On the Internet, there have long been many similar ratings that are very different from each other. The question is, what do you mean by popular sports? Judging by the number of viewers, the absolute record holder was the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, which was watched by more than 1 billion people. If we take into account the number of people involved in this sport, then athletics will take the confident first place, with a base of 300 million amateurs in the world.
Criteria used:
- Infrastructure
- Number of viewers
- Number of professional leagues worldwide
- Television contracts
- Sponsorship contracts
- The average salary of an athlete in the major leagues
- Number of countries represented
- Activity in in social networks
- Sports media coverage
- Relevance throughout the year
- Gender equality
- Accessibility to the masses
1 Football
With over 4 billion fans, this is by far the most popular view sports in the world. The dominance of football on the planet is so obvious that the first place is no surprise to anyone. Football has received the main distribution in Europe, where for many it has become not just a game, but a way of life. The FIFA World Cup is the most iconic event in this sport.
Football is also one of the most accessible sports in the world, and there is hardly a person who has never hit the ball in his life. Football news constantly flashes in the headlines of the largest newspapers, especially in the UK, Germany, France, Spain.
The most popular competition in the world: The FIFA World Cup is the most anticipated sporting event. The final match between Germany and Argentina attracted 700 million viewers.
The largest prize fund: 1.5 billion dollars is played annually in the Champions League - the elite of European club football.
Largest television contract: matches of the English Premier League are broadcast in 212 countries around the world, and gather at the screens of almost 6 billion viewers during the season. Sky Sports and BT Sports had to shell out a hefty £5.3bn for broadcast rights in the UK. Another £3bn came from the sale of international rights.
Most professional leagues: professional football leagues exist in almost every country in the world, and almost always consist of several divisions.
Major sponsorship contract: Adidas is paying Manchester United £75m a year just to be the official kit supplier. Most famous teams have such lucrative contracts with leading sports brands.
top players such as Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo earn more than 40 million euros a year and are among the top ten most famous athletes in the world.
Wealthiest Sports Teams: the list of the 50 richest sports teams includes 30 football clubs.
largest federation: FIFA is the largest and most influential sports organization. More than 200 national federations and 6,500 professional football clubs are registered with FIFA.
The most popular sports teams on social networks: Real Madrid and Barcelona currently have over 100 million subscribers.
Most Popular Athlete: Cristiano Ronaldo has 150 million followers on Facebook and Twitter.
2 Basketball
Basketball has over 1 billion fans. It is one of the highest rated sports in the US and the NBA generates over $5 billion in revenue annually. Wildly watched professional leagues in Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Argentina and China make basketball the fastest growing sport in the world.
It is safe to say that in the next 10 years no one will be able to match football in popularity, but basketball has every chance to firmly occupy the second line. Here are some Interesting Facts, which prove it:
Second in the number of professional leagues in the world: Basketball is second only to football in the number of professional leagues. In most European countries, leagues consist of several divisions.
Third largest sports league in the world: The NBA (National Basketball Association) ranks third in terms of revenue, behind the NFL and the English Premier League.
Highest average salary: The median annual salary of NBA players is $4.4 million. The top 40 NBA players make over $15 million a year, while the top 10 make over $30 million a year.
Major sponsorship contracts: players such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, in addition to a solid salary, earn more than 50 million a year additionally through solid sponsorship contracts.
Fastest growing sport: Basketball is also the fastest growing sport in the world, from revenue to spectator interest. More and more strong teams appear in countries such as Serbia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, where full stands gather at matches.
3 Cricket
Many do not even suspect that cricket has more than 2 billion fans around the world. The main geography of distribution of this sport falls on England, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean Islands and South Africa.
Such popularity of cricket is mainly due to the Indian subcontinent. Originating in England, the game quickly spread to all parts of the world that were colonized by the British. In India and Pakistan, cricket is a religion. It is a source of patriotism, a way to relieve tension and a synonym for competition.
The third most popular international competition on the planet: occupies a confident third place, following the FIFA World Cup and the Rugby World Cup. And the new format of Twenty20 allowed to receive much more profit from the sale of television rights.
Dominant sport: in the countries of the Indian subcontinent, cricket is nearly unrivaled in popularity. And in New Zealand, Australia and England, it is the second in terms of audience interest.
Women's cricket: The number of women on the planet involved in cricket is growing rapidly. Thanks to the efforts of the ICC (International Cricket Council), women's competitions now have a lot more prize money than a few years ago.
4 Tennis
With a global reach and an audience of 1 billion people, tennis is the most popular individual sport in the world.
Highest prize money in an individual sport: all four Grand Slam tournaments - Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and USA Open have huge prize pools in the tens of millions of dollars.
Relevance throughout the year: tennis events take place all over the world throughout the calendar year without interruption, but the main audience is collected in the summer.
Most prestigious sporting event: Wimbledon is not only the main tennis tournament, but also the most prestigious sporting event. It was watched by over 1 billion viewers in 2016 and 2017, while the 2017 final was watched by 17 million people in the UK alone.
Highest Paid Athletes: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic make over $60 million a season, but only a fifth of that money is in prize money.
Gender equality: Surprisingly, the prize money in the men's and women's tournaments is the same. In addition, women's competitions are no less popular than men's. Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams were at some point in their careers among the twenty highest paid athletes on the planet.
Champions from 30 different countries: the ranking of the top 100 players includes representatives of 45 states. Tennis players from 30 different countries have won at least one Grand Slam tournament, which is a unique sports record.
5 Athletics
Athletics is by far the most global sport with many disciplines. Athletics is also the most popular event in the Olympics. The names of such titled athletes as Usain Bolt regularly make headlines in the media.
Gender equality: in athletics, all disciplines are represented by male and female species. Elena Isinbayeva achieved worldwide fame thanks to this particular sport.
The widest representation: Athletes from almost all countries of the world compete at the Olympics.
Most anticipated event: the final 100m sprint in 2012 was the most anticipated sporting event in history.
6 Rugby
Rugby is one of the main sports in some developed countries (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand).
Professional leagues: the strongest rugby league is in France, and that's where most of the highest paid athletes play. IN last years new leagues appeared in Italy, Japan, Argentina, and even in the USA rugby found its fans.
Second highest-grossing international competition: The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the biggest event in the history of the sport, generating £250 million in revenue for the organizers.
Second most attended international competition: Nearly 3 million tickets were sold for the 2015 Rugby World Cup matches.
7 Formula 1
550 million people watch these races every year. The season consists of 20 stages taking place in 20 different countries, making Formula 1 one of the most global sports.
Most Profitable Motorsport: Formula 1 generates between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in revenue each year. This money is distributed among 10 teams that spend from 100 to 500 million per season on cars, development, personnel and pilot salaries.
Big contracts for F-1 pilots: most pilots earn between $1 million and $5 million a year, but leaders Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton have contracts worth $50 million a year.
Organizer fees: in order to host a Formula 1 round in their own country, it is necessary to transfer $40 million to the royal racing fund.
8 Boxing
Like tennis and athletics, boxing is also played by many people. This is an extremely common sport in countries such as the USA, Mexico, Great Britain, the Philippines, Japan, Poland, Romania. Amateur boxing competitions are included in the program of the Summer Olympic Games.
Audience interest: high-profile fights for the title gather an audience of several million people.
Women's boxing: this sport is quite popular among the female part of the population, and the undefeated Layla Ali is also world famous, like her father.
Highest grossing fight of all time: Floyd Mayweather's fight against Manny Pacquiao brought the organizers more than $400 million. Of that money, 250 was paid to the winner Mayweather and 120 to Pacquiao.
9 Hockey
The most popular winter sport in the world, distributed in a small number of countries - Russia, Canada, USA, Sweden, Finland. Once it was dominant in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but now it gathers viewers in these countries only during major international competitions.
Major League: The NHL is one of the top five professional leagues on the planet and generates $4.5 billion in annual revenue.
10 Volleyball
This sport is considered the simplest, which is what makes it so common. Volleyball players can be found all over the world.
The largest number of national federations: The FIVB has over 200 registered federations, more than any other sport.
Most popular sport in developing countries: volleyball enjoys excessive popularity in a number of developing countries, such as Brazil (even football bypasses the ratings), Turkey, Thailand, China, Poland.
11 Golf
Golf has also gathered millions of fans around itself. This is a sport in which there is no physical competition, and people of different sexes and ages can compete on equal terms. In addition, professional golfers earn millions of dollars in prize money.
Sports for developed countries: golf is not cheap, so it is common only in rich countries such as the USA, Japan, South Korea, and the UK.
High potential for making money: the famous Tiger Woods has dominated the list of the richest athletes for 15 years in a row, mainly due to lucrative sponsorship deals with Nike, EA Sports and Gillette.
| The most popular sports in the world (ranked 12th to 25th) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Place | Sport | Details |
| 12 | Baseball | Popular only in the US and Japan. MLB and the Nippon League are among the top 10 professional leagues on the planet. |
| 13 | American
football |
The most popular sport in the US, and the most profitable sports league in the world, is the NFL, which makes over $10 billion a year. The Super Bowl is the highest-rated sporting event in the United States, drawing an audience of 200 million people. |
| 14 | MMA | Mixed martial arts is gaining more and more popularity with the advent of the UFC. This is a popular sport in Brazil and the USA, gradually gaining a spectator audience in Europe. In a few years, MMA is financially able to overtake boxing. |
| 15 | MotoGP | This is a road racing championship. MotoGP is a premium class racing with a huge spectator audience. Mainly popular in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, but in recent years have become widespread in England, the USA, Germany and the Middle East. |
| 16 | Field hockey | 20 years ago field hockey was dominant in India, Pakistan and Australia, but every year it loses its popularity and audience. |
| 17 | Badminton | Badminton has received the main distribution in China, Korea and India, but, as a rule, they are practiced at an amateur level. |
| 18 | Cycling | It is very popular in Europe, and the Tour de France is the main competition in this sport with a million-strong spectator audience. |
| 19 | Swimming | This sport is practiced by many people all over the world, but the spectator interest arises only during the Summer Olympic Games. Michael Phelps is the most decorated athlete in history with a record 22 Olympic gold medals. |
| 20 | Snooker | A specific game, common only in England and China. In other countries, they are engaged only at an amateur level. |
| 21 | Table tennis | Table tennis is professionally practiced, as a rule, in Asian countries. But as a hobby, it is spread all over the planet. |
| 22 | Gymnastics | Gets its audience only during the Summer Olympics. Gymnastics is practiced mainly in China, the USA, Japan, Russia and Germany. |
| 23 | Handball | It is only played in European countries. But even the matches of the World Handball Championship rarely get on TV screens. |
| 24 | Biathlon | Seasonal sport, but gets the main audience during the Winter Olympics. Professionally, they are massively engaged in Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Norway. |
| 25 | Skiing | One of the most popular winter views sports. Mostly distributed in Scandinavian countries. |
When it comes to world-famous sports, it is quite difficult to say which one is the most popular, because there are 7 billion people in the world, and everyone has their own tastes and preferences. That is why there is such a variety of sports in the world. Whether it's football, tennis, hockey or anything else, every game has its fans.
But the most important parameter is their popularity and the number of viewers. The more fans a game has, the more popular it is. By the way, in countries such as Spain, Australia and India, sporting events are often held, which are followed with pleasure by fans from all over the world.
Golf is one of the most popular sports. With 600 million fans around the world, golf ranks high among the official sports. Golf is also known as the game of the rich, as it is one of the oldest and expensive species sports. You can imagine the cost given the size of the golf course! By the way, the highest paid player is Tiger Woods.
This game has become very popular over the past, with over 200 million viewers. Rugby is one of the most popular games in South America, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina. There are two types of game:
- rugby league (or rugby 13),
- rugby union (or rugby 15).
By the way, Great Britain is considered the actual birthplace of rugby.
Table tennis is another equally interesting and popular game. In addition, it is considered the fastest game. Table tennis is the most popular among young people. There are more than 300 million fans of the game around the world, which allows it to stay in the ranks of the most widespread. Table tennis was invented in the USA, and in China it is the second most popular.
The national game of most Nordic countries, including Canada, the United States and Russia, is the second most famous in the subcontinent. Gradually, hockey won the attention of people all over the world, capturing the hearts of billions. The most common game formats are ice hockey, field hockey and air hockey.
Basketball is the fifth most popular sport in the world. This game is most loved by teenagers in America. Basketball has captured the attention of more than 500 million spectators all over the planet. By the way, I personally am also a fan of basketball and have been doing it since childhood. And the most important achievement of any basketball player is, of course, participation in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Another way of spending time for Americans. Apart from the United States, this sport is also common in Japan and Taiwan. This game has over 600 million fans in 11 countries. And baseball players are among the richest athletes.
The number of volleyball fans reaches 900 million people, which allowed this sport to take the fourth place in the ranking of the most popular. Volleyball is most common in Europe, Asia, Australia and America. Athletes from over 100 countries take part in the competition.
Tennis rightfully ranks third among the most popular sports, because the number of its fans exceeds 1 billion people! The most popular venues for tennis competitions are Australia and the USA, where the beloved tournaments are held annually. Rafael Nadal, Mahesh Bhupati and the Williams sisters are the most famous and talented tennis players.
Cricket is not widespread in many countries, but this does not prevent it from being one of the most popular games and having more than 3 billion fans around the planet. A crazy number of cricket fans live in Pakistan, England, India and Australia. The different forms of cricket play add to its popularity and appeal. Interest in this sport does not fade away, especially in the T-20 style game.
Topping the list of the most popular sports is, of course, football, which has over 4 billion fans around the world. Many football players are also the highest paid athletes in the world. Therefore, often, when buying players from various clubs, we are faced with. Undoubtedly, this is an exciting game and best view sports in all categories.
This is not only the most spectacular, but also the most popular sport, because everyone can play football. Therefore, it is not even necessary to explain why football attracts people so much. The most famous are the English and Spanish Premier Leagues. And every four years, the World Cups are held, which are a significant event not only for fans, but also for people who are not even particularly interested in football.
Sports competitions in Russia have always been and will remain one of the most popular activities. According to statistical surveys, most of all the inhabitants of our country at least once in their lives tried to play one or even several sports at once. So what are the most popular sports in Russia?
Relationship between the development of Russian society and the spread of various sports
The most popular sports in Russia are football competitions, hockey games, biathlon and basketball. Slightly behind skiing, athletics, various and tennis competitions.
Today, 3,000 comfortable stadiums, more than 4,000 swimming pools for professional and amateur swimming, and more than 123,000 other sports facilities are successfully operating in our country. Thanks to this, more than 23 million of our fellow citizens have the opportunity to regularly engage in their favorite sport.
The theoretical part of sports science is also developing no less progressively. To achieve this goal, annual congresses of scientific sports medical organizations are held. These events highlight the most complex issues affecting amateur and professional sports, conduct research and develop new theories. All this also contributes to the spread of sports activities among all strata. Russian society.
Most Popular Sports: Top 10
No. 1. Football.
What type of sports is the most popular in Russia? It's football, of course! However, not all Russians have the desire and opportunity to play professional football and participate in world-class championships. Many of the young people prefer to just play ball with their friends in the yard when they have free time.
Others show their attention to this sport only by watching football on TV or going to football matches as spectators.
Despite the fact that football is quite common in our country, Russian teams rarely manage to win world-class competitions. This fact is very sad.
No. 2. Hockey.
Hockey ranks second among the most popular sports in Russia. Becoming a professional hockey player is not easy. To achieve this goal, you have to work hard for many years with a professional coach and a close-knit team. Only after that, the hockey player will be able to play well enough.
The popularity of hockey in our country influenced the development of the Continental Hockey League. Now it includes the strongest teams from our country. This sport sometimes brings the country even more victories than football. Our hockey players have repeatedly proved their professionalism in the past. No doubt they will do so in the future as well.
No. 3. Volleyball.
Volleyball ranks third among the most popular sports in Russia. This sporting event brings together hundreds and even thousands of fans of this sport, providing them with not only a wonderful hobby, but also good health. Beach volleyball is also becoming more and more popular in Russia. After all, most of the lovers of active summer recreation participate in it.
No. 4. Basketball.
Basketball is a collective sports competition in which 2 teams of 5 athletes each participate. The object of this competition is to score the ball into the opposing team's basket as many times as possible. The rules of the game in women's and men's basketball are common. But, nevertheless, men and women often play it in completely different ways. Basketball is among the most popular sports around the world. In Russia, he was also able to take 4th place.
No. 5. Athletics.
Amateur athletics are very popular. After all, many Russians like to find time for a refreshing morning jog. However, professional athletics in the top of the most popular sports in Russia is only in 5th place.
No. 6. Ski race.
A large area of our country is located in its northern part. In many districts and regions, the ground is covered with snow for several months in a row. This explains the rather high prevalence of cross-country skiing. If we talk about, then, almost every Russian participated in it. And also in our country is gaining more and more popularity.
No. 7. Boxing.
It should be noted that boxing began to gain its popularity only in recent decades. This sport is interesting because it allows you to develop and maintain willpower and fighting spirit among the male half of humanity. And yet, among the popular sports in our country, boxing has managed to take only 7th place so far.
No. 8. Figure skating.
For the first time skates were brought to Russia by Peter I from European countries. Figure skating was born in our country in 1865. This year, the first ice rink was held in St. Petersburg. After 10 years, the first competition in this sport took place here. In recent years, the popularity of figure skating in Russia has fallen somewhat, and yet, while it is still in the top.
No. 9. Tennis.
The history of tennis in our country dates back to the 19th century. It was at that time that a game called “lawn tennis” appeared. Today, tennis is one of the sports that have become part of the Olympic Games program and is gaining more and more popularity among the young population of our country.
No. 10. Chess.
The last place in the top of the most popular sports in Russia is occupied by chess. However, for many years, there were disputes whether this type of intellectual activity can be considered a sport at all.
Let's think together, sports always involve overcoming oneself, constant improvement of skills, harmonious mental and, constant training, the need for self-control and emotional stability. All this can be said about chess as well.
To date, chess has been officially included in the register of sporting events in about 100 countries around the world. However, chess players have not yet been able to participate in the Olympic programs. Therefore, the position of professional chess as a sport is still very ambiguous. Amateur chess competitions are much more common. Do you consider chess a sport?
The role of sports in the life of Russian society
What role do sports competitions play in the life of Russian society? All Russians see differently. Less than 30% of Russians are very indifferent to professional sports and even consider it a useless waste of budgetary funds.
Approximately 25% of our fellow citizens themselves. More than 45% are among the fans or from time to time participate in amateur sports competitions.
All this shows that the role of sport in the development of Russian society is enormous. Every active citizen can make his own contribution to strengthening the role of sport in our planet. Undoubtedly, this will only benefit all people.
And if you are still not involved in any sport, I advise you to pay attention to street workout We all want to look beautiful.
Learn more about the course »»
Thank you for your attention, the author of the blog Vladimir Manerov was with you. Subscribe to blog updates so as not to miss new interesting materials, and if you liked the article, then share it with your friends on social networks. That's all for now!
Sincerely, Vladimir Manerov
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This article will focus on Russia, USA, Canada, France, Africa and Australia.
Football is the most popular and massive sport in Russia. In total, 13 million 641 thousand people are engaged in sections and clubs in Russia. It is noteworthy that athletics is in the lead in the world ranking, while football is in first place in Russia. And in general, the first three places are occupied by team sports, although athletics are in a high fourth place. The high achievement of the Russian team was in 2008, where it made it to the semifinals, unexpectedly for everyone, winning the Dutch team with a score of 3:1. In 2018, Russia will host the World Cup where it has good chances to take a prize!!!
In the US, the most popular sport is not basketball, but American football! He beat baseball and basketball in popularity. Hockey there is also not at a bad level, because there is the most popular championship in the world of the NHL, where the best players in the world participate.
When you think of the sport that France is into, what immediately comes to mind? Cycling, perhaps with the Tour de France? Skiing, in the Alpine resorts so beloved by the rich and famous? Fishing, maybe in lakes, rivers and the sea, or maybe it's just the pleasure of walking, which most symbolize the sport of France for you. In France, as in all of Europe, football remains popular! Guided by the French Football Federation, the France team finished second in the 2006 World Cup, and won the World Cup (while host country) in 1998. Unfortunately, along with their honorable second-place finish, the controversy is also part of France's footballing reputation. During a match in the 2006 World Cup, player Zinedine Zidane headbutted Italian player Marco Materazzi in the chest. Although it is true, the two players exchanged words, at the time, it was not clear exactly what was said.
Sports in Canada consist of various games. Common are hockey, lacrosse, Canadian football, basketball, football, curling and baseball. Everything except curling and football is considered a domestic sport, as they were either invented by Canadians or traced back to their roots in Canada.
Ice hockey, simply referred to as "hockey", is Canada's most widespread winter sport, its most popular spectator sport, and its most successful sport in international competition. It is Canada's official national winter sport. Lacrosse, a sport with Native American origins, is Canada's oldest and official summer sport. Canadian football is Canada's second most popular spectator sport, and the Canadian Football League's annual championship, the Gray Cup, is the nation's largest annual sports event. While other sports have a large viewer base, the association football, known in Canada as football in both English and French, has the most registered players of any sport team in Canada. Professional teams exist in many Canadian cities.
As a country with a generally cool climate, Canada enjoys more success at the Winter Olympics than at the Summer Olympics, although significant regional differences in climate allow for a wide range of both team and individual sports. Major multi-sport events in Canada include the 2010 Winter Olympics. Great accomplishments in Canadian sports are recognized by Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and the Lou Marsh Trophy is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete by a panel of journalists. There are numerous other sports halls of fame in Canada.
The African continent has many beautiful landscapes, various animals in the wild open plains, several tribes that are native to a particular country, and a unique culture and traditions. In addition, the continent is widely known for its trademark sport: football.
Association football or football for short is very popular in African countries and is a favorite sport among the natives of the region. Next year, South Africa is likely to be the first African country to host the World Cup, an international football competition. This prestigious sporting event brings together all the participating teams from different countries in one exciting tournament and shows some of the most exciting moments in the game world. Whenever you go to the field in Africa you can see little boys playing kicking hand soccer with each other and they are aiming to become soccer icons in the near future.
As a nation, Australia has participated in many international events including the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and sports specific events like the World Cup and the Cricket World Cup. The country has a large number of national teams in sports such as Australian football, basketball, hockey, netball, rugby, softball, water polo and wheelchair rugby. Netball is one of the most popular women's sports in the country. Competitive disabled sports exist in Australia, a country that has a national deaf women's football (soccer) team, and compete in major events such as the Summer and Winter Paralympics.
From this information, we can conclude that football is the most popular sport in many countries of the world, and football is played by the whole planet!!!
Football: 4 billion followers
The dominance of football around the globe is so obvious that it shouldn't come as a surprise to those who didn't expect to see the sport at the top of the list. The game has fans in all countries from Japan to America, but nowhere is football more popular than in Europe. For most European countries, this is not just a game, but a way of life. The FIFA World Cup is the most iconic event of this sport, which is included in the list of the highest paid competitions in the entire sports world.
Basketball: 1 billion followers
Over the past 10 years, data on basketball league earnings, television contracts, and overall sports popularity have shown that basketball has gained massive acceptance outside of its homeland of America. Basketball quickly became in demand in Canada, China, Spain, the Philippines, Australia, Turkey, France, Germany.
Cricket: approximately 2 billion followers
Cricket is one of the most popular sports mainly in countries such as England, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand. In India and Pakistan, cricket is valued on a par with religion. It is a source of patriotism, a reason for pride and a struggle for honor.
Tennis: the most expensive sport has 1 billion followers
Indeed, this is a universal game, and unlike team sports, the individuality of the athletes attracts attention here. Tennis is equally popular among men and women around the world. In fact, it is one of those rare games that ensures equality between men and women. This applies not only to the load, but also to the prize fund.
Athletics: over 6 billion followers
Athletics closes the list of the most popular sports. Today it is the most global sport of all, as it includes several disciplines: several types of running, long jump and much more. Athletics is the main discipline at the Olympic Games and is the most watched during the broadcast of the games.
