Spectator sport

Sport characterized by the presence of spectators Top left: Spectators at a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays in 2017Top right: An American college football match between Florida and Florida State being watched by supportersBottom left: An emotional spectator at an association football match between Russia and Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World CupBottom right: Dani Pedrosa waving to spectators at the 2007 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix A spectator sport is a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its competitions. Spectator sports may be professional sports or amateur sports. They often are distinguished from participant sports, which are more recreational. Overview Most popular sports are both spectator and participant, for example association football, basketball, cricket, tennis, rugby, golf, athletics and volleyball. Less popular sports are mainly participant sports, for example hunting. The increasing broadcasting of sports events, along with media reporting can affect the number of people attending sports due to the ability to experience the sport without the need to physically attend and sometimes an increas