In the world we live in today, sporting events have become an essential part of our day-to-day activities. These activities have been embedded into every cultural setting in the world. So, certain sports are peculiar to specific cultures. Although they may be found in other places, the source of origin retains the most cheerful involvement in them. An easy example of a cultural sport is Cricket, which is widely loved within every corner of the Indian, Pakistani, United Kingdom, Australian, and South African communities. However, there are world competitions where players come together to play this sport. Regardless, the outcome and interest shown from the other parts of the world do not triumph over the level demonstrated in those countries.
Also, leaving culture and sports, sports are most commonly played by individuals at a young age. A European study showed that about 61% of individuals aged between 15 – 24 years participate in regular sporting activities with a frequency of at least once a week. To these age groups, aside from being a source of fitness and improving health status, sports serve as a bonding mechanism, making it social or emotional for most of them.
Moreover, it could also serve as a coping mechanism as people of these ages are mainly entangled in one addiction. Addictions are seemingly known to be coped with by taking up fun activities, otherwise known as coping mechanisms. Participation in sporting events is a fundamental human right. Unless otherwise, no one can ever deprive you of this right, and advisably, you should never deny yourself of this right.
Most Popular Sports
As diverse as sporting events could be, they also emerge in specific huge numbers as at least one sports activity is being participated in, in every society of the world. Diving into the sports types on the planet would take much more than the length of this article to discuss. However, we would look at the most popular of these sports. Some of the most popular world sports with vast participation statistics would include:
- Soccer;
- Cricket;
- Basketball;
- Field hockey;
- Tennis.
Others include Baseball, Table tennis, Volleyball, Badminton, and Golf. The table below shows these top sports with their estimated world population participants and most popular events or tournaments.
| Most popular sports | Estimated participants | Estimated number of supporters | Most popular events/tournaments |
| Football | 250 million players | 3.5 billion fans | UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, UEFA Europa League, English Premier League, Copa America, etc. |
| Cricket | 250 million players | 2.5 billion fans | Indian Premier League, ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC Men’s T20 Cup, etc. |
| Basketball | 450 million players | 2.2 billion fans | Basketball World Cup, Olympic games, etc. |
| Field hockey | 220 million players | 2 billion fans | Men’s World Cup, Olympic games, etc. |
| Tennis | 100 million players | 800 million fans | Wimbledon Championship, French Open, etc. |
Soccer
A vast percentage of the world community takes part in Soccer/Football. The sport is referred to by most individuals, bodies, and sporting organizations as the most popular event worldwide. Asides from incurring the most significant revenue among all other sports, it also racks a mind-blowing number of participants and on-watchers. For instance, most countries of the world compete together in a bid to earn participation in world competitions which is otherwise known as the FIFA World Cup. The competition is held every four years, and the turnout in the next swallows up the former. In addition, without leaving out world-stage matches, there are also country-specific league competitions with different levels with impressive turnouts and participation on every level.
Cricket
Usually, the most popular niche-based sport, Cricket, is popular in over 120 countries worldwide. However, the sport is most prevalent in parts of Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Pakistan, and India. Hence, it is commonly referred to as the Indian national sport.
Basketball
It was dubbed the most popular sport in America and one of the most popular sports worldwide. The sport is more than just getting a brown ball into a basket, but it requires great energy and determination, as well as qualities such as jumping and throwing strength and accuracy, endurance, etc. As a result, the sport has seen interest from top celebrities worldwide. Also, the emergence of great players adored from all over the world includes the likes of Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Field Hockey
This sport is known in over 100 countries spread across five different continents. Field hockey is highly technical and differs considerably from its ice counterpart. Yet, within the reaches of this sport, it has successfully amassed over two billion fans worldwide.
Tennis
This sport is rated the most popular and widely participated-in individual sport worldwide. However, the doubles version of this sport is rated relatively lower and is a bit less common than the double version. Nevertheless, this sport has millions of players participating, with millions of fans worldwide.
Easy Ways to Get Involved in Sports
There are different ways to get involved in sports, most of which are easy and part of day-to-day human life. In this section, we shall be giving insights into seven different ways individuals from all walks of life can get into sports and the beneficial reasons associated with these methods.
Work-outs and Exercises
You can participate in sporting activities by considering them as work-out or exercise sessions. This assertion aims to improve one’s body fitness, circulation, and health in general. Short and marathon races, all variations of jump sports, swimming, and weight lifting, among other marks, are the most common sports for work-out or exercise sessions.
The following are some of the benefits of exercising:
- It helps with weight loss and the regulation of BMI – Body Mass Index;
- Athleticism helps to strengthen the body, with the development of better coordination and body fitness;
- Sporting activities can help reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
Leisure Sports
Are you looking for what to do in your spare time? There are several events to participate in when it comes to having something to do in leisure time. Depending on your niche and preferences, you may decide to play table tennis, a common sport in China, or play football with friends, the most popular sport in the world. Other possible sports for leisure would include swimming, Yoga, Badminton, etc.
Online Gaming
If you are not a fan of getting your hands dirty or are not interested in showing your sports injury to ladies, online sports gaming is right for you. There are several online sports gaming franchises, and the most popular of them would include:
- FIFA;
- NBA 2K;
- WWE 2K;
- Konami Pro Evolution Soccer;
- PGA tour.
Other examples include Madden, Gran Turismo, MLB the Show, NHL, and UFC, among many others. The online gaming industry has grown over the years, and players now explore many additional features to earn while playing these sports games.
Nowadays, players live to stream themselves on platforms such as YouTube, and Twitch, among others, to earn money while spending time playing video games. In addition, there are worldwide video game competitions such as the eSports games, including FIFA competitions and other sports competitions. These tournaments involve players or groups from around the world competing with each other to win a final cash prize.
Online Gambling
It is another way to get involved in sports. With the increasing technological advancement, individuals can now gamble on their desktops and smartphones without having to be in a betting hall. There are several sports betting platforms on the internet today, and they allow players to register for free. Also, these sportsbooks provide players with odds on different sports events, with several bonuses, and offer to bolster their betting experience. Likewise, there are several online casinos with sport-themed slot games.
Getting Involved in Sports Discussions
There are different avenues for the discussion of your favourite sports games. Individuals can get involved in sporting events by expressing their opinions on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the likes. Various sports teams and organizations have working accounts on most social media platforms, and individuals can follow these accounts to get the latest updates on their favourite sports. Likewise, people can follow their famous sports personnel on social media platforms.
Several sports podcasts allow individuals to air opinions on specific sports events. Criticisms and ideas can also be laid bare on social media platforms. However, we plead with all persons to avoid racist, and offensive comments as these are very inhumane things to say. Also, there are consequences to saying these sorts of comments.
Getting Involved As an Act of Medical Service or Charity Works
There have been several sporting events that organizations organized to raise money for the community or charity work. For example, in 2020, there was a charity Tennis match in Cape Town in South Africa, organized by the Roger Federer Foundation, hosting Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Trevor Noah, and the billionaire – Bill Gates. It was the sixth edition of such an event but happened to be the first held in Africa. Fifty thousand fans at the CapeTown Stadium witnessed the game. Proceeds from ticket sales and other revenues would be donated to support children’s education in South Africa.
Also, there is medical personnel in all sporting organizations in the world. These persons are in charge of taking care of the health and well-being of sports players, and they are also tasked with keeping these players at the best fitness level possible. Therefore, medical personnel are an essential part of sports, and the success of sporting organizations is partly reliant on these persons.
Being a Fan
This reason or way one can be involved in sports encompasses every other way listed above. The reality is that you do not even have to play sports physically or otherwise. You have to be a supporter. You are automatically involved with the sport once you support a sports person or a sports team. By watching football games, many supporters have expressed that they had derived some undeniably high pleasure and emotion-filled moments from these events. Sports could be that one spark between a happy and depressed life.
Also, according to research, merely being a sports supporter, fan, or on-watcher could serve as an effective coping mechanism for certain additions. Addictions rely on vacant mind spaces and schedules; once there is another item on the agenda to focus on, there is the alleviation of the level of addiction as opposed to when there was nothing to focus on. Idealistically, partaking in sporting activities has been seen to fill these roles and help cope with certain addictions.
Conclusion
Several reasons make individuals get involved in sports. It could range from just having fun with it to wanting to participate professionally as a sporting person. Regardless, participation in sports has been seen to positively elevate physical, social, and mental behaviours. In addition, there are several health benefits to participating in these events. Also, individuals who have experienced had testified to inevitable increases in self-esteem and mental health as opposed to when they were not participating. In our review, we have provided you with some straightforward ways to get into sports. Depending on your personality and what you gain from participation, you can choose any method to become a part of the sporting world.
