Why Do Most Sports Come From Britain?
Even outside the borders of the British Empire, sports invented in Britain dominate the world today.
The biggest single sporting event in the world is the FIFA World Cup, the international football competition held every 4 years, with the next one due in 2022. With over 715 million viewers watching the final match over the 2006 final (more than 10% of the global population), it is the only event dedicated to a single sport that seriously challenges the popularity of the Olympics.
Games similar to football have emerged independently in many cultures over the centuries, from the Chinese cuju and the episkyros to the Native American pasuckuakohowog, but the version that is widely played today can be traced back to the mid-1800s in Britain.
After football, the world’s most popular team sport by participation (and viewers) is cricket, largely thanks to its enormous following in India; third place goes to field hockey. All of these sports trace their origins as formalized sports to the height of the British Empire, as do many other major sports, such as boxing, tennis, golf, rugby, rowing, badminton…
