How popular is F1 compared to other English global sports?
We often hear that Formula 1 is a sport, but it really isn't. Formula 1 is a motor racing series, the biggest tournament in car racing (the real sport), but not a separate sport by itself. With that in mind, when trying to compare Formula 1 to other global sports or, in this case, another global championship (like cricket), there has to be special care and consider all aspects.
Formula 1 is to motor racing what the UEFA Champions League is for club football, only its biggest tournament. On Cricket, for example, the ICC Cricket World Cup is the biggest and most prestigious cricket tournament in the world. If you're a cricket fan, you can enjoy some free betting tips for cricket on this piece.
Is motor racing as a whole as big as football worldwide? Probably not. Is it as popular by the number of fans as cricket? That one might be tricky, but probably not either. Car racing is inherently difficult to get in, simply because it is particularly hard to drive a kart when you do not own one, while you could buy a football at any store near your home and probably spent some more money on cleats and still find yourself with a bit left on your pocket.
This article will take a look at certain numbers and show you how Formula 1 compares to other championships from other sports, and even show you where the biggest star in Formula 1 ranks compared to other sports' superstars. We will base it on social media followers. Social media is not the real world but could work as a sample of it.
When compared to football's biggest tournaments, such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Champions League, Formula 1 ranks quite a bit lower in terms of social media followers. Across Facebook (10.4 million), Instagram (17 million) and Twitter (7.1 million), Formula 1 has 34.5 million followers.
Only for perspective, the UEFA Champions League has over 69 million followers on Instagram, while the FIFA World Cup is at 24.6 million on the same social media app. Moreover, the English Premier League has over 53 million followers on Instagram, while Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-followed person in the world on that app, with a whopping 399 million followers at the time of the writing of this piece (he might have over 400 million once this one is published).
Participant performs during League Match 2 of Red Bull Campus Cricket at Mullanpur Stadium in Chandigarh
Cricket, a tremendously popular sport in the UK, is governed by the International Cricket Council, which has 21 million followers on IG, 24 million on Facebook and 14 million on Twitter. Moreover, Virat Kohli, one of the best cricketers in the world, has 46 million followers on Twitter alone, and 182 million followers on Instagram.
Of course, Kohli is an Indian and has captained the Indian National Team, which gives him a tone of popularity in his home country, which has over 1,380,004,385 million inhabitants.
Moreover, Kohli was ranked 66th on Forbes' Annual Ranking of the World's 100-highest-paid athletes in 2020, while seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, for example, has been ranked on the Top 10 of such list several times, including the 2020 and 2021 standings (through salary and endorsements).
Tennis, another global sport, is not as advanced on social media, with its three biggest male stars, Rafael Nadal (13 million followers on IG), Novak Djokovic (10 million), and Roger Federer (9 million) not being among the most-followed athletes on the planet. Moreover, Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, has 14.2 million followers on Instagram.
Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and, in its best years, is at the top of car technology, engineering, and high-fly performance. However, it might not be as big as other premier sports (especially in the UK) that are more accessible in almost every aspect.
Formula 1's disadvantage on social media could certainly come from the series being a late bloomer in that regard, given it has really taken off on that area after Liberty Media took over (for better or for worse) in 2017.
Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of F1-Fansite.com, staff or partners.
✅ Check out more posts with related topics:
How popular is F1 compared to other English global sports?
Cricket,Football funny that, they just happen to be the 2 sports that people bet money on , Damn betting adds, yeah it pays the bils but its still bollox
✅ Checkout the latest 50 F1 Fans comments.