With over 3 billion fans, soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and there are a few reasons why that is the case. There is not a massive difference between it and other sports like cricket, which has over 2 billion fans. But the fact is that some soccer events have the same viewership as the Olympic games.
If you aren’t a soccer fan, you might research why their players are the most paid athletes worldwide and why clubs get so much respect from their fans. For sports betting fans, switching to soccer can be a great idea, considering how many options you have. Almost every league has millions of tips weekly, like Bundesliga predictions, which is the top company in Germany.
Long History
The oldest club in the world is Sheffield United, founded almost 200 years ago in England. Although there are other sports with long histories and clubs over 100 years old, the campaign to spread the sport was a massive success in England, and soon enough, there were tens of clubs.
One of its most significant advantages over other sports is that everyone can play it; even making a ball was easy back then. Without electricity, kids would make a ball out of socks and kick it between 2 bags that mimicked the goal.
The Champions League started over 60 years ago and became one of the most significant sports events in the world besides the World Cup. You don’t need 11 players as we see in the major leagues; you can do it even with three people on each side. The goals can be smaller, and you can play without the goalkeeper because shooting through a 4-foot plane can be hard.
Fans and Money
Investors and people generally go where the money is, one reason soccer has expanded so fast worldwide. As the number of fans grew, more money was involved, and almost a hundred years ago, you had professional players who were paid to play. On the other hand, you have rugby, a prevalent sport, but you couldn’t play professionally until 1995.
When you make your Bundesliga predictions today, check their stadiums and fans, and you will realize how different the game is. The atmosphere that their fans create can shake players and influence the game. With beautiful choreography, they support the teams as their lifestyle.
The biggest stadium in the NFL has just over 80,000 seats, while there are multiple stadiums with over 80,000 seats in the EU. Some of them have over 100,000 seats, which certain sports can’t fill when organizing games.
Players Influence
Popularity comes from the players and how well they represent themselves and the sport they play. A great example is Christiano Ronaldo, who reached 500 million followers on Instagram and became the world’s top social media personality. You also have many younger players who are part of social media cultures, like Haaland and Mbappe.
This can be said for other sports, but the number of fans sharing their favorite players is much more extensive for soccer than for different sports. Sadio Mane became one of the fans’ favorites in 2022 because he showed how humble he is even after signing for the most prominent German team. Many people will have them in their Bundesliga picks, meaning he significantly influences people.
They also have much more money and appear in commercials around the world. Some are paid a few million dollars monthly, which only applies to a few NBA players. The game will change in the future, but it will most likely still be the most popular.
