Most Popular Spectator Sports
Many lists exist identifying the most popular spectator sports in the World. In reviewing how the reports were created, I found a well researched lists created by Total Sportek.
They ranked the top 25 spectator sports in the world as the following:
- Football/Soccer
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Tennis
- Athletics
- Rugby
- Formula 1 Racing
- Boxing
- Ice Hockey
- Volleyball
- Golf
- Baseball
- American Football
- MMA
- MotoGP
- Field Hockey
- Badminton
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Snooker
- Table Tennis
- Gymnastics
- Handball
- Wrestling
- Skiing
- Horse Racing
The criteria used was the following:
- Global base & audience
- TV Viewership numbers
- Number Professional leagues around the world
- TV rights deals
- Endorsement & Sponsorship deals
- Average athlete salary in top league
- Biggest competition & (number of countries represented)
- Social media presence
- Prominence in sports headlines on media outlets (websites, tv)
- Relevancy through the year
- Regional dominance
- Gender equality
- Accessible to general public worldwide