As you already know, there are hundreds, if not thousands of sports that are played worldwide, by millions of people every day. However, if you take a look at the United States of America, matches are not only a favorite hobby for most individuals there, but it is also thought to be a major part of their culture and society.
But, since there are so many options out there, you might be wondering – what are the most popular and watched sports in the USA? Luckily for all of you searching for an answer to this question, we will be talking about exactly that in this article. Let’s take a closer look at the list:
1. ‘Football’
Football and rugby are popular names that are used for referring to the most popular sport in the USA – American football. No matter is it is a high school, university, or professional match, it is likely that it will attract millions of viewers, all coming from different parts of the nation.
In fact, a wide range of tourists claims that you can easily start talking to anyone if you mention American football, which is actually entirely true. The National Football League or as it is more commonly known as the NFL has the highest attendance for any game, as well as subscriptions in the entire country. Keep in mind that there are various websites such as TotalSportek that offer free streaming services, hence, ensure that you check it out if you want to enjoy some quality football.
2. ‘Baseball’
If you take a look at the statistics, baseball is the second most-watched contest in America, however, it is considered to be the favorite pastime activity for a lot of people, especially since it has a history that goes back over 140 years. Additionally, if you ask all Americans about their favorite competition, they’ll probably tell you that it is baseball.
This particular pastime has been producing some incredible athletes including Jackie Robinson, as well as the more famous Babe Ruth. Jackie is well-known for breaking the racial segregation barrier that a lot of players faced during those days. The ‘New York Yankees’ are probably the most loved, successful, and supported team in the history of the industry.
3. ‘Basketball’
Taking the third place on our list, basketball usually has more than 13.000 visitors in almost every single game played. Besides being watched by a lot of people, it is also the most played and enjoyed the game in the USA with approximately 26 million people playing it.
Since it is extremely popular, a lot of schools and universities support students who have talent. Michael Jordan, who is one of the all-time favorite players has changed the entire concept of basketball, and besides him, there are a lot of other players including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Magic Johnson. Check lines.com and read more interesting information about these amazing players.
4. ‘Soccer’
Although it is extremely loved and watched – with over 4 billion supporters all over the world – soccer wasn’t that successful in the States until the incredible success of the national team during the 2014 FIFA tournament. Since then, this particular game has gained a lot of fans and supporters.
The ‘Major League’ has seen some incredible success and it continues to grow every year. You might know some incredible names that used to be a part of the league including David Beckham, Kaka, Thierry Henry, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Even now the sport continues to grow and gain ratings all over the nation.
5. ‘Hockey’
No list of the most popular sports in the United States is complete without mentioning the 4th, most popular sport – hockey. Additionally, it would not be complete without mentioning names such as the ‘New York Rangers’. This team is basically the staple of the entire sport, especially since they won the first Stanley Cup for their nation.
Why did this happen? Well, it happened because the Canadian teams mostly dominated the field of ice hockey, which is quite logical since the sport did originate from there. In states such as Michigan and Minnesota, it is one of the most popular sports that is followed by millions of people.
6. ‘Tennis’
During the ‘70s and ‘80s, tennis saw a rise in popularity in America when the staples of American tennis such as Billie King, Chris Evert, and John McEnroe started playing and helped bring it into the spotlight. Nowadays, you might see names such as the Serena sisters and Andy Roddick helping the game stay alive in the USA.
If you do some digging, you’ll see that all of the 5 categories in tennis are played in America. The ‘US Open’ is the most reputable matches out there, especially since there are various teams of athletes from different countries that compete against one another. It is the most-watched and anticipated tournaments across the states.
7. ‘Golf’
There is absolutely no denying that Tiger Woods took golf to an entirely new level. However, although he did make it extremely loved, it was already popular in the USA. Not only are the games closely watched by thousands of people, but, it is played by more than 20 million citizens.
There is a wide range of tournaments and championships that you can opt for watching, including the US Open and Senior Open that attracts a huge attendance and views all over the world. If you ask any American citizen, it is possible that they’ll tell you that it is their favorite thing to watch and support.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is a wide range of sports that are loved, followed, and watched by Americans. Not only do they enjoy going to sports matches, by they are extremely invested in supporting their favorite teams, which you might notice by the amount of passion they have for their favorite teams.
So, now that you know what are the most popular and watched sports in the United States, you might not want to lose any more of your time. Instead, you might want to do some digging on the best teams out there and after that, you might want to check out some of the highlights from some really amazing matches.
