The United States, as everyone knows, is central for most things around the globe with perfected infrastructure.
Well, when it comes to sports, it is also a similar thing. They, indeed, have a crazy fandom for loads of thrill and adventure.
Not to mention, they have mandatory sports for their collegiate and high school level.
Alongside earlier development and career-shaping, sports have helped unify the United States.
Well, we all have a clear view of how diversified American society is, with people of different races and cultures.
Herewith, sports has worked as the common factor that gathers everyone to a common ground.
Besides, United States also provides a high opportunity for people to indulge in sports professionally and even for the spectators.
Top 12 Most Popular Sports in America (2021 Edition)
Talks aside, and let’s dive into the most popular sports across the land today. Well, the listing below is based on the number of audiences and viewership ratings.
12. Badminton
Yes, we are starting at the bottom of the list with badminton. But, without a doubt, badminton is indeed one of the most popular sports worldwide.
However, talking about the United States, it is taken a bit like a backyard sport. Having said this, people do play this sport.
In fact, around 1.3 million people are indulged in it yearly; however, people in the States aren’t much into it. This is due to the lack of success in this field and the lack of a professional player.
Also, it is a sport with relatively lower earnings than other games and also due to low media coverage. Nonetheless, it is one of the most popular sports in the America.
11. Volleyball
Volleyball, most of the people say it to be a “girl’s game.” However, it is enjoyed thoroughly by almost 37 million active people just in the United States.
Also, it’s very safe to say that this game has been drastically growing in the professional arena.
As for its viewership, there were about 8,00,000 audiences for the game of NCAA Volleyball Championship.
Talking about it, volleyball is actually less advertised and doesn’t flaunt a perfected infrastructure and equipment.
However, if you look in the States, California is the one that is ahead in volleyball.
10. WWE
A known fact; WWE has been rocking the entertainment and sports industry ever since its launch. Widely popular worldwide, WWE is also immensely popular in the States with around 11 million fans.
Sad enough, the popularity has been suppressed lately due to the dominance of other sports.
As observed by the people, they state that WWE has a reputation content, and hence, it brings a bit of disappointment in that factor.
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9. Motor Sports
Indianapolis Motor Speedway stands as the base for motorsports in the United States. It is no doubt that this sport has been pulling numbers of fans now and then.
Today, it has around 15 million people’s fandom.
Well, just NASCAR Cup Series alone pulls approximately 8 million views. From watching it in the live audience to watching it among friends at home, motorsports pass with high marks for thrill and adventure.
8. Boxing
Well, Americans love boxing. In fact, back in the days, it used to be their pride and drew the largest audience than any other show or sport.
Herewith, it also gained the largest financial revenues.
Unfortunately, boxing is gradually losing its essence and audience in the United States.
However, even today, California is taken as the state with the highest audience in boxing in the States.
7. Golf
We all know what golf went through in the previous phase when it got called “a rich old men game.”
Well, today, golf is played by almost 10% of the United States’ population. So, yes, that is almost 30 million people interested right there.
Among those fans, 77% are said to be male, while the rest are female. As most claim, it’s been one of the greatest pastimes among people.
Still, it doesn’t stand that well in the States.
6. Tennis
Among all those sports, tennis does stand out uniquely, often called the “transitional game.” At present, tennis pulls 17.9 million people like spectators and players.
Each year, tennis has shown rapid growth of interest towards it with 292 million people. But as in the bigger picture, tennis is slightly declining among the American kids.
5. Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey is quite steady in the United States, falling in the top 5 sports.
Ranking viewership in just a single game, ice hockey depicts an average of 2.6 million views. Massachusetts, Michigan, and Minnesota are the popular hotspots for this game in particular.
Apart from it, ice hockey targets an audience ranging from 18 years to 45 years. Also, as per the sources, the target percent of their audience is 20%, just in the United States.
4. Soccer
It is the most enjoyed and popular game around the globe, but if you look through the context of the United States, it is getting fame just now.
Finally, the Americans are getting the hang of this game and enjoying its beauty. Yet, it stays as one of the most popular sports.
All around the States, Washington is the hotspot for soccer and its rising popularity.
Currently, soccer grabs around 24.2 million views of people in the United States.
Although it’s getting admiration, it is still hard to get to the top, as it doesn’t match American culture.
3. Baseball
Most people wonder, “Why is baseball so popular in the States?” The answer is simple; it is due to the physical power that his sport challenges.
Alongside it, it’s also due to the equal importance of strategy, patience, and a pressurized environment that provided the fulfillment of thrill.
However, it’s slowly declining. For example, back in the early 2000s, baseball drew around 80 million views, while it just starrs 26.8 million views at present.
Having said this, baseball is slowly falling from being America’s favorite pastime.
2. Basketball
All around the world, basketball is the most popular in the United States. Well, it is a highly popularized sport due to its fun tactics, exciting pace, and known opportunity.
Moreover, it passes the thrill check and is eye candy even to the spectators. On an average level, basketball gains 105 million views per game.
1. American Football
By no doubt, American football is the most popular sport in the United States. Simply, it garners 37% of the population, claiming it to be their favorite sport in the States.
In the meantime, it is also recorded to gain the highest number of live audiences in the stadium with 67,591 than any other league.
Likewise, in the meantime, this sport is widely played since the beginning, from the high school level to the collegiate level and international arena.
Well, it simply depicts diversified chances and gives much more opportunities to grow.
You also may want to learn in detail about the top ten most dangerous sports of all time.
Summary
Altogether, we have summed up our list as per their popularity rate. As diversified and unified the nation is, so is the sports.
Every nook and corner is together in this common field of the sports industry.
Hence, below is the summarized list of the most popular sports in the United States.
- American football
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Soccer
- Ice hockey
- Tennis
- Golf
- Boxing
- Motorsports
- WWE (wrestling)
- Volleyball
- Badminton
You might be interested to learn about the top sixteen most popular sports all over the world.
