why are some sports only popular in certain places?

[MoFo]

Maybe somebody can help me. Just wondering why some sports become MASSIVE in some places, but just don't catch on anywhere else.

Liek why is American Football so popular in America, but nowhere else?

Why is ice hockey so big in Canada, and to an extent in America and the soviet & nordic states, but nowhere else?

Why is cricket so MASSIVE in India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka/Bangladesh, but not that relatively popular elsewhere, especially in the Americas?

Why did football never really catch on in America?

Lacrosse?

Why is rugby popular in a few countries, but rugby league isn't?

Why is basketball only big in tiny European countries and America, and not really anywhere else?

Why is baseball big in Japan and America and it's neighbours, and nowhere in between?

Other than a terrible attention span possibly explaining why cricket and football never caught on in America (although, doesn't explain baseball), I really have no answers to any of the above.

[Team Sheep]

Most countries' allegiances to sport have been integrated due to the old British Empire (Rugby Union, Cricket). Football is most popular around the world because it's such a simple and inexpensive game which anyone can play. The United States pretty much made up their own sports as a symbolism of independence.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

It's usually because of which sports the social elite were playing when sport started to be organised into associations. This then filters down through the rest of society. Therefore, the British colonials brought their sports to various parts of the world, the social elite would adopt them to be more like the British and eventually the sports would open up and catch on with everyone. Similarly, I believe basketball and American football (not sure about baseball, which is virtually identical to rounders) have their roots in American social elite.

In America, immigrants would obviously leave behind their own sports to assimilate.

[BigDaddyCool]

Hockey is easy to answer. In Canada, Norway and Russia you have frozen lakes you and play on all winter. Further south you have to make your own ice to play on. Also in the north, where you have frozen lakes to skate on for free, you are more likely to own more stuff to go skating with. So the cost of specialization increase the warmer you get. Pretty easy to figure out why hockey caught on up north.

[Stickman]

I have nothing to add to this thread but I think it's a great question.

[Nervous Ferret]

gridiron footy, basketball and baseball are the best because they are American baby. Other countries are weird and like other stuff bc they hate our freedom

[El Fangel]

A lot are usually popular in their birthplace or places like it.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Soccer/Football not being popular in America: Attention Span problem. 45 Minutes without a commercial break, halftime and then another 45 minutes without a commercial break. Also a "fuck what other countries like" mentality.

[Skippord]

also it's boring as shit 85% of the time

[Cool King]

I remember seeing this story on the news and was quite surprised that Cricket was being played in America.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12382224

Also, I notice that American Football and Basketball are getting "big" over here in the UK now.

I remember some NFL game was being played at Wembley a few years ago and there was a lot of talk about it, then for about the past two or three years in a row Sky Sports have shown the SuperBowl live and people are always talking about it.

And just a few days ago, I saw Sky Sports News running a story on LeBron James and then they spoke about Basketball after it which I've never seen before, that being Sky Sports News talking about Basketball and a player.

They also keep the scores of NFL and NBA games on the screen along with the Football, Rugby and Cricket scores.

[Londoner]

also it's boring as shit 85% of the time

Wrong.

[Londoner]

I remember seeing this story on the news and was quite surprised that Cricket was being played in America.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12382224

Also, I notice that American Football and Basketball are getting "big" over here in the UK now.

I remember some NFL game was being played at Wembley a few years ago and there was a lot of talk about it, then for about the past two or three years in a row Sky Sports have shown the SuperBowl live and people are always talking about it.

And just a few days ago, I saw Sky Sports News running a story on LeBron James and then they spoke about Basketball after it which I've never seen before, that being Sky Sports News talking about Basketball and a player.

They also keep the scores of NFL and NBA games on the screen along with the Football, Rugby and Cricket scores.

The thing about Lebron is that he's now a Liverpool shareholder, that's why they were reporting about him. And NFL is still being done at wembley.

[Team Sheep]

I wouldn't say NFL is getting "big" here but it's gradually growing. The NFL has had spurts of popularity in the past and has died down pretty quickly. It's just a cyclical process of the NFL temporarily exploiting our interest and then it gets pulled away when the realisation comes that nothing huge can come of it. We can fill Wembley Stadium for a one off game sure, but to really gauge and test the true popularity and commitment of real British fans they need to start doing more than one, which they haven't got the balls to do. They're likely to pull the plug on the International Series before they start playing 2 games. I hope I'm wrong but I can't see it. I've been to all 4 International Series games at Wembley and a lot of the "fans" are just locals who've gone along for the occasion and the pre-game tailgate party and don't have a clue about what's going on. Don't get me wrong there's a lot of real fans there too but not 90,000 of them.

Also the Super Bowl is watched by every one, it doesn't really mean anything in terms of measuring a fan base. It's a shame really because a lot of people really get into it by watching the Super Bowl but it's such a long wait until September that they forget about it by the time the new season rolls around.

[El Fangel]

Im sorry TL, but soccer is so goddamn boring its not funny.

A 1-0, or 2-1 game is common and thats terrible.

[Londoner]

Im sorry TL, but soccer is so goddamn boring its not funny.

A 1-0, or 2-1 game is common and thats terrible.

No need to apologize for being wrong. If you wanna boring sport check baseball or basketball. Don't expect you guys to 'get it' anyhow. :cool:

It isn't like american sports are always the best action ever anyway. NHL/NFL only ones i watch and NFL is frustrating alot of the time. Basketballs just non stop same shit over n over with Lakers always winning every year, and you know my thoughts on Baseball.

[El Fangel]

I only really watch hockey, trying to get into baseball during the summer as its hockeys offseason, but even I admit that its pretty boring.

Football is ok, Ill watch it if I have nothing else to do, I like the physicality of it but the season is only 16 games and sometimes teams dont face each other all season which makes no fucking sense to me at all.

Basketball? Id rather watch golf, seriously.

[Team Sheep]

Im sorry TL, but soccer is so goddamn boring its not funny.

A 1-0, or 2-1 game is common and thats terrible.

This is what gripes me about non-football fans. If you're only watching it for the goals then you're going to be disappointed. It's so much more than that. Fair enough if you don't like the sport, it's just a shitty reason.

[Team Sheep]

I'd rather watch a 0-0 football game than a 110-108 basketball game.

[Londoner]

This is what gripes me about non-football fans. If you're only watching it for the goals then you're going to be disappointed. It's so much more than that. Fair enough if you don't like the sport, it's just a shitty reason.

Yeah that's what i wanted to point out also but couldn't the fucking words.:facepalm:

[Skippord]

it's not the lack of goals

it's because I don't much care for watching people jog around a field for an hour and a half

[Londoner]

Seems you're a baseball fan though Skippord, so you'd much rather watch people just standing there, and someone chucking a ball and a batsmen mostly missing it for 3 or 4 hours? Seriously there's more to football than just jogging around but as i said, you wont get that unless you've given it a proper chance.

[Stickman]

I'm really starting to enjoy watching curling.

[CSL]

Fuck all this noise, outstanding fight going on rn between Marcos Maidana and Erik Morales

[Londoner]

I'm watching that.

[CSL]

mans putting on a bwad man show

[Londoner]

that was great

[CSL]

srsly. Unbelievable fight.

[CSL]

Do not see how anybody had that 116-112 Maidana

[Cooler Tom Schuler]

Seems you're a baseball fan though Skippord, so you'd much rather watch people just standing there, and someone chucking a ball and a batsmen mostly missing it for 3 or 4 hours? Seriously there's more to football than just jogging around but as i said, you wont get that unless you've given it a proper chance.

Heh. Batsmen.

[Cool King]

I'm really starting to enjoy watching curling.

Curling is fun. :)

[Emperor Smeat]

Money is a big factor with soccer being one of the cheapest sports to play due to all that is needed is a ball and a field of any type (ex. grass, dirt, sand, concrete). Other sports require more stuff or special circumstances like hockey needing ice.

Rugby used to be huge in the US until the early 1910s when too many deaths from college games forced the US version of rugby to evolve more into today's current football.

[Nicky Fives]

Cricket is far too complicated for Canadians..... we like things simple..... you have a stick and you use it to put a black disc into a net.....

[Nicky Fives]

Money is a big factor with soccer being one of the cheapest sports to play due to all that is needed is a ball and a field of any type (ex. grass, dirt, sand, concrete). Other sports require more stuff or special circumstances like hockey needing ice.

Rugby used to be huge in the US until the early 1910s when too many deaths from college games forced the US version of rugby to evolve more into today's current football.

hockey can be played anywhere, not just on ice.....

[Hanso Amore]

I think there is something to be said of sports as a tradition. I played baseball and football because my dad did and he got me into them.

American SPorts are very young. Cricket and Footie are centuries old. the NFL is less than 100 years old and the modern game is only like 50. They are spreading, but the foothold takes time.

[The Mask]

goals being relatively rare is what makes football ace. like it is a proper cause for euphoric celebration rather than in basketball where people only really give a shit if someone wins the game right at the buzzer.

of course it helps to be emotionally invested in a team to get this effect.

[Stickman]

Basketball is pretty brutal, the game doesn't mean anything until the fourth quarter and the last 2 minutes end up taking 2 days to play because of all the time outs.

[Mooияakeя™]

I watch Ice Hockey over here, It's not huge, but Nottingham's arena is awesome and the Coventry one holds at least 2,000 and is always full or 95% full.

[Razzamajazz]

soccer is more popular in america than most people realize. it's just not followed by the major media

and rugby is played in most colleges and on almost every military base i've been on

[Requiem]

Soccer and baseball are the two most boring sports I have ever witnessed. Basketball is slightly more entertaining, but American football is where it's at.

[Mooияakeя™]

Football is only boring when teams don't know what the fuck they're doing. You can either have a beautiful passing game the likes of Barca and (at one time Liverpool), chuck the ball up front for your springheeled Ferdinand's or go down 5/6 leagues from the premier and watch people bash the shit out of each other in mud fields.

It's like every sport. It can be boring when there's a shit game on the go. It happens, but as the legendary Andy Gray said "That's why I love this game, anything can happen, just when you think it wouldn't"

[Requiem]

No, it's pretty much always boring.

[Requiem]

The sport itself is boring. It doesn't matter what teams are playing, or if they're rivals or whatever. The act of kicking the ball around for hours while only scoring 1-2 points, is extremely boring.

[MoFo]

Yr too fixated on the 'goals' part.

It's much more than that.

[Razzamajazz]

it's fun to play but boring as hell to watch

[Team Sheep]

I think America's problem with football is that their only exposure to it is the World Cup and MLS which are pretty fucking boring.

[Team Sheep]

Hardly a revelation I know but just thought I'd remind everyone.

[RoXer]

It's much more than that.

But so is baseball.

[Team Sheep]

Soccer/Football not being popular in America: Attention Span problem. 45 Minutes without a commercial break, halftime and then another 45 minutes without a commercial break.

This is true. Most Americans don't have the patience to sit through continuous play whilst most Brits for example don't have the patience to sit through constant commercial breaks. Just comes down to culture and what we've grown up with. You guys deal with the ad breaks because you haven't known sport to be any different. Over here, the breaks are one of the main reasons people don't watch American sports, they're unbearable to most of us.

[Stickman]

I've really enjoyed watching the Whitecaps in the MLS. The style of play is very up and down and because of that low scoring can be great with a lot of chances.

[parkmania]

It's usually because of which sports the social elite were playing when sport started to be organised into associations. This then filters down through the rest of society. Therefore, the British colonials brought their sports to various parts of the world, the social elite would adopt them to be more like the British and eventually the sports would open up and catch on with everyone. Similarly, I believe basketball and American football (not sure about baseball, which is virtually identical to rounders) have their roots in American social elite.

In America, immigrants would obviously leave behind their own sports to assimilate.

Incorrect about basketball - it was developed by James Naismith to keep YMCA youth in shape when they couldn't go out and run track during New England winters.

[parkmania]

Oh, and things like this making national "news" is part of what keeps Americans away from soccer (Gasp, I said a dirty word):

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/haxdJT6MBoE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Sean]

I can really only speak on a few sports:

With hockey as has been mentioned, it's mostly a weather issue, thus it's popularity lies in colder climates because that's where you can play on frozen ponds. Baseball's popularity in Japan is a result of American occupation following WW2. The troops brought the sport over and it caught on. Pretty sure it's a similar deal with Latin America. American Football, from what I've encountered, is criticized abroad because of the perceived lack of athleticism from the bigger aka fatter players, excessive padding in comparison to the similar sport of rugby, the lack of actual action in the game, the constant starting and stopping and the name of the sport, considering the "other" football is the most popular sport on the planet (and actually makes sense as a name).

Football will never be popular in America - certainly not to the extent it is nearly everywhere else in the world. It's too low scoring and people here hate draws, America would find it hard to appreciate a 0-0 draw whereas I enjoyed the first Spurs/City match this season immensely. Not to mention the fact that it does not translate to American-style sport viewing as there are no commercial breaks so attention must be paid 45 minutes straight.

Then there's the fact that - unlike American sports - shit teams don't get rewarded so unless they're bought by billionaires a la Man City they're going to stay shit. In America, shit teams get first pick of the best amateurs whereas in football, the best players sign with the richest/biggest/most successful clubs. I think it's also important to bring up that there is a huge contrast in statistics. Whether or not people realize it, we fucking love stats and inventing new stats, for that matter. While there are stats in football, it's really just goals scored and assists for individual players for the most part. Player ratings for American sports have become virtually objective as they are proven mathematically. There is an incredible amount of subjectivity in football, which is a nice change for me.

And then there's the whole 'MURICA aspect. Sure Canada invented hockey, baseball is an adaptation of rounders as American Football is with rugby, but really these sports have taken on American identities. Football is inherently global in its identity and Americans don't like that. I don't think they'd take kindly to the idea of being mediocre in a sport, thus they'd rather dismiss it. And thus it's considered a joke sport far too much. I think the foreign-sounding names would also be a problem. I see it with hockey (a niche sport) and when Sportscenter chooses to show highlights from matches. Pronouncing Barca as Bar-ka and Eric Abidal as A-bid-ul are recent examples.