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Some of the most-watched television events in history are sports events, and baby boomers love to watch many of them. It won’t come as any surprise to know that the Super Bowl and Olympic Games are some of the most-watched sporting events in the world. The same can be said for the Winter Olympics, which is also a favorite event of the baby boomer generation.
To properly determine the most popular sports events worldwide, YouGov compiled data from the second quarter of 2024 and ranked the top most popular sports among baby boomers in descending order. For boomers born between 1946 and 1964, this list looks closely at many events from the United States to find the most popular sporting events.
Why Is This Important?
The Super Bowl is the biggest sports event in America.
To understand why 24/7 WallSt covers sports like this list, it’s important to realize worldwide sports revenue is well over 400 hundred billion dollars. By 2028, this number is expected to climb to 680 billion dollars, making sports one of the world's largest industries. Much of this revenue comes from marketing by brands we regularly cover on this website, such as Coca-Cola, Nike, Gatorade, and more.
15. Major League Pickleball
Pickleball has grown tremendously over the last few years.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 11%
One of two professional pickleball groups in the US, Major League Pickleball is the smaller of the two. MLP, as it’s commonly known, includes 22 teams and is home to 48 Premier Level players looking to make it to the sport's top. At the Challenger Level, 40 up-and-coming players believed to be the “talents of tomorrow” compete in tournaments and hope to be drafted to the Premier Level.
14. Professional Pickleball Association
More and more people are turning to pickleball over tennis.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 12%
The pickleball game has attracted considerable attention over the last four years. The Professional Pickleball Association includes 20 tournaments with prize money totaling over $2.5 million. In 2024, there will be 26 different stops on the tour, with the final tournament of the year held in San Clemente, California.
13. Miami Open
Surprisingly, the Miami Open was watched more than the US Open.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 15%
One of the biggest tennis tournaments in the US, the Miami Open, is a boomer favorite. This is undoubtedly helped by the location, where plenty of boomers have retired in Miami, making attending and viewing this event easy. Held every year, the event typically attracts the top 96 men’s and women’s tennis players.
12. X Games
The X Games has become the Olympics for extreme sports.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 18%
The X Games, founded by ESPN in 1995, is a counterpoint to the Olympics for extreme sports. While ESPN has since sold the event, the combination of skateboarding, snowboarding, freestyle motocross, skiing, and BMW draws big crowds as athletes battle to win bronze, silver, and gold medals. The 2024 X Games will be held in California later this year.
11. World’s Strongest Man
Eddie Hall was once crowned the world's strongest man.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 22%
An international strongman competition is held every year, much to the delight of baby boomers. The World’s Strongest Man competition is typically held in the US during the summer months and again in the UK during the winter. To compete in these events, qualifiers must place in the top three spots at “Giants Live” events, which are also held yearly. Since the competition was established in 1977, 46 tournaments have been held, and 24 different men have won.
10. FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023
The FIFA Women's World Cup captures more than 2 billion viewers worldwide.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 28%
Held every four years for women, the FIFA Women’s World Cup is the pinnacle of soccer for female athletes. Like the men’s tournament, this event brings together the 32 best soccer teams in the world through a qualification phase. Of the nine tournaments held, the United States has won four times, with Germany, Japan, Norway, and Spain each winning one title.
9. FIFA World Cup
More than 5 billion people watched the most recent World Cup.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 31%
Held every four years since 1930, except World War II, the FIFA World Cup is the world’s most important soccer tournament. Over time, more than 80 national teams have competed, with Brazil being the only team to compete in all tournaments. The World Cup is undoubtedly the most prestigious soccer event in the world and the most watched, with 1.5 billion people watching the 2020 final match alone.
8. National Women’s Soccer League
The National Women's Soccer League is growing significantly.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 32%
The female professional soccer league, the National Women’s Soccer League, is the top of the United States league system. Established in 2012, the league began play in 2013 and, as of 2024, has 14 teams across the country. Games run between March and November, with each team playing 26 regular-season games followed by a playoff system. Many players from these teams make up the American national team, one of the world’s top soccer female soccer clubs.
7. NBA Finals
The NBA Finals continues to be one of the most exciting sports events.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 32%
The annual championship series of the National Basketball Association, the NBA Finals, takes the best team from the Eastern and Western Conference to pit them in a best-of-seven series. The winning team takes home the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy with 21 different franchises, having won the NBA Finals, including a league-leading 18 times for the Boston Celtics.
6. National Hockey League
Watching NHL games is surprisingly popular with boomers.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 33%
While hockey may only be the fourth most popular sport in the United States, it’s surprisingly popular with boomers. According to YouGov, the National Hockey League, or NHL, ranks sixth as the most popular sport. The NHL has 32 teams, 25 from the United States and seven from Canada. All 32 teams compete to win the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional sports trophy.
5. Wimbledon Championships
The Wimbledon Finals is tennis' most-watched event every year.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 38%
The world's oldest and most prestigious tennis event, the Wimbledon Championships, is one of four “Grand Slam” tennis tournaments. It is the only major tennis tournament still played on grass, the original playing surface from the sport’s early days. The event generally begins in late June, plays through mid-July, and offers five separate events, including Ladies and Gentlemen’s finals.
4. National Football League
The NFL is the most popular sports league in America.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 52%
One of the most popular sports events worldwide is the National Football League. While soccer may be the most popular sport internationally, American football is the most popular domestically. Consisting of 32 teams, the NFL season takes place over 18 weeks between September and January, followed by the playoffs and culminating with the Super Bowl in February.
3. Paris 2024 Olympics
Billions will undoubtedly view the Paris 2024 Olympics around the world, including baby boomers.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 54%
With the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics just weeks away, it’s unsurprising that boomers are excited about it. As the third most popular event, the anticipation of watching approximately two weeks of the world’s best athletes compete in various summer sports with Paris as the backdrop is very exciting. Over 10,672 athletes will compete in 329 events across 31 sports starting on July 31, 2024.
2. Super Bowl
The Super Bowl will definitely be a big event for boomers every year.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 61%
The peak of the sports mountain in the United States is the Super Bowl, the final game of every NFL season since 1966. Since 2022, the Super Bowl has been played on the second Sunday in February, and winners take home the Vince Lombardi trophy. Thirty-two different NFL teams fight yearly to make it to the Super Bowl, the most-watched annual sporting event in the United States. Only the UEFA Champions League final receives more viewers than the Super Bowl.
1. Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympics is the most popular sporting event for baby boomers.
- Percentage of millennials with a favorable opinion: 62%
Unsurprisingly, the Winter Olympics are the most popular sporting event with boomers. Taking place every four years, the first Winter Games started in 1924 when they were held in Chamonix, France. The Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics alternate schedules, so the world has an Olympic games event every two years instead of four. Winter events include skiing, luge, figure skating, snowboarding, curling, biathlon, and many more.
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