The Most Popular Sports in America In Todays History
Wednesday, 24 June 2009 08:56 | 
Written by Denise I Smithson |
The most popular sports in America may not necessarily be the sports you'd think of as enjoying a place in the top tier of US sports. If you're not a regular follower of American athletics, you could be in for a bit of a shock to learn that things have changed a lot in the last two to three decades. For a look at which sports are the most popular with fans in the US, read on.
The most popular sports in America may not necessarily be the sports you'd think of as enjoying a place in the top tier of US sports. If you're not a regular follower of American athletics, you could be in for a bit of a shock to learn that things have changed a lot in the last two to three decades. For a look at which sports are the most popular with fans in the US, read on.
The most popular sport in America won't come as a surprise to anyone. The NFL is now, as it has long been the dominant force in American sports. With an enormous following in every part of the country, professional football became popular almost immediately and by the 1960s, the NFL was the most popular sports franchise in the US, a place which it holds to this day. As everyone knows, the Super Bowl has the highest viewership of any televised event in the United States.
It may come as a surprise to see that NASCAR is now among the most popular sports in America. In a few decades time, NASCAR has gone from being a minor sport with a small, almost entirely regional audience to being incredibly popular all over the country. Drawing crowds of more than 100,000 to events and an even larger television audience, the sport has managed to become one with mainstream popularity.
You might also be surprised to learn that another of the most popular sports in America is UFC mixed martial arts (MMA). A sport which some people haven't even yet heard of, MMA has gone from obscurity to being one of the most popular sports among the coveted youth demographic. MMA is a fast paced, intense and violent sport which has a lot of appeal to the young.
The top tier of American sports is also still home to Major League Baseball and the NBA. While both have lost some ground since their heyday, both are still popular with millions of fans across the United States. Hockey, tennis and golf have seen a serious decline in their fortunes and are today largely followed by a small but loyal niche of fans.
College sports are also quite popular with American fans, with NCAA football being the most popular of the bunch. Every university has a built-in audience of alumni, students and other fans, with the top tier of college teams having a nationwide fan base. Cities and states with no professional teams of their own and even those with NFL franchise have intensely loyal fans of their college teams. For example, the University of Wisconsin Badgers and the University of Maryland Terrapins are very important in these states, despite the popularity of the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Ravens, respectively. The college bowl games are incredibly popular, despite the lack of a single cohesive framework for the playoffs.
College basketball is slightly less popular than college football, but this sport can boast of the second most viewed series of events after the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl, March Madness. Millions of people all over the country take part in betting pools (seemingly the one occasion where sports betting is socially acceptable). Each year offers the thrill of seeing underdogs pull off stunning upsets and careers in pro basketball beginning to take shape.
As you can see, the diversity of our most popular sports is very great. From car racing to fighting, from football to basketball, from pro to amateur, there is a sport for everybody. The most popular sports in America may be different from what you expected to see, but the list is dynamic and always changing. Who knows what the next trend or the next several years will bring to the forefront of our attention.
The most popular sports in America may not necessarily be the sports you'd think of as enjoying a place in the top tier of US sports. If you're not a regular follower of American athletics, you could be in for a bit of a shock to learn that things have changed a lot in the last two to three decades. For a look at which sports are the most popular with fans in the US, read on.
The most popular sport in America won't come as a surprise to anyone. The NFL is now, as it has long been the dominant force in American sports. With an enormous following in every part of the country, professional football became popular almost immediately and by the 1960s, the NFL was the most popular sports franchise in the US, a place which it holds to this day. As everyone knows, the Super Bowl has the highest viewership of any televised event in the United States.
It may come as a surprise to see that NASCAR is now among the most popular sports in America. In a few decades time, NASCAR has gone from being a minor sport with a small, almost entirely regional audience to being incredibly popular all over the country. Drawing crowds of more than 100,000 to events and an even larger television audience, the sport has managed to become one with mainstream popularity.
You might also be surprised to learn that another of the most popular sports in America is UFC mixed martial arts (MMA). A sport which some people haven't even yet heard of, MMA has gone from obscurity to being one of the most popular sports among the coveted youth demographic. MMA is a fast paced, intense and violent sport which has a lot of appeal to the young.
The top tier of American sports is also still home to Major League Baseball and the NBA. While both have lost some ground since their heyday, both are still popular with millions of fans across the United States. Hockey, tennis and golf have seen a serious decline in their fortunes and are today largely followed by a small but loyal niche of fans.
College sports are also quite popular with American fans, with NCAA football being the most popular of the bunch. Every university has a built-in audience of alumni, students and other fans, with the top tier of college teams having a nationwide fan base. Cities and states with no professional teams of their own and even those with NFL franchise have intensely loyal fans of their college teams. For example, the University of Wisconsin Badgers and the University of Maryland Terrapins are very important in these states, despite the popularity of the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Ravens, respectively. The college bowl games are incredibly popular, despite the lack of a single cohesive framework for the playoffs.
College basketball is slightly less popular than college football, but this sport can boast of the second most viewed series of events after the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl, March Madness. Millions of people all over the country take part in betting pools (seemingly the one occasion where sports betting is socially acceptable). Each year offers the thrill of seeing underdogs pull off stunning upsets and careers in pro basketball beginning to take shape.
As you can see, the diversity of our most popular sports is very great. From car racing to fighting, from football to basketball, from pro to amateur, there is a sport for everybody. The most popular sports in America may be different from what you expected to see, but the list is dynamic and always changing. Who knows what the next trend or the next several years will bring to the forefront of our attention.
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