It is now on golf to help create another superstar who can convert the casual fan who ignores the sport without even thinking about it to somebody who will tune in on Sunday afternoons. All indications are that the days of Woods being among the best golfers in the world are only memories these days. None of them, however, have the presence that Woods had during his prime. This is not to suggest that there is not a new generation of golfers ready to take over and put on memorable performances at Major tournaments. 10 Men's golf: 3% in 1985 - 2% in 2014Īs goes Tiger Woods, so goes the popularity of men's golf in the United States. Do not hold your breath though, as track and field has not been above two percent on these lists at any point from 2009 through 2014. Preparations for the next Summer Games will begin later this year, and that could provide a boost in popularity of track and field before 2016 arrives. Track and field is, outside of an Olympic year, no longer must-see television, and events are, more often than not, relegated to second-class TV stations in favor of the “top-four” North American sports leagues. This is impressive when you remember that the next Summer Olympics are still two years away. The future is clearly bright for the women's game 11 Track and field: 2% in 1985 - 2% in 2014 They are not, however, alone on the list of women's players that draw attention from American sports fans throughout the season. It is only fitting that those two advanced to the Australian Open Final in January 2015. Serena Williams is, when fully healthy, still the top player in the game, but Maria Sharapova also continued to shine in 2014 despite the fact that the so-called rivalry involving those two has, over the years, been lopsided. Superstar power drives television ratings and increases popularity, and thus women's tennis is far better than men's tennis right now. In my imaginary universe, those within this two percent just love sports in general, so much so that sports programming is all that they'll watch 365 days out of the year. Had you asked me what my favorite sport was immediately after I had finished watching a memorable Champions League Final, my answer may have been different than what I would say in the week leading up to the Super Bowl. Of all of the options out there, two percent of those asked could not pinpoint one favorite sport. This has to be the best answer of any provided. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are all great players, but US sports fans have proven time and time again that they want to watch one of their own win a Major tournament. Where is the next Andre Agassi? The next Pete Sampras? The next Andy Roddick? 2015 is a FIFA Women's World Cup year, meaning that the popularity of women's soccer could realistically rise above men's tennis among American fans this year. The one takeaway here is that the lack of American males at the top of the pro tennis game is crushing that sport's popularity in the United States. Info from Sports Business Daily 14 Men's Tennis/Swimming/Horse Racing/Bowling/Women's Soccer: All 1% Major League Baseball needs to find a way to speed up games, but the league does have young stars who are entertaining to watch and to follow. While baseball has fallen in popularity since a study that was conducted back in 1985, the supposed death of the sport in the United States has, to date, been greatly exaggerated. Men's soccer is tied for fifth on the list, although that likely won't again be the case until 2018 for an obvious reason. It should come as no surprise to anybody who follows American sports that pro football was once again far and away the king in 2014. Five different sports all begin the list by having the lowest popularity of those who were asked. Because of that, the likes of women's golf, women's professional basketball and women's college basketball, did not manage to crack the list of the top-14 favorite sports among American adults in 2014. There are, of course, only so many hours in a day, and only so many of those precious moments can be dedicated to following sports for those of us who are not able to sit in front of television sets for the majority of any given day. Throw in high-definition television, and it is reasonable to say that US sports fans have never had it better. With casual fans in the United States embracing European soccer leagues more and more with each year, those who live to watch live sports during their weekends can now do so for just about every minute that they are awake for the majority of the year. We love watching games on television and in person, and we go out of the way to spark up conversations and, at times, arguments with strangers on the Internet all because of the “hot takes” that we have about the sports world.
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