Say's someone in an ex-british colony :1orglaugh

:thumbsup

Not just the Europeans, more like every country in the world except North America. The South Americans are proberbly the most passionate football fans in the world.

1) Football: 3.3-3.5 billion fans (Europe, Africa, Asia, Americas, etc.)
2) Cricket: 2-3 billion fans (India, UK, Pakistan, Asia, Australia, etc.)
3) Field hockey: 2-2.2 billion fans (Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia)
4) Tennis: Around 1 billion fans (Europe, Americas, Asia)
5) Volleyball: Around 900 million fans (Asia, Europe, Americas, Australia)
6) Table tennis: Around 900 million fans (Asia, Europe, Africa, Americas)
7) Baseball: Around 500 million fans (US, Japan, Cuba, Dominican Republic)
8) Golf: Around 400 million fans (US, Canada, Europe)
9) Gridiron (American football): 390-410 million fans (US mainly)
10) Basketball: Not more than 400 million fans (US, Canada mainly)

source

I keep it subtle.

It's footballs simplicity, it's passion and it's global reach that makes it the world sport. Theres nothing complicated about it, it's what makes it so special, it brings together all parts of the world.

Why does a sport have to be complicated?



Why should everything be about money and the more complicated it is the better it is? I don't understand that viewpoint.

I went to see a baseball game in arizona when i was younger and every X minuites there was entertainment as though the baseball game wasn't even the main attraction. It was pretty surreal how I went to see a sports game and there was little sport involved. Don't get me wrong I enoyed it. I loved it, but it wasn't really about the sport.

I'm not here to hate, I love sports and will give anything a go and watch any sport, but saying the world's most popular sport is rubbish is retarded. Your entitled to your opinion, but at least ponder for a while the global reach of football and how no other sport not even comes close. I know this will turn into a stupid thread but I hope I can have a meaningful debate with someone.

N. America?
Is Canada and Mexico in N. America?
I would say USA is the only country in the world.

I don't have the attention span for sports. They're all boring to me. Baseball is incredibly boring. Bunch of guys standing around scratching their nuts. Soccer doesn't interest me enough to even try to watch. I can usually muster 10 - 15 minutes for football. Basketball is just a waste of television air time.

I love how this is the de facto answer to explain its popularity. You give no credit to the fact that everyone LOVES playing it. The fact that you need instant gratification and an advert every 3 minutes just shows that you don't have any patience, nothing more.

Frankly I'm very happy US fans don't like football. You're shit at it anyway. Stick to bowling and Nascar, it suits you more.

The rest of the 4 billion watching the world cup will enjoy it without you.

/end of story, move along.

I can appreciate that it's highly, highly popular worldwide.. like formula 1 racing.. but man it's hard for me personally to get into. Really nothing more complicated than that.

Well, India itself has like 1.2 billion, so those stats are kinda jinxed. I was talking more of a global reach as far as countries. Im sure ping pong is the shit in China, and that?s close to 2 billion people right there.

It's strange i can't get over this idea that the more complicated and expensive a sport is, the better is must be????

How come? Please explain.

Pretty much says it all....

Soccer.

http://imgur.com/9kwid.jpg

Americans can?t play soccer because 70% of them are overweight fat fucks that will have a stroke if they try.

Meaningful debate with someone who starts a thread to bash the game for no reason than the World Cup has started, and he's upset because it's filled the TV schedule with games that replace his usual shopping shows and Dr. Phil. Nah, you won't get debate here.

Americans dont like soccer because we love pussy and guns.

What's the most expensive sport, I'm not talking about audience ticket price but to actually do it?

Ice Hockey.

You dont know why bowling is popular?

http://www.picum.com/ggj/havefun.jpg

very good question. I can only guess. My first would be F1 racing. Yachting must be near the top too. There may be others I can't think of at the top of my head.

But I think F1, just because the setup is so high.

The most boring sport to watch - Field Hockey, I thought I'll grow a beard when I watched that once as a part of Olympics

No he's right, soccer is cheap to play, those other sports are bad examples. Ping pong requires a table, paddles, and it's not a team sport that kids on a playground can play. Basketball requires at least one hoop, preferably with netting and a backboard, and a court.

Soccer on the other hand requires a ball, and a couple of makeshift goal posts. Doesn't even have to be an actual soccer ball, any ball of equitable size will do. No other gear needed. No specialized training either, just kick - pass - kick until someone scores. Rinse, repeat.

I don't see it as a bad thing when someone says it's popular because it's cheap to play. In fact it's pretty damn accurate, but it's also because most other sports just aren't as basic and as cheaply and easily played as soccer/football. I'm not sure why poeple want to argue the point either. I mean, if that's not the reason it's the most popular sport on Earth then what is? Some would say it's so popular because it's just a far superior sport than all others, but that's just pure fantasy talking.

Fact is, it being so cheap to join in and play has almost everything to do with it.

Europeans are too smart for NASCAR. They expect their race car drivers to know how to turn right and left.

totally agree

Formula 1, or Americas Cup yacht racing would be most expensive almost for sure.. They make those yachts out of freaking space age materials for 1 race, it's just spendy as hell.

Exactly, that's why you also find so many amazing players in places like South America or Africa

actually no, we wouldn't Jimmy. It's really boring.

Imagine the co-pilot conversations go something like this (I know there is only one guy driving btw Jimmy, no co-pilot this is hypothetical):

"Ok, Take a left.....now take another left, sharp left here, now take another left, and another left....and left here....now another left......ok this one's a left.....another left here.....now a right , NO NO NO, actually sorry thats a left....and so on."

Gee, wildly exciting. I see how you took Formula 1 and sucked the life out of it, and created Nascar!! good for you. I like how you did that.

Who are your all time favorite players?

My favorite players would be:

1) Diego Armando Maradona
2) Paul Gascoigne
3) Eric Cantona

Not exactly easy types to deal with but incredible players

Yeah, I prefer watching a fast, hard hitting action packed game. Watching soccer is like watching golf and not knowing any of the players.

Maradona before my time and only just remember the other 2 :1orglaugh:1orglaugh

1)Zinadine Zidane
the end ;)

Like baseball?

Maradona was expecting that delivery of blow that got held up in The Gambia. It was supposed to be his party supply during the World Cup...i guess he'll have to stick to eating babies instead.

Now to answer your question:

Cantona is up there for sure.
Pele you can't beat his skill and flair for the game.
Johann Cruyff
Platini
George Best
Rooney....going to prove it this world cup...

Now that's a list I can relate to.

Ain't old either but I remember Maradona as a kid and saw some documentaries about him

Zidane was incredible indeed - I remember him playing a UEFA cup finals against Bayern Munich with Bordeaux among with Christophe Dugarry before he left to Italy, of course he was a major force behind the late Juventus

From others I also always greatly enjoyed Gianlucca Vialli - that guy had a major drive

Hristo Stoichkov - incredible left foot and a killer scorer

George Hagi - also incredible left foot, that guy could kill with his power shot

Ronald Koeman - he could crack a bar from 35 meters, never understood that and the only guy who comes close to that would probably be Roberto Carlos

I am so glad I could watch those amazing guys playing the Champions league and in their national teams as a kid

Very true I watched some vintage documentaries - all incredible players and a major presence on the field, those were guys that were able to decide the whole match by themselves

Stuart Pierce had a left foot just like that. Was amazing to watch him thump the ball so hard it almost burst out the back of the net.

I remember "Psycho" Pierce taking that crucial penalty shot in a shoot out, was that against Germany in 1996 ?

yes he scored in 96 at the euros, along with Shearer Platt and Gascoine.

Pele - For obvious reasons
Best - Also for obvious reasons
Beckham - For his passion to play for his country


Maradona - Cheating bastard.