Flipping through the channels last night, I saw soccer on ESPN2- two English
teams playing each other... or something.
Why?!?
I thought the World Cup was over. With the opening regular season NFL game on at the same time (Vikings at Saints), I guess the folks at ESPN didn’t even want to try. That’s the equivalent of them airing poker or the Great Outdoor Games (which are actually pretty cool) opposite the World Series or NBA Finals on another channel. The programmers knew only a tiny niche audience would be tuned into their offering with the dominant game on elsewhere.
Then I got to thinking, how popular is soccer in the US, really? Is it actually in
a top 5 list of popular sports? The next thought in my mind was inevitably the
list I was going to make.
So, check out my list of the United States’ twenty most popular sports. I base this on nothing more than my wacky (and probably biased) observations on how many people play, follow, watch or gamble on these activities from elementary school all the way to the pro ranks. Mainstream sports media coverage and potential revenue are factors as well.
First off, here are the honorable mention sports that didn’t make the cut: Cheerleading, Rugby, Roller Derby, Rowing, Archery, Curling, Dodgeball, Weightlifting, Lacrosse, Snowboarding and of course- the World’s Strongest Man Competition (big up to Magnus ver Magnusson).
On to the countdown:
20. Wrestling (Not including pro rasslin’. Popular in high schools and Big Ten college schools. Gave us such names as Dan Gable, Kurt Angle and A.C. Slater.)
19. Gymnastics (American Ninja Warrior!)
18. Equestrian (Horse riding, horse racing, rodeo, etc. Funny horse names and crazy Kentucky Derby hats highlight this sport.)
17. Skiing (Downhill or cross-country, it’s still really hard.)
16. Bowling (A borderline sport since you don’t get sweaty while doing it and drinking is encouraged while playing, but it’s still popular enough at kids b-day parties to warrant a spot.)
15. Skateboarding (Tony Hawk and the X-Games! Plus funny videos of kids
crotching themselves on rails!)
14. Skating (The figure, ice and speed varieties. Also great for first dates.)
13. Boxing (The ‘Sweet Science’ has considerably soured since Tyson went crazy-er. I’m still distraught that Apollo Creed died.)
12. Bicycling (They get better gas mileage than cars and everyone had a Livestrong bracelet.)
11. Volleyball (Keeping the Spandex industry alive?)
10. Swimming (Who doesn’t love a dip in the pool?)
09. MMA (Monikers like Gracie, Coture, GSP, Lesnar, Rampage and McGregor have become household names over the past ten years. Americans <3 violence.)
08. Tennis (Not just for country club members and Russians anymore!)
07. Hockey (Body-checking and encouraged fisticuffs. ‘Nuff said. But the price tag for all the pads keep some away.)
06. Golf (Yes, I do include Mini-Golf in this category. Upon further review, I missed the perfect chance to rank this number "fore".)
05. Soccer (Pass, run, run, stop, pass backwards, kick out of bounds, stop, run, run, pass, run, kick, stop, zzzzz… Ten shots on goal in two hours of gametime that ends in a 0-0 tie?!? I’ll take quadruple the action in half the time please: see Hockey. But Soccer is saved as it's typically every child's first organized team activity.)
04. Track & Field (Run, jump, throw! All able-bodied people have these capabilities. Singing, not so much, Carl Lewis!)
03. Baseball (Apple Pie ain’t got nothing on this sport’s Americaness. Do chicks still dig the longball?)
02. Basketball (Thanks MJ! But are you still mad that the secretary who picked
based on team mascots won your March Madness work pool? Maybe that’s just me.)
01. Football (Whether it’s NCAA, NFL, Pop Warner, Arena or even [gasp] Canadian, pigskinners can’t get enough of the gridiron.)
And there you have it. Agree? Disagree?
###
Note- I don’t consider any form of auto racing a sport in my book. This activity is more a hobby since the main aspect of performance difference is based on tinkering with a motor. Yes, I know driver skill can overcome a good or bad setup, but c’mon man…it’s all about the vehicle, not the pilot.
More games I don’t consider sports are poker, darts, billiards and any type of board game. If your grandpa can handily beat you, it doesn’t count. Unless your Grandpa is Brett Favre. In that case, just take out his knee or ankle and you got it in the bag!
[[Originally written September 2010, updated April 2017]]
Why?!?
I thought the World Cup was over. With the opening regular season NFL game on at the same time (Vikings at Saints), I guess the folks at ESPN didn’t even want to try. That’s the equivalent of them airing poker or the Great Outdoor Games (which are actually pretty cool) opposite the World Series or NBA Finals on another channel. The programmers knew only a tiny niche audience would be tuned into their offering with the dominant game on elsewhere.
Then I got to thinking, how popular is soccer in the US, really? Is it actually in
a top 5 list of popular sports? The next thought in my mind was inevitably the
list I was going to make.So, check out my list of the United States’ twenty most popular sports. I base this on nothing more than my wacky (and probably biased) observations on how many people play, follow, watch or gamble on these activities from elementary school all the way to the pro ranks. Mainstream sports media coverage and potential revenue are factors as well.
First off, here are the honorable mention sports that didn’t make the cut: Cheerleading, Rugby, Roller Derby, Rowing, Archery, Curling, Dodgeball, Weightlifting, Lacrosse, Snowboarding and of course- the World’s Strongest Man Competition (big up to Magnus ver Magnusson).
On to the countdown:
20. Wrestling (Not including pro rasslin’. Popular in high schools and Big Ten college schools. Gave us such names as Dan Gable, Kurt Angle and A.C. Slater.)
19. Gymnastics (American Ninja Warrior!)
18. Equestrian (Horse riding, horse racing, rodeo, etc. Funny horse names and crazy Kentucky Derby hats highlight this sport.)
17. Skiing (Downhill or cross-country, it’s still really hard.)
16. Bowling (A borderline sport since you don’t get sweaty while doing it and drinking is encouraged while playing, but it’s still popular enough at kids b-day parties to warrant a spot.)
15. Skateboarding (Tony Hawk and the X-Games! Plus funny videos of kids
crotching themselves on rails!)14. Skating (The figure, ice and speed varieties. Also great for first dates.)
13. Boxing (The ‘Sweet Science’ has considerably soured since Tyson went crazy-er. I’m still distraught that Apollo Creed died.)
12. Bicycling (They get better gas mileage than cars and everyone had a Livestrong bracelet.)
11. Volleyball (Keeping the Spandex industry alive?)
10. Swimming (Who doesn’t love a dip in the pool?)
09. MMA (Monikers like Gracie, Coture, GSP, Lesnar, Rampage and McGregor have become household names over the past ten years. Americans <3 violence.)
08. Tennis (Not just for country club members and Russians anymore!)
07. Hockey (Body-checking and encouraged fisticuffs. ‘Nuff said. But the price tag for all the pads keep some away.)
06. Golf (Yes, I do include Mini-Golf in this category. Upon further review, I missed the perfect chance to rank this number "fore".)
05. Soccer (Pass, run, run, stop, pass backwards, kick out of bounds, stop, run, run, pass, run, kick, stop, zzzzz… Ten shots on goal in two hours of gametime that ends in a 0-0 tie?!? I’ll take quadruple the action in half the time please: see Hockey. But Soccer is saved as it's typically every child's first organized team activity.)
04. Track & Field (Run, jump, throw! All able-bodied people have these capabilities. Singing, not so much, Carl Lewis!)
03. Baseball (Apple Pie ain’t got nothing on this sport’s Americaness. Do chicks still dig the longball?)
02. Basketball (Thanks MJ! But are you still mad that the secretary who picked
based on team mascots won your March Madness work pool? Maybe that’s just me.)01. Football (Whether it’s NCAA, NFL, Pop Warner, Arena or even [gasp] Canadian, pigskinners can’t get enough of the gridiron.)
And there you have it. Agree? Disagree?
###
Note- I don’t consider any form of auto racing a sport in my book. This activity is more a hobby since the main aspect of performance difference is based on tinkering with a motor. Yes, I know driver skill can overcome a good or bad setup, but c’mon man…it’s all about the vehicle, not the pilot.
More games I don’t consider sports are poker, darts, billiards and any type of board game. If your grandpa can handily beat you, it doesn’t count. Unless your Grandpa is Brett Favre. In that case, just take out his knee or ankle and you got it in the bag!
[[Originally written September 2010, updated April 2017]]
