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How did football become the most popular sport?

BY READERS DIGEST

1st Nov 2021 Sport

How did football become the most popular sport?

There’s no question that football is the global sport. Basketball, tennis, cricket, and other sports are popular too, but nothing comes close to football.

The global fame of teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona, or Real Madrid and competitions such as the Champions League have ensured that football never dies. We’re constantly bombarded by betting offers and ads involving football superstars, so the sport has infiltrated every aspect of society.

Being played in every country in the world, football provides dozens of superstars. The numbers are greater when compared to any other sport, and this drives the popularity of football up. Betting sites and ads certainly play a part in it too, with major football stars involved in them. It’s now easier than ever to check odds for football at Oddspedia.com and make your pick before a game begins.

When did it all start?

Modern football originally appeared in Britain in the XIX century. Folk football matches have been played before in many cities and towns, but never on a professional level. Urbanization and industrialization undermined the game’s status in the XIX century, but football eventually blossomed as a winter sport game played in different schools.

The rules were dictated by each school, and this variance made it difficult for players to look at it in any other way than a leisure game. It all changed in 1849 at the University of Cambridge that invented a set of standard rules known as the Cambridge rules of football. The first official football rules were printed in 1863, and from that moment, a new star sport was born.

By the early XX century, football has spread all across Europe. Internal organization came in 1904, when FIFA was found by representatives of many international football associations. FIFA became the governing body for numerous associations in Europe, giving birth to modern football. It took just around 50 years for football to reach its apex, especially in the UK after England won the World Cup in 1966.

Moving forward

England’s international success boosted the popularity of the sport in the country. The Premier League as it is now was established in 1992, but it was still present in another format before it. From the 1990s onward, it became a truly impressive piece of football machinery, becoming the world’s top football league in the process.

With up to 6 clubs fighting for the title, the PL is surely the best football league in Europe. Of course, the Champions League is right up there in terms of revenue and fans, putting Europe’s top football clubs against each other.

Major TV deals, betting sites with their offers, and player branded products have contributed to football’s status around the world. It is impossible for any other sport to take its place, especially with leagues spending billions of pounds every year to stay in the focus. As long as there are football stars that can be marketable, football will remain the king of sports in the UK and everywhere else.

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