There are hundreds of different sports being played all around the globe. However, there’s only a handful of sports that have a global audience of over a billion fans. Here’s the top 5.
5. Volleyball
Volleyball is easy to play. You only need a net and a ball. The game can be played on all kinds of surfaces, making it extremely popular in good weather. As a professional sport, it is quite young and was only introduced at the 1964 Olympic Games. Beach volleyball has become a craze and a popular beach sport in recent decades, especially in the US and in Brazil. In conventional volleyball, the strong countries vary much more. Volleyball has approximately 900 million fans around the world.
4. Tennis
The premature version of tennis dates back to at least the Middle Ages. The sport was modernized in the 19th century and tennis is one of the most popular spectator sports in the world right now. The four major Grand Slam tournaments are spread over three continents. Traditionally, Roland Garros and Wimbledon attract many viewers. Everywhere you can find tennis courts on which people. Tennis was way ahead of its time in terms of commerce and prize money. As a result, tennis players are invariably among the best paid athletes in the world. Tennis has 1 billion fans around the world.
3. (Field) Hockey
The basis of hockey is also centuries old. Just like tennis, it was transformed in the 19th century into a modern sport in Britain with fixed rules. Hockey is surprisingly popular all over the world without becoming a successful commercial viewing sport in the West. Hockey was played a lot in the British colonies, including densely populated India and Pakistan. Both countries, together with the Netherlands and Germany, are the big contenders during Olympic tournaments. There’s 2 billion field hockey fans around the globe.
2. Cricket (2.5 billion fans)
In India and Pakistan the sport is followed with great dedication and is many times more popular than the sports that we enjoy watching in Europe or in the Americas. Cricket is one of the oldest sports with official rules that are initially difficult for outsiders to follow. Cricket is played a lot in Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and in the Caribbean. 2.5 billion fans follow the sport on a regular basis.
1. Football
Football is by far the most popular sport in the world. The sport can be played everywhere on the street, in the park or on the beach. The rise of television has been crucial for football. As a result, more and more money could be generated and professional competitions were created everywhere.. n recent years, women’s football has been on the rise (also in the United States), so the number of enthusiasts is only increasing. Since 1930, the World Cup has been organized every four years, which has become the most watched sporting event in the world. Football has 3.5 billion fans around the globe.