Sports is one of the major events that capture everyone’s mind and always keep one energetic. Be it being a part of the event or being a sports star, one will always be rooting for the game and it helps unknown people become friends. With many sports being played across the world, there are some local sports that bring an area or group of friends together, and becoming an international sports star is a bigfeet.
In the world, there are many sporting events conducted that bring billions of viewers glued to the television sets rooting for their favorite team, and here is the list of 10 sports which has a global fan base and are watched by billions of viewers.
10. Golf
Known as a gentleman’s game, Golf is one of the most popular past-times in the world. It is one of the major sports in the US, Japan, Korea, and the UK, and also has a solid interest in Europe and Australia. It has estimated fans of 390 million and all over the world there are many major golf tournaments conducted and are participated in and viewed by millions of people.
9. Rugby / American Football
One of the biggest sports in the US, which is popularly fuelled by the domestic market, American Football has many fan bases across the US and the World. The Superbowl event which is a world-known event is viewed by millions of people apart from the US. The sport is even watched in Canada and Mexico and to get a prime-time ad in a Superbowl event costs millions of dollars. The sport has around 410 million fans which makes it one of the most popular sports across the world.
8. Baseball
One of the popular sports in Japan and the US, Baseball is also a major sport in Canada and Mexico. Baseball has an estimated 500 million viewers and over 65 million people play Baseball or Softball (for females) in the whole world. MLB and Nippon League are the major sporting events that are attended by millions of people and are viewed by millions in Japan and the USA.
7. Table Tennis
This indoor sport is becoming more and more popular in recent days. It is one of the most popular sports in China and also many are interested in Asia and Europe, with its integration with schools, social clubs, and sports centers, Table tennis is now one of the major sports which is viewed by over 500 million people worldwide.
6. Volleyball
The sport originated in America but is big in countries like Brazil, Asia and many parts of Europe volleyball has an estimated global participation of over 998 million people. There are over 220 affiliated national federations registered with volleyball’s global governing body the ‘FIVB’ and both the indoor and outdoor version of this sport is played globally.
5. Tennis
One of the sports that occupies the top 10 sports in individual countries of Asia, Europe, Australasia, Latin, and North America. Tennis is played by an estimated 60 million men and women across the world. The doubles version of this sport is more popular and Wimbledon is one of the major tournaments which is watched across the world and it has over 1 billion viewers.
4. Field Hockey
There are many versions of Hockey such as Roller Hockey, Ice Hockey, Street Hockey, etc but Field Hockey is one of the most popular Hockey on the list. With an estimated 2 billion viewership count, Field Hockey is played by over 100 countries and 5 continents across the world. It is a favorite Olympic sport and it maintains a firm interest in Europe, Australia, and Japan.
3. Basketball
A massive sport in the USA, and China. The basketball federation estimates that a minimum of 450 million people play this sport around the world, be it for recreation or through competitions. NBA is telecasted in over 200 countries and the sport has a viewership count as high as 2.2 billion.
2. Cricket
A major sport in Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Cricket also has a huge fan base in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the West Indies, etc. The game of cricket is now on the rise of being one of the most popular sports across the world that the International Cricket Council has estimated that over 125 countries across the world play this sport. It has a viewership count of over 2.5 billion people.
1. Soccer / Association Football
No other sporting event can capture attention more than that Soccer/Football. It is a dominant sport in Europe, South America, and Africa where the FIFA Worldcup is watched by over 600 million people worldwide. An estimated 265 million people around the world play the sport which has over 5 million referees. This is equal to 4% of the world population and it has a huge viewership count of 3.5 billion people.
