Whenever given any free time, I noticed most male students at EP usually tend to tune into their favorite sports program to view the spectacle that is sports entertainment.
Looking around me though, I realized that there was actually a wide variety of sports that students preferred to watch. This article provides a deep dive on the science behind why people watch sports, as well as what is definitively the most preferred sport to watch.
In 2023, 41% of Americans said football was their favorite sport, followed by baseball at 10%, basketball at 9%, and soccer at 5%.
Why do people watch sports?
Of course there are many different reasons as to why someone watches a certain sport above all others. If someone plays that sport, there is always some type of bias that comes with what sport they watch. These people may want to improve their own skills by watching more skilled players, or they may just have an overall love for the game. According to Pew Research Center, “71% of Americans who follow sports do so to cheer for a team, while 69% do so for entertainment. In other cases 32 % watch for a certain player, while 23 % watch because of a family member”.
Looking at this statistic, the most common reason someone watches a sport is because of their love for a specific team. Most Americans cheer for a team because they tend to identify with the team and its players. People also grow up cheering for the same team and develop good memories and bonds with that team.
Sports are a worldwide form of entertainment and there really is no question as to why. Sports can be used as a sort of escapism, where the passions and rivalries of a game may overshadow even the struggles of life. Many people watch sports because it provides not only entertainment for the viewer but because sports naturally bring people together because of the shared experiences and common ground people get from watching a game.
Faribault County Register explores the idea behind why people love watching sports saying that, “Watching sports provides a unique combination of excitement, competition and camaraderie that can’t be found in many other activities”, which I absolutely agree with. To me, sports provide an outlet for many people to experience a sense of excitement and rivalry among one another.
Benefits of sports entertainment
82% of adults who played sports say it had a positive impact on their physical health, and 79% say it had a positive impact on their confidence or self-esteem.
Many people tend to watch sports because of the entertainment aspect but do not know that sports also provide real-world benefits.
Multiple studies from Weseda University indicate that the consumption of sports entertainment actually results in benefits to one’s well being.
Watching sports is seen to increase levels of productivity and levels of happiness, plus it fosters a sense of community among others. Sports can also be seen as a great way to communicate and find common ground with one another as well as contribute to one’s self esteem levels.
Studies from WebMD show that a sports fan’s self esteem actually exceeds those who don’t watch sports, showing that those who participate in the viewing of sports entertainment actually gain more benefits to their well being then those who don’t.
Which sport do Elmwood Park students watch the most?
A survey was conducted to discover which sport EP students watch the most. In the lead is football while basketball and soccer are runner ups.
Not surprisingly, soccer is actually the most watched sport in the world with a whopping 3.5 billion fans worldwide. As to why soccer is a global phenomenon…it is for one reason alone…soccer is widely regarded as the easiest sport to pick up! Soccer itself has straightforward rules, a ball, and two goals. It brings the most people together.
Interestingly enough, though, my results actually led me to a different conclusion with 23.7 percent of almost 100 students actually choosing football as their most preferred sport to watch. As of January 2024, professional football in the US was voted as the most watched sport with 70 percent of Americans watching the NFL. This statistic alone heavily contributes to my findings.
With popular events such as the Super Bowl, it really isn’t all that surprising that Elmwood Park loves football best.
Sources:
(Exploring the Reasons Why We Love to Watch Sports, 2023)
