There are the soccer die hard fans, the cricket maniacs, and the tennis freaks. Either you are one of them, or you know one closely. They are just everywhere. You know the most popular movie star or model, or the hottest Tennis star (if you do not, go to the related article mentioned below). Lets' get more intellectual, or maybe dorkish here.

The names of the most popular sports in the world are mentioned below.  Did yours make it? 

6. Table Tennis:

Caught you by surprise, didn't it. This game is more popular than just in China. The smallish table and even smaller people have to be extremely agile and quick on their feet to score. It has an estimated viewership of 900 million.

5. Volleyball:

The last time you saw it being played was in school, where everybody seemed clueless. But this game has more to it than throwing the ball around. With a viewership on 900 million again, Volleyball is popular in the United States, where the sport originated, as well as in Brazil, all over Europe, Russia, China and Japan.

4. Lawn Tennis:

This sport is actually, strangely popular in richer countries. No wonder the better dressed people! With a mass following of 1 billion players and watchers. The four main tournaments are the Australian Open, then the French Open, Wimbledon and then the US Open in late August. The Grand Slam tournaments tend to get the most attention during the tennis season.

3. Field Hockey:

Even though it is India's national sport and never given it's due, this sport is actually more popular than Tennis. It has a membership of 2 Billion veiwers, mostly in Asian countries, European countries, Australia and around Africa. 

2. Cricket:

All you Indians there cursing me for putting it below Soccer, calm down. It is true. Cricket has a massive following of 2 Billion people. The sport is popular in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, some African countries, some Caribbean countries and it is the most popular sport in the countries of India and Pakistan.

1. Football:

The winner is Soccer, as the Americans call it, or plain old Football. It is graced with an estimated following of 3.5 Billion people. The World Cup is the global championship of the sport and this tournament is played every four years. The World Cup itself is one of the highest rated sports on television, with many countries tuning in en masse to watch their country's team play.

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