Beloved by nearly half the world’s population, football is one of those sports which everyone can get behind. Even if you claim to hate the game, you can still probably name half a dozen teams and some of the most famous players in the world. Why is football the most popular sport in the world? Let’s take a look.
Available
With matches and leagues happening all year round, you can get involved with football no matter where you are. The World Cup arrives every four years, with the Euros in between, and there are championships every year within each country’s various leagues. There is always a football match happening near you which you could go see.
If you are still hankering for a bit of football, you could always head to a casino to play some fantastic football-themed games like Football Star; they could be the perfect way for you to get a footie fix before the next big match.
Quick
Another reason why football is so popular is that the matches are quick. A standard match is 90 minutes long, not including extra time or penalties obviously, and this is very different from many other sports. American football can take an average of three and a half hours (even with a 60-minute clock running) and tennis takes as long as it takes for someone to win each set. While waiting around and watching the sport is part of the fun, you know when you sit down to a football match that you are going to get 90 minutes of non-stop action.
Accessible
One of the major reasons why football is so popular is that it is one of the few sports which is accessible to all. You don’t need any fancy equipment to get started, you just need something approximately ball-like, some markers to make goal posts, and a group of friends to play with.
Regardless of your background, you can enjoy football both as a player and as a spectator. If you are lucky enough to be noticed by a team when you are young, you could attend one of their football academies. Anyone can become a footballer if they have the skill and the drive to develop their game.
Icons
As we said above, you are likely to know the names of some of the world’s most famous footballers even if you don’t follow the sport. The icons of football have long and rich careers covering multiple industries. Some have gone into broadcasting while others have gone into politics. Others have stayed with the game and become managers and officials to try to make football even better. There is no end to things they can do once they are too old to play.
Football is a sport which brings people together in a way we don’t really see anywhere else. It is fun, character-building, and accessible for all from the old to the young and the rich to the poor. For these reasons, it completely deserves to be the world’s most popular sport.