The Top 10 Most Popular Sports in The World Are?

Sportsshow.net is “a dedicated sports blog that covers latest and trending top 10 lists, sports news, schedules, rankings and the latest happenings from the sports world.”

They recently listed the top 10 most ‘popular’ sports in the world, and the results might surprise you. They explain “it is important to know exactly what we mean by most popular sports.”

adding:

“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.”

Sportsshow.net used a long list to rank the sports including:

  • Global Fan Base and Audience
  • Viewership on TV
  • TV Rights Deals
  • Popularity on Internet
  • Presence on Social Media
  • Number of Professional Leagues in the World
  • Average Salary of Athletes in the Top Leagues
  • Sponsorship Deals
  • Number of Countries in Which the Sport is Popular
  • Biggest Competition
  • Relevancy Throughout the Year
  • Gender Equality
  • Access to the General Public
  • Number of Amateur Players in The World
  • The prominence of the sport in sports headlines on print and electronic media

Here is the list, in order – let us know what you think!. For full details click here.

1. Soccer/Association Football
2. Cricket
3. Basketball
4. Field Hockey
5. Tennis
6. Volleyball
7. Table Tennis
8. Baseball
9. Americal Football/Rugby
10. Golf

The Premier League Popularity Table

Source: Statista

The top of the actual Premier League may look significantly different at the moment, but when it comes to popularity among the public, Liverpool and Leicester are at the head of the pack. According to the latest figures from YouGov’s ‘Ratings’, 35 percent of people have a favourable opinion of The Reds, while 30 percent say the same for Leicester City. While Manchester United make it into third spot with 28 percent, it is probably unsurprising that one of the most successful clubs of the modern era – and therefore one of the most disliked – is also at the top of the ‘least popular’ table. This is due to 36 percent of people saying they hold an unfavourable view of the Old Trafford side. Liverpool is found in sixth here, getting the thumbs down from 26 percent of the survey respondents.