Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world. With an estimated fanbase of over three billion and supporters worldwide, the cult of football is here to stay. Fans consume it obsessively, companies and corporations make money from it, advertisers milk it for all it’s worth, and sports betting companies profit massively. But fans can profit as well by selecting the weekend acca.
But what makes football sporting royalty? Why does it sit atop every possible ranking? In this article, we’ll try to make sense of what makes football such an unmissable spectacle.
Football: Sporting Royalty
The Popularity
As mentioned earlier, football is incredibly popular with loads of fans globally, but is that enough to make it the most popular sport in the world? No. With that said, let’s go into some specifics.
Just over 100 million people viewed the 2019 edition of the super bowl while, in contrast, the 2018 World Cup final between France and Croatia was watched by over 500 million people. That’s a staggering gap, and it shows the universal appeal that football has. With so many fans, it’s no wonder that football is perceived as the king of sports.
The Pageantry
This is a very glamorous sport. There are so many competitions with constant coverage that only amps up the glamour attached to the sport. Each international game is heralded by the national anthems of each country and a lot of fanfare. Similarly, the UEFA Champions League theme song is one of the most recognizable in the world.
Basically, when it comes to showing off and exhibiting grandeur, no other sport compares to football.
The Money Involved
Sport, in general, brings in a lot of money; however, some of the numbers involved in this game are eye-watering. Football is such an attractive brand that companies are falling over themselves to associate themselves with the sport. Also, due to the popularity of the sport, TV companies pay a lot of money to secure the games’ rights.
For instance, reports indicate that FIFA has secured over $1 billion for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup rights. In addition, European leagues also rake in a tonne of money from TV deals which they use to develop their leagues. For instance, the Premier League is arguably the most popular in the world, and TV payouts to individual clubs usually exceed the £100 million mark.
The History
Football is a deeply traditional sport that has a rich and storied history. While wrestling is said to be the oldest sport in the world, football has been around for over 2,000 years. England is generally accepted as the home of football, but historical records show that a variation of the sport was played in ancient Greece, Rome, and Japan. Apart from that, the sport leans into its history a lot to make the game more attractive, and the experience of most fans has wisps of history attached to it.
There are many other reasons why football is ranked above other sports, some of which can’t be explored here. But with its history, power, and allure, it is no surprise that football occupies the position it does.
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