10 biggest sports markets in the world (by country)

[mjk45]

Johnw1104 said:

pokoko said:

It's a huge country with a lot of different cultures.  Popular sports vary by region so pretty much everything is represented.  Where I live, basketball and NASCAR are big but a lot of people also play baseball.  Go a few states in either direction and it might be a different picture.  Then, on top of that, ALL of that is on TV or the internet so you can follow something even if it's not in your area.  

Ah yeah I totally forgot NASCAR, which I believe I've heard is right up there with American Football in popularity.

I've always liked the regional differences as it's fun to see different sports remaining alive and well, such as the reemergence of Lacrosse. Of course, Florida is mostly just obsessed with American Football (and obviously some NASCAR/NBA), which has lead me to severely disappoint people I've met from farther north when I'm forced to admit that I know next to nothing about Hockey.

It's the same in Australia,  the states of New South Wales and Queensland are rugby league strongholds while the rest of the States and the Northern Territory are Australian rules strongholds. a similar thing happens in the UK where Northern England has a strong rugby league background not found around the rest of the UK and cricket is played in sucessfull leagues in both Scotland and Wales but it is seen as an English pastime shown by the fact you play cricket for England sometimes it is simply the weather conditions that dictate the sports played other places like in the US and Australia colonization and immigration have played a part.