBW) or hitting them from the ground (outside).

Swimming goes back much further than we can remember and almost everyone practices it on a daily basis. Athletics is also one of the most popular sports in the world and numerous people are interested in it since it is taught in virtually every school. Golf originated in Scotland in the 15th century and has gained fame and flourished over time. Rugby originated in England during the first half of the 19th century and has become very famous in Commonwealth communities such as New Zealand, Wales, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Georgia and Madagascar.

Steven Havlicek
Steven Havlicek

Subtly charming zombie junkie. Wannabe zombie evangelist. Hardcore music enthusiast. Unapologetic social media lover. Total travel aficionado.

Leave Message

Required fields are marked *