Sports are a major part of cultures around the world, from the highest paying pro athletes to young children first learning to play, sports attract participants and fans from all walks of life. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most lucrative, dangerous, popular, and fastest growing sports. We’ll also discuss some age-appropriate sports for very young children.

What is the highest paying sport?

When it comes to the money that can be made from sports, there are a select few that stand out from the rest. Sports like football, basketball, baseball, auto racing, and boxing dominate the world of professional sports salaries and overall revenue generation.

The highest paying sport in the world is basketball. The average NBA player salary is over $7 million per year. Star players can make $30 to $40 million per season. The NBA brings in over $8 billion per year in revenue. American football comes in second. The average NFL salary is $2.7 million annually, with the league generating around $15 billion per year.

Most dangerous sports: What is the most dangerous sport?

While traditional mainstream sports can still carry risks, there are some sports that are renowned for their higher rates of serious injuries. Sports like bull riding, MMA fighting, boxing, football, rugby, and hockey are among some of the most dangerous due to high speeds, blunt force contact, fighting, and other risks.

Bull riding results in the most severe injuries per capita out of mainstream sports. Riders are often crushed under the bull’s weight or violently thrown off, resulting in broken bones, concussions, spinal cord injuries and more. Sports like MMA, boxing, and football have also faced scrutiny due to long term health effects from repeated head injuries.

What is the easiest sport?

When considering sports that are relatively easy for beginners to pick up, walking is likely the overall easiest sport. Running a close second, walking simply requires a person to use their basic movement abilities. Children learn to walk from a very young age. These straightforward aerobic activities provide health benefits for people across all ages and fitness levels.

Other traditionally easy sports include swimming, cycling, and bowling. With some basic equipment and a little practice, people of all ages can enjoy participating recreationally.

Growth of sports: What is the fastest growing sport?

The sport that has seen the most explosive growth in recent years globally is soccer. Already insanely popular internationally, soccer has skyrocketed in popularity in the United States over the last decade. MLS continues to expand, television viewership keeps increasing, youth participation is booming, and major stars are coming over from European leagues.

The growth of soccer can be attributed to several factors like increasing exposure, a focus on youth development, improved professional leagues domestically and abroad, and an appreciation of the sport’s global nature. Other rapidly accelerating sports in America include MMA, lacrosse, rugby, disc golf, and pickleball as niche sports gain followings.

Major sporting events : What are the biggest sporting events in the world?

When examining the very biggest sporting events across the globe there are standouts that captivate the world’s attention like no others:

The Olympics stands alone in scale, history and multi-sport prestige as athletes from over 200 countries compete at the highest level. Taking place every two years alternating between summer and winter, over 200 countries participate.

Coming in as the most viewed single-sport event, the FIFA World Cup transfixes over half the world’s population for a month every four years. An estimated 3.5 billion people tuned in to the 2018 tournament making it arguably sports most premier mega-event.

The Super Bowl stands out as the most watched annual championship game drawing over 100 million American viewers each year. The NFL title game has become as much a media spectacle and pop culture force as a sporting match itself.

Appeal of sports: Why do people like sports?

There are abundant reasons why sports captivate people’s imaginations across cultures. At the most basic level, inherent aspects of human nature are essential factors. Things like competition, social connection, aesthetic appeal, and entertainment are all fundamental human drives.

People are drawn to test themselves against challenging competition. Being part of fan communities satisfies social needs. Impressive athletic feats activate feelings of awe. Strategy and in-game dramatics keep things exciting. At its best, sports provides an encapsulating experience.

Additionally, sports betting has exploded in recent years increasing viewer investment. Fantasy sports add another layer of engagement for fans. Not to mention sports tie closely with civic and regional pride.

Sports for young children: What sports can 2-year-olds play?

When looking at appropriate sports for very young children, key factors include safety, complexity, coordination needs, and keeping things fun. At age 2, most children are still developing fundamental movement skills and hand-eye coordination.

Great starter sports and activities include:

• Basic exercises like jogging, tumbling, jumping
• Swimming lessons with floatation devices
• Unstructured play like chasing balls or bubbles
• Playing catch with lightweight objects like foam balls or balloons
• The priority should be helping improve balance, mobility, reaction time and keeping them happily engaged rather than skills coaching. Structured, low-risk activities can gradually be incorporated over time as coordination improves heading towards ages 3+. Patience and praise is key.

Conclusion

While fan preferences vary across sports, cultures, age groups and more, there are clearly identifiable patterns in terms of finances, risks, growth, and appeal. Basketball ranks atop revenue charts while bull riding sits at the apex of danger. Soccer expands rapidly as it continues entrance into mainstream American consciousness. Reasons like tribalism, gambling, aesthetics and drama speak to core human inclinations. And with young children, safety along with creativity paves an age-appropriate path on their physical developmental journey. Sports attract across many measures, with the numbers and motivations making that clear.