What is the most popular spectator sport in the following countries?

June 6, 2013 7:11 PM

What is the most popular spectator sports in the following countries? United States- I say football China- Probably basketball or soccer France- Probably soccer Japan- Maybe Baseball Russia- Soccer or Hockey
posted by Jack V to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (6 answers total)

I think you have to define "popular" - most attended? Most watched on TV? Most talked about? Most participated in?
posted by Miko at 7:19 PM on June 6, 2013 [3 favorites]

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this map but I'd guess it's pretty spot-on.

I had heard NASCAR wins in the US for attendance, which would probably make sense since the tracks are bigger and thus hold more people around them.
posted by bondcliff at 7:21 PM on June 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

Looks like wikipedia has a "Sports in ..." series. Here's Mexico. Just change the country name in the URL.
posted by desjardins at 7:21 PM on June 6, 2013

The Economist had an interesting story about television viewership of major events worldwide, but it wasn't broken down by country.

As bondcliff said, I think you want TargetMap's view of the world. Basically, ice hockey for Canada; basketball in Estonia and Lithuania; baseball in Japan, Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela; wrestling in Mongolia; cricket in India and Pakistan; Aussie Rules Football in Australia; rugby in New Zealand; and association football (soccer) everywhere else.
posted by blob at 8:14 PM on June 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

List of attendance figures at domestic professional sports leagues

MLB dwarfs all.
posted by dhartung at 12:59 AM on June 7, 2013

According to the Harris Poll, 45% of Americans say that American football is their favorite sport (34% NFL, 11% College Football).

I'm assuming when you say spectator you mean "non-participation".
posted by sandmanwv at 5:47 AM on June 7, 2013