[flipdragn]

i think it's possible but not any time soon. the only sport i see actually having a chance at challenging it in the future is basketball. it's one of, if not already, the most culturally diverse sports in the US. nba games are getting broadcasted all over the world. also it's getting dramatically more popular in places like asia since guys like yao ming came to the nba. so what do you guys think?

[gary]

i think you're right in that the challenger is going to be basketball, but it's going to be hard. the popularity of soccer lies in the economics of the game. all you really need is something round and you can make your own goals, so soccer is theoretically cheap, and can be played by everyone and anyone. but basketball, its harder to make courts in rural areas and that alone will take away from reaching the entire globe.

[flipdragn]

that's true about being very easy for anyone to play but that's the same thing for football, well touch football anyway. i wonder why that hasn't really become an international sport at all.

[joonage]

Football hasn't really spread because it lacks media. Not alot of countries can access football whether it be an NFL network or a football field. Also, American football is rivaled against Rugby. I just see rugby having a better chance of branching that American football since American football was meant for America. In rubgy all you need really are shoes, socks, clothes, and a cheap hat-type helmet if you want.

And I have to agree that basketball is one of the close sports that comes close to the popularity of soccer/futbol. Futbol has been a global sport for decades, but basketball is slowly increasing it popularity in international areas. With more Yao Ming's, Dirt Nowitzki's, Manu Ginoboli's, basketball will soon be in an elite league as soccer as in terms of world popularity. Maybe they'll make a World Cup for Basketball.

Another sports is baseball too. I believe that it's really popular not only in America but is spreading to the Asian market. Japan has created some fine baseball talents and Korea has shown potential in the World Baseball Classic. Futbol and Basketball usually come first in Europe and other countries, but I see baseball branching out internationally soon.

[plusone]

i dont really see baseball reaching out to the european countries
but i do agree with mamugas point about the economics of soccer
and about american football, i dont see it going anywhere
im very (imean VERY) limited in my knowledge of football, but dont you really need a lot of officiating and players to get a game of football going? i mean a couple guys could throw the football around but to actually get a game going... nothings more convenient than soccer. i would think that football may be a bit costly for the poorer nations
of course i might be completely wrong becomes my knowledge of football sucks

[Childlike Faith]

No, I don't think any sport could knock off soccer as the most popular sport. Only because it's so popular in the European Union and at least a little bit popular in other countries. It's closest challenge is probably basketball. But like American football, honestly, the players are very limited. In basketball, you;ve got to be tall, and in football, you've got to be big. I don't know much about basketball or football, but it's just what I've noticed. :]

But with soccer, you can be any size to play. xD
And it's so hyped up everywhere else but in the US, that I don't see any of it's popularity coming down.

[HKS457]

simply said, not in my life time

[flipdragn]

In basketball, you;ve got to be tall, and in football, you've got to be big.

i think that's a good point about football. most people outside of the US aren't as big as football players in the US. however, people are just as tall in places outside of the US. that's why there are so many international players in the nba. all of the asian players in the nba(though there's only like 3 of them) are 7 feet or more. and plus not all the positions in basketball require you to be that tall. the majority of international players are guards(generally 6'6" and under), not that that makes them any less talented than guys that play center(generally 6'10" and over).

[Chioster]

Well not by popularityof the world but Hockey has became the 2nd or maybe 1st biggest thing in Europe since like the 70's when Sweden, Russia, and Finland started producing some fine talent. Today, countries like Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Denmark, and many other major Euro countries like Germany are producing fine talents too so that might increase the market even more.

[flipdragn]

well i'm pretty sure soccer is still the biggest sport in europe. however, i'm not sure which sport, basketball or hockey, is more popular in europe. basketball popularity in europe is rising with guys like dirk nowitzki and andrea bargnani, being the 1st pick in the draft. though i don't know anything whatsoever about hockey, even in the US.

[Echoe]

NOTHING can beat soccer baby
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL

[crackednut]

its possible for another sport to match soccer...but its gonna take a helluva long time

the roots of soccer have been around for centuries
ancient tribes in the central-south american area played a game very similar to soccer and often attached very religious and cultural meanings to it

and so far, only some sports seem to even remotely match the worldwide (save the USA) fanaticism associated with soccer fans

[small_jay 101]

I really don't think so because soccer goes world wide and I would say Basketball may be the competition for it right now but I can't explain why

[Chioster]

well i'm pretty sure soccer is still the biggest sport in europe. however, i'm not sure which sport, basketball or hockey, is more popular in europe. basketball popularity in europe is rising with guys like dirk nowitzki and andrea bargnani, being the 1st pick in the draft. though i don't know anything whatsoever about hockey, even in the US.

I agree with you with Basketball growing bigger in Europe but I think hockey will still be the biggest or 2nd biggest in Europe for years to come because of the decades of trying to throw off the Canadians. If you look at the percentage of players in the NHL in nationality, about 20-30% is European now. In the world. There is over 40k official hockey players who is European. Official meaning they play in a league.

One of the reason why hockey has not grown big in all of the world is because of the equipment issues and playing area. Street hockey you still need sticks and a ball and a net. But ice hockey you need skates, pads, helmets, puck, nets and a ice surface to play on.

[d4nnyb0i]

baseball definitely... even though i HATE watching it

did anyone see the chinese basketball team play USA? haha i hope they would have done a little better with yao ming

[DazedAndConfused]

in response to one of the above comments, in football if you're fast, you can play, you don't necessarily have to be big, because that can be taken care of in the weight room.

[itzxkevin]

Football hasn't really spread because it lacks media. Not alot of countries can access football whether it be an NFL network or a football field. Also, American football is rivaled against Rugby. I just see rugby having a better chance of branching that American football since American football was meant for America. In rubgy all you need really are shoes, socks, clothes, and a cheap hat-type helmet if you want.

And I have to agree that basketball is one of the close sports that comes close to the popularity of soccer/futbol. Futbol has been a global sport for decades, but basketball is slowly increasing it popularity in international areas. With more Yao Ming's, Dirt Nowitzki's, Manu Ginoboli's, basketball will soon be in an elite league as soccer as in terms of world popularity. Maybe they'll make a World Cup for Basketball.

Another sports is baseball too. I believe that it's really popular not only in America but is spreading to the Asian market. Japan has created some fine baseball talents and Korea has shown potential in the World Baseball Classic. Futbol and Basketball usually come first in Europe and other countries, but I see baseball branching out internationally soon.

I'm sorry but world cup for basketball? What is the World Championships considered? and how about the Olympics? Both are big events in which different nations play against each other. THe thing is, it is not as popular as the world cup. Honestly, i dont think there will be a sport that will knock soccer off the top. The world cup does amazing things. It unites nations together for a month. People wake up whatever time they need to to watch games and people even miss work to watch games. It even united a nation this past world cup. No other sport can do this. Basketball does have a lot of international attention but its still far off from soccer.

[K-Free]

well the poor countries can afford basketball hoops... football gear... or baseball equipment.. but in soccer all u need is a ball and some kind of goal (2 rocks)... i think thats why its popular becuz no matter where u live, u can play soccer

[knockblock]

It has to be basketball. Then after that baseball.

[HERMIT]

I think soccer is essentially the world's most popular sport simply because it satisfies the following basic criteria:

1. Environmentally accessible - all you need is an open area and a few markers to establish goals/boundaries (unlike basketball where you need to construct a basket, or hockey where you need ice, etc.). Hence, soccer can be played anywhere to the parks of the US, to the streets of Europe, or out on plains of Africa. It's relatively easy to start up a game anywhere.

2. Physically accessible - soccer can just about be played by anybody and everybody that is physically able. You can be big, small, tall, short, fat, skinny, slow, or fast ... and there will still be some spot on a team that you can play. Furthermore, there isn't any extraordinary or innate skill that you need to have to enjoy the game (although it admittedly helps). But if you aren't the most athletically gifted of people, skills relatively can be taught easily (hence, popularity with little kids whose coordination aren't fully developed). Because soccer is physically accessible, it's popular across the world because anybody can participate in the sport.

3. Equipment friendly - all you need is a ball. You can use any rudimentary marker to set your goals and boundaries. No need for bats, hockey sticks, gloves, or helmets. Shoot, in some poorer countries even kids can do without shoes or even a ball, making do with whatever object they can kick around.

4. Simplicity in rules. Kick the ball. Stay inbounds. Score by getting it in the goal. Don't use your hands. Steal the ball cleanly. Stay onsides. Compared to other sports, soccer has arguably the fewest rules to abide by. Hence, it's popularity around the world because the game can be explained in a few minutes to somebody that's never seen the game. Try just explaining strategy in american football, never mind getting into the myriad of rules.

-------------------------

I think if there is ever going to be a sport that can displace soccer as the world's most popular and recognized sport, it would have to satisfy all of these criteria mentioned above just to get on equal footing with soccer.


So with that said, I nominate ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS