The world loves sports. Why is that, you might ask? Well, it is because they are fun, they promote athleticism, health and entertainment, of course. Some love it because they experience having a family which wasn’t something that they had at a given time, they get it through fandom and cheering for a club, for instance. Others, they love sports because they can bet on them and earn lots of money. Some prefer online betting, finding promotional codes and other advantages like new accounts, which get benefits. For example, filling out a 1960Bet Registration form would get you benefits with your new account.
For those who partake in sports, however, participation sports are among the most interesting ones, because you can take part in the action, as well as other people, having fun and bonding along the way. Here are the world’s most popular participation sports.
Football or Soccer
Football is the world’s most popular sport. There are around 260 million players and at least 5 million referees, if you ask FIFA. That is a lot of people who play the sport. What about those who watch it? Those numbers are far too high and too difficult to measure with any semblance of accuracy. Still, it is the world’s most popular sport, and also the world’s most popular participation sport.
Badminton
This may come as a surprise to many, but badminton is the world’s second most popular sport in the world, at least the second most popular participation sport. It is, of course, extremely popular in Asia and it has at least 220 million active players at any given time, recreational or otherwise. Just recall that last time it was summer and it wasn’t windy, you were out and with a badminton racquet, it was probably last summer, right?
Field Hockey
Compared to ice hockey, it is a different sport, although it looks similar. For once, a ball is used and not a puck. Yes, they do wear shin guards, but they run on grass and not skate on ice. They don’t have any other protective gear other than shin guards. The game is played in at least 100 countries in the world. That is rather popular for a game which you might not have thought of at all.
Volleyball
This one is simple. Volleyball is one of those sports which is very similar to badminton. You can play it anywhere and almost everyone is good enough to participate. The sport is said to be played by at least 990 million people, though most of them are regular people and not professionals. Still, that suggested number is really high, but due to the sport’s popularity compared to the other sports on the list, it is lower on the list.
Basketball
Basketball is one of those sports that everyone has played at least once, like most of the sports on the list. Basketball is easy to play, everyone can do it, though it is hard to master. FIBA estimates around 440 million players in the world, and that number is most likely true. Basketball is accessible and a very well branded sport, thanks to plenty of superstar players and the NBA, of course.
These are some of the world’s most popular participation sports. Among these, golf, table tennis, cricket, tennis and baseball should also be mentioned. These are the world’s most popular participation sports, whether for their branding, or for the fact that they are easily accessible to the public, or for the sheer entertainment value. Try some of them out, if you haven’t already. You are likely to have fun!
