Top 10 Worst Sports in the World

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In the world of sports, a sport dominates the rating list based on the number of fanbases and the content it provides. Based on this, different sports are rated from best to worst in the world. 

No matter how boring or confusing the sport is, it’s always the best for their fan. The same goes for the players who play the sport; they have their own perspective toward the sport they play.

Cheer Leaders
Cheer Leaders (Source: Freepik)

In this read, we will see the 10 worst sports in the world based on the dullness of the game. 

Read all to find out why these sports came in today’s worse sports in the world ranking. 

Top 10 Worst Sports in the World

Care to see if your favorite sport made a list? Here’s a quick listing.

Ranking Sport Established Period
1. Cheerleading 1898 AD
2. Golf 15th Century
3. Curling 1807 AD
4. Snooker 1875 AD
5. Darts 14th Century
6. Dressage 19th Century
7. Chess 7th Century
8. Cricket 16th Century
9. Marathon 1975 AD
10. Nascar 1948 AD

10. Nascar 

Didn’t we enjoy The Fast and The Furious franchise? Well, Nascar is exactly the concept the movie is based on, except its 100% original and without the CGI parts, action fight scenes, and of course, your favorite Hollywood stars.

The sport might be expensive and riskier, but like every sport on the list, Nascar comes on the 10th ranking of worst sports in the world. 

NASCAR Racing Event
NASCAR Racing Event (Source: Inc. Magazine)

The idea of professional race drivers pitting against each other in a competition to finish making rounds in circles first doesn’t seem to fit the eye of most spectators.

Compared to other professional car races offering a variety of thrills, Nascar doesn’t seem to draw the people’s needed amount of interest and attention. 

However, Nascar would have been more fun if it had a bit of twist and turn aspect to the sport. 

There are various competition series dedicated to NASCAR racing, such as Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Craftsman Truck Series, and so on.

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series will start with the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Learn About NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, His Wife, Career, And Net Worth>>

9. Marathon 

Do you know where humans rank in the longest-runner list in the animal kingdom? You would be surprised to know that humans rank second in the ranking, the first being horse. It’s hard to believe, but nature has given humans the ability to run the furthest.

We might lack speed but not endurance; we dominate the animal kingdom in endurance. The best part is we can train and enhance our endurance and take it to the next level. This is where Marathon comes in. 

In Marathon, many people run on a track against each other to prove who has the best endurance and skill. 

Fastest Marathon Runner, Eliud
Fastest Marathon Runner, Eliud (Source: New Frame)

A Marathon might be a thrilling experience for the coach, runner, and their family members, but it’s a totally different story for the onlookers.

Just imagine running on a sunny day. It’s going to be that one experience you wouldn’t want to repeat in the future. Similarly, the only funny part for the spectators might be seeing runners tripping and falling.

Besides this, there isn’t much you can watch or like, making it the worst sport on the world list. 

From July 15-24, 2022, the 2022 World Athletics Championships was organized at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States.

Learn About The Fastest Marathon Runner, Eliud Kipchoge>>

8. Cricket

Cricket!? Like really? If you were like this when you saw the sport on today’s list, then sorry to disappoint you, but yes, it is true. Cricket comes in 8th for being the worst sport on our list.

We can’t deny that this sport has a great fan following in south Asia and the Australian region, but apart from that, the sport doesn’t get much attention.

Yes, the sport is fun to watch if you understand the game, but the main boring thing about cricket is its lengthy test matches.

Test Cricket in the top 10 worst sports in the world
A Red Ball Format Cricket (Source: ESPNcricinfo)

Even for great cricket enthusiasts, this test match is considered boring. In a test match, two teams compete against each other for five days, and the winner is declared based on who has the highest wins.

Like, do we even need five days to decide that? 

This might be funny, but what is the motivation behind watching the same players hitting the same sad ball all over the ground for five consecutive days? This seems unfair for the spectators and, of course, for the ball too. 

Learn More About The Top 10 Funniest Moments in the History of Cricket>>

7. Chess

For this one, I’m sure we all agree that it’s the most boring sport to watch or play.

Many of us must have loved this game when we were small, but as we grew up, we were introduced to many other more thrilling and exciting sports.

Due to this, most of us lost our interest in this sport.

You might also be saying; wait, is Chess even a sport? Well, yes! Chess has been classified as a sport by the International Olympic Committee. 

World Chess Champion, Magnus Carlsen
World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen (Source: World Chess)

Chess might be a sport that the International Olympic Committee recognized, but it is the worst sport in the world for most people. Playing it is a challenge, but imagine watching it. It drains your mind and energy at the same time. 

There isn’t much to say when two people play a game where nothing much seems to happen. Would you enjoy watching it? Probably not.

Here Is The List Of Top 10 Chess Players: The Exclusive List>>

6. Dressage

This might be the first time you have heard about this sport. If it were a famous sport like basketball or football, it wouldn’t have made it into the list. 

Dressage is a sport where the rider and horse perform a series of maneuvers, from the simplest to the hardest.

Some consider it a form of art of equestrian sport, whereas some pursue it solely for the sake of mastery.

Steffen Peters At The FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle
Steffen Peters At The FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle (Source: WIRED)

The whole process of training and obedience is sure to affect the horse’s natural behavior and living pattern. In addition, the training procedure is sure to be stressful for poor animals.

It has also been seen that the horses trained for this sport are trained and oppressed—no wonder many people these days hate the sport and consider not watching it.

It HAS BEEN included in Olympic program since THE 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm.

Who could enjoy watching or participating in a sport where someone deprives the poor animal of its freedom and forces them into performing a show which hurts them? As it’s painful for the spectators, it’s more painful for the animal. 

5. Darts

It’s the one sport we have all played at some point in our life. It’s the sport that everyone knows about. 

Darts is a sport in which multiple players compete against each other by throwing small missile-shaped pointers (darts) at a target on a dartboard.

In this sport, points are scored based on how close the dart hits the target. Here, the closer the dart lands toward the center, the more point is received.  

Dart In The Top 10 Worst Sports In The World
Player Throwing A Dart (Source: Bleacher Report)

This sport might be fun for the people playing it, but it gets boring after a few minutes. Similarly, there is a reason why people don’t enjoy watching this sport.

One main reason is that there is almost no physical activity involved. Also, watching people play this sport is equally boring.

There is a reason why darts is ranked at number five in the worst sports in the world list.

People don’t enjoy watching darts on TV or anywhere when there are so many other exciting and fun sports to watch. 

From 15 December 2022 – 3 January 2023, PDC World Darts Championship will take place at the Alexandra Palace in London.

4. Snooker

At some point, we’ve seen a guy doing incredible Snooker trick shots on the internet. But the same game that seemed interesting in that clip doesn’t seem to be thrilling to most. 

It could be a fun game for you if you’re a snooker player, but it gets super boring for those watching it live or on the TV.

Snooker
Snooker (Source: Eurosport)

When a poll was conducted in the UK for the worst sport to watch, Snooker came at #5. 

Plus, the sport isn’t a rookie-friendly sport. One missed strike from the pole could tear the expensive snooker tablecloth. This could ruin your day or your wallet. Due to this, most beginner people are afraid even to try it. 

Here’s a little fact for you. People watch snooker and golf videos to fall asleep at night.

You Can Read The Article On The Number 1 Snooker Player, Judd Trump>> 

3. Curling

Here’s another sport that most of us haven’t heard about or simply don’t like. 

Curling is an Olympic-approved sport where two teams with four players each take turns sliding heavy, polished granite rocks (stones) across the ice curling sheet toward the house (a circular target marked on the ice).

2020, Winter Olympics. (Source Wikimedia)

Apart from the players, coaches, and supporters, it’s a bland and meaningless sport. Eight people pushing a stone on an icy floor on a cold day doesn’t seem to catch enough attention.

It even gets worse; people would have to stand in the cold just to watch a sport where nothing much happens. 

2. Golf

Some refer to golf as the sport of the kings, but even so, people seem to hate the sport. So golf sits at #2 in the worst sports list.

Out of the many reasons people hate golf, it’s due to its uncanny rules. There is a rule in golf called the Cactus Rule.

Here, it states that if your ball lands on a cactus, you get to cover your arms and legs to protect yourself from its spikes. But you can’t cover the cactus, and you’ll get penalized if you do.

Tiger Woods Swinging His Club
Tiger Woods Swinging His Club (Source: The New York Times)

It’s strange but true. And it doesn’t stop here; Golf has all sorts of strange and funny rules. The Air rule, the Orange rule, the Flying Insect rule, you name it.

Well, don’t get us wrong, though, players aren’t allowed to cover themselves with towels and hit each other with their clubs!

One Of The Legend Of This Sport, Tiger Woods. Learn About Tiger Woods, His Career, And Net Worth>>

1. Cheerleading

Is Cheerleading even a sport? Well, as per the definition of sport, yes. It is considered a form of sport. It fulfills all the criteria of being a sport. 

Cheerleading is a sport where the participants (Cheerleaders) cheer for their team, and encourage and hype them up. It can range from chanting slogans to doing different acrobatic stunts.

This helps to entertain the crowds and encourage the team.

Cheerleading (Source: Wikimedia)
Cheerleading (Source: Wikimedia)

As pleasing as it might seem, Cheerleading is the number one worst sport in the world in today’s listing. As per most spectators, the main reason behind such hate is its existence and its risk.

Peoples find it unnecessary because the fans are already there to cheer and encourage their teams. Plus, the sport is way too risky. 

There aren’t any official rules and regulations for protecting cheerleaders. In the past, Cheerleaders have damaged parts of their brains because no safety measures were taken to protect them. Therefore, taking the number one spot from the worst sports in the world list.

Conclusion

Each sport is unique and beautiful in its own way. In the end, it’s up to us to decide for ourselves which fits the best and which doesn’t according to our interest. 

The ranking of the sport might be low or high, but it means the world to those who play it. It’s their favorite sport and the one sport that makes them happy. Isn’t it the reason why we play sports? To be happy?

We hope you enjoyed reading this article, hope to see you in the next one!

You Can Also Take A Look At The Top 10 Worst Sports Injury Till Now>>

Sanjib Sah
Sanjib Sah
Sanjib Sah is an engineer and content writer passionate about sports and athletics. With a background in engineering and a love for all things active, Sanjib brings a unique perspective to the world of sports writing. Whether he is covering the latest trends in sports technology or sharing tips on improving your game, Sanjib's words are always rooted in a deep appreciation for players' hard work and dedication everywhere. In his free time, you can find him hitting the courts or hitting the trails, always looking for new ways to challenge himself and improve his skills.

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