What the Changing Popularity of Sports Says

What the Changing Popularity of Sports Says about Society

While in this country, outside of a couple of geographic exceptions, football rules the roost when it comes to sporting primacy, elsewhere the national pastime is truly up for grabs. How this has changed across the pond, and how this has transferred to this country, shows how our changing identities as a society is reflected in our sporting culture.

In Canada this title is undisputed in much the same way as it is here. Ice hockey rules the day with barely any competition, even with basketball in the ascendancy this century with the increasingly established presence of an NBA team. Both of these do show the power of growing up playing a particular sport in the same way that football dominates here. In the US however, the top spot in the hierarchy has been very much up for grabs in ways that reflect shifting

priorities. “When the game is mostly transmitted through narrative summaries in newspapers or on the radio, these slightly less telegenic but drama heavy sports thrived”

The localised prominence of ice hockey shows the same factors as both rugby codes in this country, that weather and culture play a huge part in the

appetite and integration of some sports, leaving both in a distinct and lasting secondary position. Baseball then stood as the original holder of the title of the national pastime in much the same way that cricket did in the same pre-war era in this country. When the game is mostly

transmitted through narrative summaries in newspapers or on the radio, these slightly less telegenic but drama heavy sports thrived. Without having many alternative channels or options instead of watching or attending the game, those emptier moments serve to draw you in or simply spend some time in the sun during these summer sports.

With the rise of television and as the leagues aged however, the kinetic nationwide sports took over. The NFL merged with the AFL, created the Super Bowl as a centralised climax to the season and simply served as a superior television product. Generally speaking sports evolve more when they are younger, and at this point baseball and cricket were the best part of a century old, with limited overs cricket only being innovated in the 60’s. So with both football being more telegenic due to the relatively non stop action of one and the natural breaks allowing for analysis in the other, the prolonged gaps in action of these established sports allowed the opening for new sports to capture the public’s attention. “The prolonged gaps in action of these established sports allowed the opening for new sports to capture the public’s attention”

The final iteration has been the rise of the NBA and the Premier League. The high drama of both of these means they sell themselves, partnered well with the rise of the internet and dedicated sports channels. These two continued the trend of fresher leagues driving interest more, along with the changing media landscape pushing this further. The internet and social media have paired well with both, the nightly highlights of the long basketball season are perfect for sharing clips. The diminishing of barriers between fans and the increased accessibility of their teams have helped shape and change football fandom.