Reflection: Why is football the most popular sport in the world?

Football. An absolute phenomenon all over the world. It is played on every continent in almost every country. But why is it actually the most popular sport?

There are roughly 8,000 different sports in the world. And above them all, football is by far the most popular of them all. Why is that?

First of all, the fact that it can be played all over the world plays a big part. While, for example, hockey has a certain tradition in only a few countries, American football and baseball are most alive in America, but football is played everywhere.

No expensive equipment is needed, just a battered ball and a pair of shoes. In poorer countries, children may play barefoot. It is the fact that even those from the worst backgrounds have a chance to make it to the top that is so magical about football.

For young children in Africa or South America who grow up in harsh conditions, football is everything. It’s a chance for them to get out of poverty, provide for their families and have a decent life.

Luka Modric, for example, grew up in the middle of the Yugoslav war that killed his grandfather and took the roof over his head. But football got him to where he is now.

Football connects people all over the world. It doesn’t matter if you come from the poorest background or the richest family. On the pitch, all these differences are erased and that’s why football is so popular.

It’s an absolute global phenomenon. Football makes people forget their problems and their worries. When their team or national team is playing, there is nothing else for 90 minutes. It’s a world of its own, where you can escape at any time and from anything.

Moreover, if their darlings manage to win a trophy, the ensuing euphoria is what makes it all worth it. The explosion of joy when your team scores the winning goal in the last minute of a match is something you just don’t experience in ordinary life.

It’s crowd madness. You’re in a stadium with maybe 20, 40, 60 or even 80,000 people at one moment. When a team puts the ball in the net and the whole stand jumps up and shouts ‘gooooooole’, it’s an indescribable feeling. At that moment, you start hugging each other in the stands, even with strangers you’ve never seen before, just because they have the same jersey. That’s how much football brings people together.

And that’s slowly moving on to the next reason why football is the most popular sport in the world. Almost everyone understands it, or thinks they understand it. So you can talk about it with your dad, your brother, your friend or complete strangers… There are very few men who don’t know what football is.

Football has very simple rules that everyone can understand. It’s not that difficult to learn them so you know what’s happening on the field. Moreover, almost everyone has played football, or at least kicked the ball a few times. So you can identify with the players on the field and in a way, advise them in your mind what they should have done differently.

In addition, fans have a unique opportunity when playing football. When else do thousands of ordinary people in the stands have the chance to yell at 22 millionaires. But in the seats of your favourite stadium, you can shout whatever you want, you’re free in a way.

And football never sleeps, it’s a year-round pastime. If there are no games on, there is a transfer merry-go-round, speculation, there is always something going on. For a lot of people, football is a way of life and they couldn’t imagine their lives without it.

One of the best things about being a fan is the excitement. The tension before an important game, the tension before the final of a competition, the tension before a decisive penalty…

In a matter of moments, your favourite team can shoot you either into euphoria or total sadness. But that’s part of football too. If you have ever suffered with your team, you will enjoy the eventual success all the more.

Football is a job for some, a matter of the heart for others, a pastime for others. I think that the potential of this sport is enormous, which is why it will continue to be the most popular sport worldwide. And quite possibly nothing will ever change that.