Why is Soccer the Most Popular Sport in the World? - YahooVoices

Whatever criteria is used to measure popularity, whether television audience, attendance figures,revenue earner or whatever soccer always ranks as the most popular sport in the world with themost followers who play and watch the game.

To understand why soccer is the king of sports one has to look not only at its popular support butalso at the factors that make it so appealing.

POPULAR SUPPORT

Soccer has the largest fan following in the modern world; everyone loves the beautiful game.

It is played in 208 countries, its fan following is first in 93 countries with a combine population of 2billion and is in the top 3 sports in 100 countries with 3 billion people. The soccer world cup is thelargest and most lucrative sporting event; for example in 2006 it had an audience of 26 billionpeople and 700 million watched the final game (Amrit Doley, Most Popular Team Sports dated May7, 2009- Bleacher report).

These figures are in sharp contrast with cricket and basketball (the second and third most popularsports respectively).

Cricket is the most popular sport in only 20 countries with a population of 1.6 billion and is in thetop 3 sports in only 10 countries with a population of 200 million people. The cricket world cup is thesecond largest sporting event with an audience of 5 billion, much less than its soccer equivalent.

Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines with 92 million fans and is in the top 3 sportsin just 10 countries with a combine population of 1.8 billion. It is the most viewed American sportingevent with a television audience of 1 billion (Most Popular Team Sports etc.).

THE APPEAL OF SOCCER

Soccer has had a long time to spread and develop and is easily exportable. It is older than mostother games; its origin goes back 3000 years to ancient China and the modern game was developedby the English in the 19th century.

It is very popular because it appeals in many ways to a cross section of people, rich and poor, menand women, young and old. Let us see why:

In the first place, there are no money barriers. All you need to play is a ball. It can be played on anysurface, on the neighborhood street, on the beach or in the park. It offers hope to poor kids as ameans of achieving a better life. And they can play in the sport their heroes play.

Soccer is a team sport so that as many as 22 people can play in one game which helps to promoteteam spirit.

Also, it promotes passion and intense rivalries especially when two teams from the same city playeach other (called derbies) or when national pride is at stake as when two countries compete fordominance in the same confederation.

There is no greater pride than to playfor your country and fans take greaterpride in their country when the nationalteam succeeds.

Another important factor is that fewcountries have another viable sport torival soccer.

Lastly, it is a good investment especiallyif your team goes far. In recent yearstycoons from America, East Europe andthe Middle East have been buying upEuropean clubs and investing in the best players. Top class players help clubs to win trophies andprize money as well as expand their fan base.

In the last transfer window, the English premier league spent $1012 million on players, mostly fromoverseas, and of that almost $400 million was spent by only four clubs. The Spanish clubs spent$521 million and of that $133 million was spent on just one player, Gareth Bale (Yahoo Sports-Football: Premier League lead Europe spending bonanza, September 3, 2013).

Additionally there are different types of soccer i.e. futsal or indoor soccer, beach soccer, women'ssoccer which has expanded since the 1990's and youth soccer for males and females, all of whichhave world cup competitions and help to increase the popularity of the game worldwide.

RICHEST SPORT

The main effect of all this popularity is that soccer hasbeen a magnet for enormous investment that makes itthe world's richest sport. This in turn enriches theinvestors as well as the players and the countries thatplay it.

Soccer has the most fans in the richest continent of Europe where the leagues have a value of $40billion. It is the highest paying professional team sport so the prize money for winning the 2010world cup was $30 million. In comparison, India is the biggest revenue earner in cricket with a valueof $2 billion, whilst in basketball 90% of the money is in the US with a value of $3.3 billion (MostPopular Team Sports etc).

The soccer world cup can boost a host country's economy by billions of dollars. But it can do morethan that.

Quatar which has money to burn has been awarded the 2022 world cup. This small Middle Easterncountry aims use this mega-event to build an agenda to streamline it post oil and gas economy intoone that can compete with the West. Not many people have even heard of Quatar but theexpectation is that 2022 will break the stereotype that the Middle East is a repressive and unstableregion. The plan is to provide the best that money can buy.

Apart from its economic and political benefits soccer is popular because of its diverse popularappeal. If a player is good enough he or she can play for the local club or even the national teamwhen there is national pride involved and at the same time be richly rewarded. Alternatively one canjoin in the crazy excitement as millions of spectators do every day when they watch their favoriteteam and feel the magnetism of the sport as twenty two players do battle with a ball. That is why thebeautiful game is King.

Victor A. Dixon

September 2, 2013

Revised December 12, 2013