Boxing is the number 4 most popular sport in the US - Harris Poll
03-18-2022, 01:30 PM
Great news for real Boxing fans. Although no longer centered in the United States, Boxing is the 4th most popular athletic spectator sport in the US, the largest revenue contributing nation! (And the three that lead it are largely provincial sports).
https://*********.com/who-says-boxing-is-dead/129354
By Karl Freitag
Hardcore boxing fans tend to gnash their teeth at the recent spate of exhibitions featuring former boxing legends, MMA fighters competing in boxing matches, combination boxing/Verzuz events, and Internet “influencers” squaring off in the ring. But there is a very bright side.
In the most recent Harris Poll, boxing now ranks as the fourth most-popular sport in the United States, behind only football, baseball, and basketball. And ahead of MMA. Ahead of ice hockey. Ahead of soccer. Ahead of tennis. Ahead of golf.
This is rather startling considering boxing wasn’t even in the top ten previously. And perhaps even more shocking is the fact that boxing is no longer just your grandfather’s favorite sport. Young people are flocking to the sweet science, even preferring boxing to baseball!
There is a market for celebrity boxing. Obviously, these match-ups aren’t high level, but they can be entertaining. And they’re clearly attracting a new audience to the fight game.
For example, on Saturday there’s a free stream featuring Game of Thrones star Thor “The Mountain” Bjornsson against British strongman Eddie Hall in a six round boxing match. This spectacle is nothing more than sports entertainment, but it’s still boxing.
And, the more people interested in watching boxing at any level, the better it is for the sport.
I wonder if this Harris Poll result suprises anyone? Harris is one of the most famous polls there is, so their findings are meaningful. Plenty of people who were never fans of Boxing were quick to proclaim it's demise without any supporting data. We now know what BS that is.
03-18-2022, 01:30 PM
Great news for real Boxing fans. Although no longer centered in the United States, Boxing is the 4th most popular athletic spectator sport in the US, the largest revenue contributing nation! (And the three that lead it are largely provincial sports).
https://*********.com/who-says-boxing-is-dead/129354
By Karl Freitag
Hardcore boxing fans tend to gnash their teeth at the recent spate of exhibitions featuring former boxing legends, MMA fighters competing in boxing matches, combination boxing/Verzuz events, and Internet “influencers” squaring off in the ring. But there is a very bright side.
In the most recent Harris Poll, boxing now ranks as the fourth most-popular sport in the United States, behind only football, baseball, and basketball. And ahead of MMA. Ahead of ice hockey. Ahead of soccer. Ahead of tennis. Ahead of golf.
This is rather startling considering boxing wasn’t even in the top ten previously. And perhaps even more shocking is the fact that boxing is no longer just your grandfather’s favorite sport. Young people are flocking to the sweet science, even preferring boxing to baseball!
There is a market for celebrity boxing. Obviously, these match-ups aren’t high level, but they can be entertaining. And they’re clearly attracting a new audience to the fight game.
For example, on Saturday there’s a free stream featuring Game of Thrones star Thor “The Mountain” Bjornsson against British strongman Eddie Hall in a six round boxing match. This spectacle is nothing more than sports entertainment, but it’s still boxing.
And, the more people interested in watching boxing at any level, the better it is for the sport.
I wonder if this Harris Poll result suprises anyone? Harris is one of the most famous polls there is, so their findings are meaningful. Plenty of people who were never fans of Boxing were quick to proclaim it's demise without any supporting data. We now know what BS that is.
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