Why is rugby not a more popular sport in the world?
After watching a thriller of a rugby match, you might wonder why it’s not a more popular sport worldwide. Even though rugby has more than 405 million fans worldwide, with more than 10 million players in 221 countries, the fanbase is primarily based in a few countries. The last world cup, which was held in Japan, was watched by 857 million people on TV, making it the fifth most-watched sporting event in the world.
There is clearly a lot of interest in rugby, but why isn’t it more popular? We narrow it down to four main reasons why rugby isn’t as popular worldwide as other sports like football, basketball, or American football.
Limited global reach
Rugby has historically been played in a relatively small number of countries, primarily in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. This has limited its exposure and popularity in other parts of the world.
Rugby faces stiff competition from other popular team sports, such as soccer and basketball, which have larger fan bases and more established leagues and tournaments. Even for sports betting, many online casinos have a limited selection of rugby matches to bet on, which you can learn more about on Casinotop3. Due to the complexity of rugby, sports bettors usually choose simpler sports to bet on.
In the US, one of the most influential countries in the world, American football overshadowed rugby early on. The sports are somewhat similar, even though vastly different in many areas. The main event, Super Bowl, is known and watched worldwide, while the Rugby World Cup barely gets any attention while it’s being held. One reason for this is the lack of investment in rugby, as American football is a moneymaking machine in comparison.
Lack of investment
Rugby has not received the same level of investment and promotion as other major sports, which has hindered its growth and development in many regions. Rugby is a relative niche sport compared to more popular sports like soccer, basketball, and American football. This means there is less interest from potential investors and sponsors, resulting in fewer resources available to support the development of the sport.
According to statisticsanddata.org, rugby was actually the most popular sport in the world in 1930, followed by baseball and basketball. Football, currently the most popular sport, was in sixth place then.
However, as time went on, the popularity of rugby got overshadowed by other sports. One reason is the lack of investment that other sports had. For example, during the 60s, football took a leap in popularity to reach the top spot, with one reason being the advancement of the television that allowed families to watch the sport from home. The reason why rugby didn’t take the same leap might be explained in our next point.
The complexity of the game
Rugby can be a complex sport, with a lot of rules and nuances that may be difficult for new fans to understand. This can make it less accessible and less appealing to casual viewers.
Rugby can be complex for those unfamiliar with the sport, so it takes more effort to understand than football, which is very straightforward. The most complicated rule in football is the offside rule, which is fairly easy to grasp compared to many rugby rules.
In rugby, there are many nuances and complexities to the game, including rules around passing, tackling, and scoring, as well as various strategies and tactics that teams can employ. During a rugby match, viewers need to know a set of key terms to fully understand what’s going on. If you don’t know what scrum, lineout, ruck or maul is, you might be a little lost at times, which might make you demotivated to continue watching.
The physicality of the sport
Rugby is a physically demanding and contact-heavy sport, which can be intimidating or unappealing to some viewers. The physical nature might even scare off many players, which might choose less contact-heavy sports instead.
Overall, rugby is a sport that requires a significant amount of investment, promotion, and education to increase its popularity and reach. However, with the growing interest in sports diversity, rugby is gaining more attention and has the potential to become more popular in the future.
