Sports vary but interest remains high across the globe
How many of your friends and family play sports? How many of your friends and family watch and follow sports? The United States sports culture is huge. The U.S. has large organizations like the MLB and the NBA that bring in players from all over
the globe. Some amazing athletes from different countries that participate in U.S. organizations include Lionel Messi, Luka Doncic, and Nikola Jokić, to name a few. These athletes have all dominated in their sport since moving to the United States to play.
Sports popularity across the globe. Research from the website statistics data says that the most watched sport in America is American Football which is followed by 74.5 percent of people. Next, followed by 56.6 percent of people is basketball, and in third with 50 percent following, is baseball.
Greta Gesick a Junior at Minnehaha says “I’m a runner who does cross country and distance in track. But I do watch soccer and football.”
Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a study that found that “In 2020, 54.1% of children aged 6–17 years participated in sports during the past 12 months. The higher the level of parents’ education, the more likely children and adolescents were to participate in sports.”
Lots of people get together all weekend to cheer on their favorite football teams. In China, sports are also a big part of culture. According to the website Blog Stats Score, sports that are very popular in China are Basketball, Soccer, ping pong, and badminton. China is seen as a sports powerhouse around the world. The Sporting Blog website says Cricket is a sport growing in popularity in China. Cricket is played with a bat and a ball and is played between two teams. Scores are made by players hitting the ball and running between the wickets. Players play in a rounded stadium, unlike basketball and soccer stadiums. The website Business Standard says 93 percent of people follow cricket in India. High percentages of people all over the world prioritize sports.
Why do people care about sports? Sports give people a way to compete, stay healthy, and network. They give people opportunities to get an education at top universities, help people travel the world, and teach people valuable life lessons like teamwork, determination, and discipline. Professional athletes can earn thousands to millions of dollars by competing. Some organizations can bring in billions of dollars. Information from the website Statista, says that in 2022 the National Football League brought in 18.6 billion dollars. The organization brought in an extra billion in 2022 than it did in 2021. Leagues like the NFL make money from advertisements, merchandise, TV subscriptions, etc. CNBC says ESPN surged from the year before by $987. These sports company’s main goal is to make money. Sports can be an amazing way to meet new people, stay healthy, and earn opportunities but it’s important to understand that companies are trying to make money off of the viewers. Junior Addi Mack guards a defender on the wing. Don’t let other people’s life distract you too much from yours.