Is Table Tennis The 2nd Most Popular Sport In The World?

The question of which is the most popular sport in the world has led to some fierce debates. So, what do you think is the most popular, and does table tennis rank number 2?

It's pretty much agreed football is the most popular sport in the world. By 'football' I mean the game played with the feet, not American Football.

Football is played all over the world, it's watched all over the world. The fact that anyone anywhere can put down two coats for goal posts and start kicking anything for a ball makes it a truly global game.

Most people agree with this, but there are plenty that don't! For some reason basketball, volleyball and handball all seem to want to put in a claim. Personally I find that surprising, they are the types of game that are more popular in some countries, and hardly in existence in others.

Of course it doesn't take long for people to argue over the definition of 'most popular'. Does that mean most watched, most played, most international federations?

Personally I think the sport with the most participation should get the nod, and this is where table tennis can stake a claim. Invented by the English, as were so many sports, this soon swept around the globe, and that fact that it's phenomenally successful in China whacks up the participation numbers.

I've only ever seen it listed at number 2 or 3 on the list of popular sports, but it's certainly still growing - again due to the relative ease and lack of expense to be able to play.

So why not American Football?

Well, although hugely popular in the USA, outside that country the participation is thin on the ground in a global sense. A lot of people get put off when the Superbowl winners are declared World Champions, in what is no more than a domestic tournament, and this kind of arrogance is a real turn off for international sports fans.

So, it's an interesting debate, which will no doubt continue as long as people love sport - forever then!

It doesn't actually matter in the big scheme of things, but football does have a fairly solid claim to the top spot, and next time you play a game of ping pong, don't forget to ask your opponent what they think!

Aaron Ballantyne writes on a variety of topics.