Sports are an essential part of our lives, providing us with exercise, a means of team building and a way to bring people together from all over the world. While it may not be evident in the United States, association football (football) is the most popular sport in the world. With around 3.5 billion fans worldwide and 250 million players in 200 countries, football is king in practically all of Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Central America and Asia. In North America, where American football originated, it is widely regarded as the most popular sport.
Canada has the most football fans in the world and the game is gaining more and more popularity around the globe. The United States calls it football and agrees that it is the best. However, its popularity has been mostly limited to the United States and Canada for many years. Recently, it has taken off in Europe and elsewhere, and there is a good chance that American football will continue to grow in popularity.
In the United States, the most popular sport is American football. Football is one of the most watched sports in the U. S., with around 390 million to 410 million fans worldwide, most of whom are in the U. S.
The football league is the National Football League (NFL), which consists of 32 teams divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. A regular season lasts 17 weeks, where each team plays 16 games and has a week off. Canada's most popular sport is ice hockey. Ice hockey originated in Montreal and is Canada's official national winter sport.
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) was formed in 1975 and represents the three major junior hockey leagues based in Canada. The three member leagues are the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Junior Hockey Major League. There are 60 teams in total; 52 represent nine Canadian provinces and eight teams represent four US states. The Memorial Cup is the CHL's highest award for the championship team.
Canadian hockey teams also participate in the National Hockey League (NHL), which includes teams from Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks. Caribbean islands mix between baseball, football and cricket. Association football is also popular in some European countries with a few exceptions such as Austria and Estonia where skiing is most popular; Latvia and Lithuania where basketball reigns supreme; Finland where ice hockey dominates; Ireland where Gaelic football rules; Panama and Nicaragua where baseball takes precedence over association football; Guyana where cricket takes precedence over association football; Australia where Australian football is king; Indonesia and Fiji where association football reigns supreme; Papua New Guinea and New Zealand where rugby rules; and Venezuela where baseball takes precedence over association football. The amendment of gambling law in 2004 has opened up betting operations both online and at traditional casinos provided they are licensed by General Office of Games and Raffles.
Many Australians are diehard NFL supporters who have no problem waking up at 3 AM on Mondays to watch ESPN's NFL RedZone. A major NFL deal with Tabcorp, an Australian gaming giant has opened up sport to more Australians who can now watch NFL games live while betting on overall results or live betting options. Kiwis are very enthusiastic about American football despite having a modest population of 4.8 million people. The country currently has three national teams: The New Zealand Steelblacks, Flag Football Makos and Steelblack U19 Colts as well as American football leagues in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland plus a four-team women's league.
It is believed that around 40% bet on almost all types of sports including American Football League with many betting options available from point-spread betting to future bets.
