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Sports And Slots: What Do They Have In Common?

players in Altetico Madrid, a Spanish professional football club, celebrates a goal against Real MadridSource: Getty Images

What do sports and slots have in common? It may sound like the opening line to a joke, but it’s a legit question. Everyone has their favourite sports, just as everyone has their favourite slots. Depending on the type of play you prefer and what your goals are, you may love golf versus football – or sports slots versus adventure slots.

What Makes a Sport Popular?

Sports mean different things to different people. Some see sports as a nostalgic outlet. The act of kicking a ball around and watching others do it professionally makes them remember the joy of playing as a child. Others have gone beyond seeing sports as a hobby and view them as a lifestyle or career. Watching sports becomes a chance to cheer on your heroes and thrill when your team scores the winning goal.

Certain sports have ranked at the top in terms of what people most like to watch and what’s available in their region. When gauging a sport’s popularity, many experts take into consideration the following factors: global base and audience, TV viewership, number of global professional leagues, and accessibility to the general worldwide public.

Based on these factors, we would like to cover the top ten most popular global sports.

10 Most Popular Sports in the World

Although all these sports are quite popular, we have ranked this list from least to greatest.

10. GolfGolf currently has 450 million fans around the world. It is most popular in Western Europe, East Asia, and North America. The game as we know it today was first played in 15th century Scotland, although some historians believe its ancient origins were in Rome.

9. RugbyRugby is played mostly in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It has an estimated international fan base of 475 million. Originating in medieval times, the sport evolved and spread from the UK to Australia and England. Today, the game is played by two teams of 15 players who may carry, kick, or pass a ball across an end line for points.

Screen shot from Microgaming’s sports slot, Rugby Star, available at All SlotsSource: Microgaming

8. BaseballWith 500 million fans in the world, this American classic game shows no signs of stopping. Different versions evolved in the United States before it became a nationwide source of pride and joy in the 19th century. From there, it spread to other parts of world, including Canada, the Caribbean, and Japan.

7. BasketballBasketball takes a leap from the popularity of baseball with 825 million fans in the world. Established by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Massachusetts, this widely loved game is played professionally in other countries like Spain, Russia, France, Turkey, and Italy.

6. Table TennisTable tennis, or ping pong, enjoys a global fan base of approximately 875 million. It was created in 19th century England as a miniature version of the popular lawn tennis. Quickly, the game became its own competitive sport, especially in countries like South Korea, Sweden, and China.

5. VolleyballNext up is volleyball with about 900 million international fans. Primarily played and celebrated in Western Europe and North America, volleyball is also a major sport in Brazil and Russia. The first version was invented by William G. Morgan in the United States in 1895. Starting as an amalgam of basketball, tennis, handball, and baseball, volleyball has evolved into the modern game we know today.

4. TennisIf table tennis is popular, then tennis is its much more popular, older sister. Tennis has about 1 billions fans and is prevalent all over the world. Any early version of the sport may have been played by the Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, although France is credited with popularizing the modernized version.

3. Field HockeySimilar to its icy cousin in structure, field hockey enjoys almost 2 billion fans around the world. Fans mostly cluster to see this sport played in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Originally formed in the 1800s in England, the game is similar to soccer. The main difference is that players use sticks to manoeuvre a ball instead of their feet.

2. CricketThe penultimate sport on this list is cricket. With 2.5 billion fans around the world, it is most popular in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Australia. Originating in 16th century England, it was dubbed England’s national sport in the 18th century. The game is played with two teams of eleven players each. They use a ball and a flat bat as they try to score the most runs.

1. Association Football (Soccer)Association football, or soccer, knocks all other sports out of the park with 4 billion global fans. More than half the world’s population identify themselves as soccer fans. With ancient origins in 2nd century China, the Romans, Greeks, and Japanese also played early versions of the

Which is your favourite sport? Do the numbers add up? Be inspired by your favourite sport and take a look at sports-themed slot titles like Rugby Star, available at All Slots.