Top 10 Sports in Australia

Think you know Aussie sport? It's time to throw your hat in the ring. You get to vote for the games that best represent this sunburnt country, from the fierce rivalries and sweat-soaked fields to the loud-as-heck stadiums that shake on game day.

Your call can push Aussie Rules, cricket, rugby, or soccer up the ladder or send them spiraling down. Make your voice count and help crown the sports that truly rule in Australia.

The Top Ten

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a cricket field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard-long pitch with a wicket, a set of three wooden stumps sited at each end. It is one of the most popular sports in countries like India, England, Australia, and... read more

Cricket is the best sport ever.
You need a lot of skill, stamina, and agility to stand for five days and watch the ball getting hit by a batsman. Also, if the ball rolls toward you while you stand for three hours, you need a great amount of fiber in your muscles to run towards it and occasionally dive.
Sometimes, players even catch the ball while it is suspended in the air. This is called a wicket. If you succeed in doing this, you need to chuck the ball into the air and clap - this is how you celebrate.
Not to mention that you also score points for running 22m every 30 minutes. Hardest sport ever. And I love it.
Not being sarcastic at all.
Written by a Serbian football player educated by a Strayan cricket player.
Soccer

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players each. It is played with a spherical ball. The objective is to score goals by getting the ball into the opposing team's net. Soccer is the most popular sport globally, governed by FIFA... read more

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and it's really fun and enjoyable to play. You need to have really good skills to play soccer.
The reason why it's pretty hard to score a goal with a goalie standing in front of it is that the more practice and hard work us soccer players put in, the more goals we'll score. Anyway, soccer is popular worldwide, just probably not in the US, because they have their own football (American Football).

Football (proper football, that is, the kind which is kicked with the foot) is the world game and the working-class game, unlike upper-class colonial cricket, which is played by only a handful of former British colonies in worldwide terms.
Swimming

Swimming is an individual or team sport and activity. Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, with events in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
It requires strong cardiovascular fitness and technique, and is also widely practiced as a low-impact form of... read more

Actually, a long-running, most popular under-18 sport in the country. Who hasn't done it?

It doesn't just appeal to kids. It appeals to people from babies to 90-year-olds.

Lots of people love swimming and participate in it more than any other sport.
Basketball

Basketball is a sport played by two teams of five players on a rectangular court. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high mounted to a backboard at each end. It is one of the most popular sports worldwide, especially in the United States, where the NBA is... read more

Basketball requires the most skill and showcases it the most. It demands all the abilities of fitness to play the game.

Basketball is all I've got. When I'm sad or want to be alone, just basketball understands me.

I was at the Melbourne United Game 5 grand final. We won!
Australian Rules Football

Australian Rules Football, commonly referred to as Aussie Rules or AFL, is a contact sport that originated in Australia. Played on an oval-shaped field, it involves two teams of 18 players each, with the objective being to kick the ball through the opponent's goalposts to score points.... read more

How can people say AFL isn't the best sport in Australia? It's Australia's game! No other game involves as much endurance, skill, brute force, courage, and intelligence! AFL players are some of the finest athletes in the country, unlike rugby players who just run into each other or cricketers who are hardly involved in the game for large parts.
We are starting to attract international attention. Mike Pyke, Marty Clarke, Pearce Hanley, Majak Daw, and Lin Jong are all international players. Untried international players like Eric Wallace are still exciting as well! When a sport can get 40,000+ people to more than half of the games, it's clearly the best.
Netball

Netball. Play to live, live to play. It should be right up there, at the top of this list, at the top of the world.

Netball is an amazing game. Easy for anyone to pick up.

Netball is more fun than any other sport!
Hockey

Hockey should be well above basketball at least. It is extremely popular in Australia as well.
Core fitness required is high, not as high as swimming but still demanding. Skill level is far higher than soccer or basketball. Just watch ball skills on YouTube.
Cricket shouldn't even be in the top 10.

Hockey is obviously the greatest sport in the country and the world. Hockey players don't cry like soccer players when they fall over.

I play hockey all the time at school, and because of that, I love it so much.
Tennis

Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players each.
Matches are played on various surfaces such as grass, clay, or hard court, each affecting gameplay differently. It is a globally popular sport with major tournaments including... read more

Tennis, cricket, and AFL are what I think define Australia. Everyone I know was brought up competing in one of these. Cricket is only the more popular international sport because of its demographic hot spots and their massive populations.
I believe that tennis brings in the most revenue for the economy, not only because of how big it is here but also because of how popular the athletes who play the sport are when they compete in Australia.

Tennis is all about skill. You may be strong and fast, but that is only a minor part of tennis. It's 40% physical and 60% mental. It is probably the most boring to watch but the most fun to play!
Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.
It is played both indoors and on sand, with beach volleyball being an Olympic event since 1996.

Volleyball is one of the best sports I have ever played (and I have played a lot of them). Though we do not spend our time senselessly beating other people up to get out all of our aggressions, we do have to learn how to constantly be in control of what our bodies do.
This sport requires you to be in supremely high physical condition with strength in every part of your body. While other people are busy hitting soft grass with full protective pads, we must learn how to hit the hard floor with next to nothing protecting us.
Rugby League

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, league, rugby, or football, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field.
It originated in Northern England in the late 19th century and is distinct from rugby union in rules and gameplay. Rugby league... read more

The best athletes in Australia play Rugby League. It is the most popular sport behind cricket and had four of the most-watched sporting programs on TV in 2014. In fact, more people watched the 2014 NRL Grand Final than any other sport!
Rugby League should be second behind cricket, with AFL third and Rugby Union fourth. Swimming? What a joke. Who the heck watches hockey in this country? It is small-time compared to NRL and AFL. No one gives a damn about netball, and soccer isn't even televised. No one cares about soccer in Australia!

Hands down, best sport. Skill, speed, endurance, toughness, and the best fights outside of MMA. P.S. the scrum is uncontested, so it doesn't slow down the play but still allows a set play with all the forwards tied up, so much better than union where some highlights are just field goals because that's all that happened.

The Newcomers

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Ping Pong

Ping-pong, or table tennis, is a sport where players hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table. It originated in England in the late 19th century as a parlor game and evolved into an Olympic sport. The game is especially popular in countries like China, South Korea, and Germany.
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Billiards

The Contenders

Boxing

Boxing is a martial art and combat sport in which two people wearing protective gloves throw punches at each other for a predetermined set of time in a boxing ring.
It is governed by rules that include weight classes, scoring systems, and protective regulations. Boxing is an Olympic sport and... read more
Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of nine players each who take turns batting and fielding. The game is widely considered the national pastime of the United States. Major League Baseball (MLB) is the sport's highest level of professional play in North America.
Rugby Union

Australia is one of the strongest teams in the rugby world. Although we are not the powerhouse that we once were, we remain one of the biggest threats to the All Blacks.
It has a great culture of good sportsmanship both on and off the field, unlike Rugby League. Its popularity also seems to be growing once again.

Rugby Union should be higher than Rugby League because Rugby League is almost exclusively played in Australia.

An amazing sport both on and off the field. So inclusive to all and really embodies the true spirit of sport.
Mountain Biking

Mountain biking is awesome fun. If you've never tried it, you should. It can be a massive challenge and sometimes even scary!
Golf

Golf is a club and ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes from a range of 80 to 600 yards on a course in as few strokes as possible.
The game is played on outdoor courses with varying terrains, typically consisting of 18 holes. Major professional tournaments... read more
Softball
Equestrian

This should be right up at number one! Australia always makes us proud in the Olympics with equestrian. I think it should be second because, yeah, cricket is Australia. Not only is this the hardest sport, but it's also one of the most thrilling. You have no idea what's going to happen next!
Auto Racing

It should be more popular but is still the most physically demanding sport.

Endurocross is more challenging but safer as it is a low-speed race. Tackling each obstacle is fun.
MMA

By far the best sport ever! I love all my sports. I've played footy, cricket, and basketball, and I love them all, but they don't compare to MMA. If I want to be professional at one sport, it would be this! I want to be the next UFC Champion of the world!
Surfing

Surfing is a surface water sport in which the wave rider, referred to as a surfer, rides on the forward or deep face of a moving wave, which typically carries the surfer toward the shore. It originated in ancient Polynesian culture and spread globally in the 20th century, becoming especially popular... read more
Cheerleading

Cheerleading is a sport and performance activity that combines elements of dance, gymnastics, and acrobatics. It originated in the United States and has changed significantly over the years.
The activity has expanded beyond leading cheers for sports teams to become a highly competitive sport.... read more

Cheerleading is a very hard-working sport.
Paintball
Skateboarding

Skateboarding is an action sport that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard. It is also considered a recreational activity, an art form, a profession, and a method of transportation. Skateboarding originated in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s and has grown into a global culture... read more
Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a contact team sport played between two teams using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick.
The objective is to score by shooting the ball into the opponent's goal. Lacrosse has several variations, including field lacrosse, box lacrosse, and... read more
Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of exercises requiring strength, flexibility, balance, and control.
It includes various disciplines such as artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, and acrobatics. Gymnastics is a core sport in the Summer Olympic Games and is governed... read more

Gymnastics is a difficult sport for everyone. It is much harder than football and soccer, which is why more people do footy and soccer rather than gymnastics. It deserves to be first.