Let’s discover the ranking of the ten most followed sports in the world, including confirmations and some surprises.
The world of sport has the power to involve people, to create communities, to make the economy go round like few other sectors. In every part of the globe, more or less everyone becomes fond of a sporting discipline. But what are the most loved and popular sports? In Europe the soccer dominates, while in the United States it is football that holds the scepter. This is a recent analysis by Sisal.it, signed by Daniele Furii: “A study by the Tifosy company has drawn up a ranking of the most popular sports. Let’s see which ones they are and how many people they are calling for”:
1 – Football – 3.5 billion fans
2 – Cricket – 2.5 billion fans
3 – Basketball – 2.2 billion fans
4 – Field hockey – 2 billion fans
5 – Tennis – 1 billion fans
6 – Volleyball – 900 million fans
7 – Ping-pong or table tennis – 900 million fans
8 – Baseball – 500 million fans
9 – American Football – 400 million fans
10 – Rugby – 400 million fans
As far as football is concerned, it should be remembered that the World Cup enjoys a greater following even than an event such as the Olympic Games or the Superbowl. This data is the plastic representation of the scope of this sport.
It should come as no surprise that cricket ranks second in the ranking of the most followed sports in the world, with 2.5 billion fans. This particular discipline, very similar to baseball, is the national sport in India, whose population is around one and a half billion. In general, this discipline, developed in England, is widely followed in Commonwealth countries and is accompanied by cultural characteristics that make it unique in its kind.
In third place is basketball (although a recent FIBA study speaks of a growing figure that would put it in second place): 2.2 billion fans for a sport whose boundaries go well beyond the United States of America . The NBA is the championship par excellence, where champions from all over the world gather, but if you travel the world you realize that basketball is very popular. In Europe we find states such as Greece, Turkey and Serbia where there is great interest, without forgetting Spain, France and Italy itself. Furthermore, this summer the World Championships were held in the Philippines and Japan, where there was great interest. Overall, it is fair to talk about global diffusion.
