Top 10 Most Important Sport Events in the World
There's nothing quite like sports when it comes to bringing people together. You're always going to see a lot of spectators whether it's the playoffs or the semi-finals, but some events are so big and so special that they receive way more attention from fans and the media alike. These big sport events are not just important for fans, they are also important for the athletes who compete during them as winning brings them fame and another notch on their career belts. These events have a massive impact in the countries that host them and that is one of the most important criteria used for this list. Here are the most important sport events across all sports.
The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are normally held every four years, and since 1994, has alternated between the Summer and Winter Olympics every two years during the four-year period. This event attracts many viewers for television networks and many tourists to the country hosting it. Hosting this massive event has many benefits for the lucky country, namely a rise in tourism and hospitality services, an increase in trade, which can yield an increase in foreign investment, and later, improvement to infrastructure and to transportation systems. The economic impact of hosting the Olympics tends to be less positive than anticipated in some cases, because most cities have ended up falling massively in debt after hosting the games, cities without the necessary infrastructure may be better off not submitting bids. When it comes to the athletes involved in these competitions, winning an Olympic medal can do wonders for their careers and prestige for their country.
Football/Soccer is considered the most popular sport in the world, it's biggest event being the FIFA World Cup. Often simply called the World Cup by fans, it is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the "Fédération Internationale de Football Association", the sport's global governing body.
While soccer isn't such a big attraction in the west, more specifically in the United States, it is the king of all sports in all of Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia. The amount of revenue certain countries make by hosting this event or simply with participating is massive.
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL) in the United States. Held annually on the first Sunday in February, it is the culmination of the regular football season and playoffs. The event is a cultural phenomenon, attracting millions of viewers worldwide and featuring... read more The Super Bowl is an enormously popular sporting event that takes place each year to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion. Every year, it is one of the most watched sporting events in the US (and the world although it is less popular in Europe). For many Americans, the Super Bowl is the perfect excuse to gather the family for a barbecue and it has become a tradition for many to watch the Super Bowl. Another fun thing about the Super Bowl is the commercials that were made specifically to be shown during the event, many of them are funny and include celebrities. On the economic side of things, the Super Bowl generates massive amounts of revenue every year for TV networks, for the city hosting the event and also for many businesses in the food industry and shops around the venue.
The Stanley Cup Finals is the most important sport event in hockey, and arguably the most important sport event in Canada. The winning team of the finals of the tournament is awarded with the prestigious Stanley Cup, one of the hardest to obtain in all sports. The reason it's so hard to win the cup is because the winning team has to play a minimum of 16 playoff games, and may have to play up 28 total before being deemed a champion.
Wimbledon is one of the big four events in tennis, this one taking place in England, and all four of them being known collectively as the "Grand Slams". Of these four events, Wimbledon is considered the most prestigious, because it is the oldest tournament in the world, the first one taking place in 1877, and because it is the only tennis tournament that is still played on grass. Some of the greatest tennis players of all time have participated in this iconic tournament like Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras and many others.
The NBA Finals is the most important annual event in Basketball because it determines which team in the entire sport is the best and that is where the best basketball players cemented their legacies. A championship ring is awarded to members of the team that win the annual NBA Finals. It takes a lot of work to get to the finals and the team as to win many games, then they have to win a best of 7 to win the finals. Economically, the NBA Finals is one of the events that generates the most income in North America.
The Masters Tournament is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf and is widely recognized as the most prestigious golf tournament in the world by both players and fans. Of the four tournaments, it is the first to take place each year and the only one played on the same golf course every year. Professional golfers who win at The Masters earn a lifetime exemption into The Masters, plus access to the course as an honorary member in perpetuity as well.
The Grand National is the most important National Hunt horse race and it is held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. These races, for people who are unfamiliar, require horses to jump fences and ditches. The first race was held in 1839 and since then has become part of British culture, which is why tradition is a big part of why it is so important and popular. Every year, this event is very beneficial economically for the area, with the hospitality industry seeing a big boost in revenue.
The Tour de France is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France. The name roughly translates to "go around France", which makes sense as that's exactly what the athletes participating in this event are doing. Is it the world's most prestigious and most difficult bicycle race. Of the three foremost races (the others being the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), the Tour de France attracts the world's best riders, and of course the most attention from bicycle enthusiasts.
The Cricket World Cup, also called the ICC Cricket World Cup, is the top-level and the most important competition in One Day International cricket and is organized every four years by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council. Many countries register for this event and usually a different one hosts the tournament. This event is very profitable economically, for example in 2019, the UK made 350 million in their currency from hosting the event.
My team has only made a Grand Final once (and never won a premiership in its 28 year history), but I still get hyped over it.
I don't follow sports anywhere near as much as I used to but I would definitely see this ahead of quite a few items on the original list. That's not meaning to disrespect your choices though.