Bowling vs Soccer

by **Snaggletooth** » June 27th, 2011, 5:42 pm

Bowling is #5 in the top 10 participation sports in the U.S.A. Soccer doesn't even make the list.

**Sponsor**

by **LMS** » June 27th, 2011, 5:46 pm

Bowling isn't a sport. The numbers you reference are exaggerated because a bunch of blue hairs bowl into their 90s. Those rankings mean nothing and to be clear, I am no fan of soccer.

by **DUBulldog** » June 27th, 2011, 6:06 pm

Snaggletooth wrote:Bowling is #5 in the top 10 participation sports in the U.S.A. Soccer doesn't even make the list.

It would be interesting to see the list of the top 10 participation sports, and compare it to a list of Top 10 most watched sports. I'm guessing there will be a lot of difference between the lists.

by **Snaggletooth** » June 27th, 2011, 6:37 pm

LMS wrote:Bowling isn't a sport.

Really. Lets just see what the dictionary says

sport (spôrt, sprt)
n.
1.
a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
b. A particular form of this activity.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
3. An active pastime; recreation.

according to that you are wrong.

Those rankings mean nothing and to be clear,

Obviously that mean something. It says something about the choices that people make.

I am no fan of soccer.

That is nice to know in some wierd sort of a way I guess.

by **Snaggletooth** » June 27th, 2011, 6:38 pm

DUBulldog wrote:
Snaggletooth wrote:Bowling is #5 in the top 10 participation sports in the U.S.A. Soccer doesn't even make the list.

It would be interesting to see the list of the top 10 participation sports, and compare it to a list of Top 10 most watched sports. I'm guessing there will be a lot of difference between the lists.

I looked up Soccer and found

The myth that the World Cup final attracts a global television audience of more than a billion people has been debunked by an Independent investigation into TV viewing figures that shows that true audiences are between a quarter and a third of that size.

This prompted Fifa to admit yesterday that numbers up to now have been massively exaggerated in some cases, and simply guessed in others.

So it it looks like soccer numbers are made up just like global warming.

by **DUBulldog** » June 27th, 2011, 7:57 pm

All I know about soccer is that I've never watched it.....still, would be curious to see the lists.

by **MVCfans** » June 27th, 2011, 8:13 pm

I actually took my kids bowling this weekend. Not sure if I'd place it in the "sport" or "not a sport" column. I'll add a poll - we'll see what the board thinks.

by **Ferd Berfel** » June 28th, 2011, 6:26 am

Participation among the general populationIn the broadest sense of the definition of sports—physical recreation of all sorts—the four most popular sports among the general population of the United States are exercise walking (90 million), exercising with equipment (53 million), swimming (52 million) and camping (47 million). The most popular competitive sport (and fifth most popular recreational sport) is bowling (43 million). Other most popular sports are fishing (35 million), bicycling (37 million), weightlifting (33 million), aerobics (30 million), and hiking (28 million).[

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_in_the_United_States

Sport/Activity

Bowling – 53.5 million
Treadmill Exercise – 48.0 million
Stretching – 42.3 million
Freshwater Fishing – 42.1 million
Tent Camping – 38.6 million
Horseback Riding – 38.0 million
Running/Jogging – 37.8 million
Overnight Hiking – 36.6 million
Fitness Walking – 36.3 million
Billiards/Pool – 35.2 million
Basketball – 32.0 million
Hand Weights – 31.4 million
Weight/Resistance Machines – 29.0 million
Dumbells – 28.4 million
Golf – 25.7 million
Calisthenics – 24.9 million
Barbells – 23.0 million
Darts – 18.8 million
Tennis – 18.3 million
RV Camping – 18.2 million
Hunting (Shotgun/Rifle) – 18.0 million
Elliptical Motion Trainer – 16.7 million
Abdominal Machine/ Exercise – 16.5 million
Inline Skating – 16.5 million
Outdoor Soccer – 15.8 million
Other prominent sports located outside the top 25 sports/activities are: fitness swimming (14.6 million), ice skating (14.6 million), touch football (14.1 million), table tennis (14.1 million), slow-pitch softball (12.9 million), skateboarding (11.4 million), paintball (10.4 million), Pilates Training (10.4 million), baseball (10.3 million), water skiing (7.3 million), tackle football (5.8 million), racquetball (4.9 million), fast-pitch softball (3.5 million), and surfing (2.7 million).

http://www.doubledonut.com/2006/08/14/top-25-most-popular-sportsrecreational-activities-in-the-us

Soccer hardly registers compared to bowling in the US and has overtaken Soccer in France, Italy and South Africa.

by **bigdawg** » June 28th, 2011, 6:57 am

The first real sport on the list is basketball. You're counting bowling as a sport based on a list that also includes stretching as a sport.

by **Snaggletooth** » June 28th, 2011, 7:13 am

bigdawg wrote:The first real sport on the list is basketball. You're counting bowling as a sport based on a list that also includes stretching as a sport.

I believe that list title is "sports/activity". That might key you on to something.

You are telling me that people who run are not participating in a sport? Please tell that to that thise who train and run a marathon.