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For
thousands of years, people have loved to watch and play sports. From the
ancient Olympic games in Greece to the Super Bowl, sports are an
important part of the human experience. But, out of all the sports that
exist, which are the most popular? Here are the some most popular sports
in the world.
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Baseball
Baseball is another American phenomenon that’s most popular in the
United States but has spread to other countries as well. The first world
series was in 1903 and since then it’s grown to become a major sport. |
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Boxing
Originally, boxing involved no rules and bare knuckles fighting where
someone was likely going to die but as time progressed, more rules and
protections were put in place. Still, boxing remains a violent sport
that has been banned in some countries. Despite that, it still draws
large audiences. |
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Rugby
Originating in England, rugby is also a particularly violent sport but
is also one of the fastest growing around the world and in the United
States. |
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Volleyball
Invented in 1895, the first volleyball world championships weren’t held
until 1949 and then introduced as an Olympic sport in 1964. It’s
considered one of the most popular sports around the world next to
soccer. |
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Ice Hockey
Original hockey may have derived thousands of years ago but modern ice
hockey started in Canada. The first indoor hockey game was played in
Montreal in 1875. By the 1900s, the game had grown extremely popular and
is now an international sensation.
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Tennis
Deriving from England, the United States adopted tennis early on and
championed the sport with almost 17 million Americans playing the sport.
While it ebbs and flows in popularity, it’s still a multi-million dollar
sport worldwide.
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Golf
Scotland has the best claim to the invention of golf. Since its
inception, it’s grown to be a multi-million dollar international
phenomenon with people all over the world competing for prize money.
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Cricket
Originating in the United Kingdom, Cricket is now an internationally
popular sport in countries like India, Cambodia, Pakistan, and others.
It’s also the third most watched sport with about 2.5 billion people
watching it.
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Basketball
Basketball is a huge sport around the world with over 200 countries play
and competing against each other. More than 300 million people enjoy
playing. With the relative ease of picking up a ball and shooting, it’s
no wonder basketball has grown to be such a huge sport.
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Football/Soccer
The enormous popularity of football or soccer is pretty common
knowledge. Much like basketball, it’s relatively inexpensive and easy to
kick a ball around on a field and its fun too. With the World Cup
uniting hundreds of countries to compete against each other, the sport
continues to grow in popularity especially in the United States.
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