Here's why football is the most popular and wagered on sport

Image courtesy Jannes Glas at History of Soccer

Soccer is still the most popular sport worldwide. It is the most followed, most played, and most-watched sport among all the ones out there. One of the most popular football sports events is the FIF World Cup which is held every four years and would have over 500 million audience and viewers worldwide.

The most popularly followed football tournament each year is the English Premier League and it is the most-watched sports league as well. It is broadcasted in over 200 territories with around 640 million homes. It is estimated that it has a TV audience of over 4.7 billion – that’s over half of the world’s total population.

Since football is the most popular sport, it’s not surprising that it is also the most wagered on sport worldwide. Football betting odds are extremely popular every time it’s the season of the biggest leagues like the EPL and the FIFA World Cup.

Here are some of the most common reasons people love the sport

Surely, it is incredible how much interest people have in this sport. Have you ever wondered what makes it so popular? Here are some common reasons why.

It's relatively inexpensive

This sport is not necessarily expensive if you want to play it. It only requires ample space and a soccer ball. Kids and even people who do not have soccer balls can even use any if they want to play it. There is no need to buy other sports equipment to play this game. To mark the goal areas, you can just use chalk or anything that could mark the necessary spots.

The sport can be played anywhere

There is no need to rent a field or court for this. It doesn’t even have to be played on sports fields as you can also play it indoors. You can just look for an empty lot or a street that’s not so busy to enjoy it. Whether you play it in a professional field, court, the park, or even your backyard, it’s perfectly fine. This is a sport you can play anywhere as long as you consider everyone’s safety.

It's direct and simple

Football is easy once you already know the rules. The game or a match lasts 90 minutes and the goal of each team is to kick the ball go into the goal area of the opponent’s side. The team with the most scored goals after 90 minutes wins. The basics are easy that even five-year-olds can understand.

When watching a professional football match, however, it does seem like it’s a complicated sport. There are already plenty of factors to consider when playing professionally but the players you see in life or on TV will always have one goal in mind: to score as many goals as possible.

Its rich history

Football is also one of the oldest sports that are still played today. FIFA has said that ball games similar to today’s football can be traced back to as early as 200 B.C. in the United Kingdom. It’s been so long ago that the sport evolved and is played how it is today.

When it comes to the first-ever played FA Cup in England, it was in 1871. The following year was the first international football game between England and Scotland. Since then, more matches came about, and finally, in 1930, the first-ever World Cup was established and held in Uruguay.

It's competitive and entertaining

If you ask football fans why they love the sport so much, they will most likely point out how competitive it is. Football matches can get so intense and you wouldn’t believe how many bar fights have sprung because of fans who just can’t handle the heat.

Speaking of heat, football matches themselves can be steamy sometimes. If you’ve been watching football leagues for a long time now, you’ve probably already seen multiple fights take place within the field. Who doesn’t love the combination of sports and drama, anyway?

While football in itself is already a good enough reason to love it, we should also give props to the marketing teams involved in any football league. The players themselves have become quite a celebrity that there are now football fans that only started with a curiosity for a certain player.

Brands that also get themselves involved in the sport help leagues gain more following. With that, the football industry is worth billions of dollars. It’s become a lucrative sport for many athletes. There are even fans who are into sports betting that are also earning a lot from it.