The changing face of British sports interest

Interest in modern sport has changed markedly in the last decade as the prevalence and availability of new, non-traditional sports has increased to UK residents via television, internet and increasing coverage in mainstream media. The traditional favorites in football, cricket, rugby and boxing are starting to make room for other sports.

Professional wrestling, most commonly seen in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) competition, has been popular for many years in the UK, but has managed to keep many fans who first encountered the sport as a child interested as they grow into adults. As mixed martial arts have done, professional wrestling is ข่าวร้อนพรีเมียร์ as a popular contact sport. The appearance of scripted story lines and fights along with brand fighters and famous contestants has led to a strong cult-like following that shows no signs of weakening.

American football is a good example of a relatively new sport gaining ground in England and the UK. The biggest competition available to England fans is the NFL, one of the largest American football organizations. During the regular season and after the season, matches can be found on pay-per-view TV channels as well as late night deals on free to air channels. Increased awareness of the rules and stars of American football has led to a growing NFL and American football following on this side of the pond. Both evidence and a partial reason for this can be seen in the few NGL matches that have been played at Wembley Stadium in the UK.

Mixed Martial Arts is another example of a relatively new global sport that has become popular at home in the UK. Focused primarily on the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC, mixed martial arts (MMA) is steadily replacing boxing as a favorite martial art among many British peoples. Such a growing fan base and UK tours at events along with UK venue events, merchandise and media coverage have meant that in the near future, Mixed Martial Arts may overtake boxing as the primary martial art seen on our television, which could radically change the sporting world.

Football or soccer in the United States is a definite favorite among UK sports fans and this is unlikely to change as it remains the biggest and in many ways the best spectator sport, both on and off the pitch. Massive money and popular personalities have resulted in entertainment on the field with exciting teams, players competing in fantastic leagues and tournaments, meanwhile football stars are more popular than they have ever been off the field. The English Premier League, the UEFA Champions League and the home country's international matches are the most popular matches for British fans, but recently with coverage of foreign leagues and competitions such as the US Football Leagues and the many European leagues, interest in non-domestic competitions has been growing.