Western sports are sports that are strongly associated with the West.[a] Many modern sports were invented in or standardized by Western countries;[1] in particular, many major sports were invented in the United Kingdom after the Industrial Revolution,[2][3] and later, America invented some major sports such as basketball and baseball.[4]
Western European colonialism and American influence were the initial causes of the spread of Western sports around the world.[5] Later, globalization and the prominent role of Western sports in the Olympic Games helped further grow Western sports.[1][6][7] The most-watched international sporting event is the FIFA World Cup, which showcases the Western sport of football (also known as soccer).[8]
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- ^ a b "Beijing 2008 Olympic Games - Globalization, Sports Processes | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ Clarey, Christopher (2012-07-26). "Britain's Living Legacy to the Games: Sports". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ Vamplew, Wray (15 March 2016). "Sport, industry and industrial sport in Britain before 1914: review and revision". Sport in Society. 19 (3): 340–355. doi:10.1080/17430437.2015.1057942. S2CID 145543051.
- ^ Giaimo, Cara (2016-08-26). "The Surprising Massachusetts Origins of Nearly Every American Sport". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ Cleophas, Francois (2021-08-24). "How colonial history shaped bodies and sport at the edges of empire". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ Lee, Byung Jin; Kim, Tae Young (23 February 2016). "A study on the birth and globalization of sports originated from each continent". Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation. 12 (1): 2–9. doi:10.12965/jer.150248. PMC 4771148. PMID 26933653.
- ^ Manzenreiter, Wolfram (22 March 2010). "Global movements, sports spectacles and the transformation of representational power". Asia Pacific World. 1 (1): 37–56. doi:10.3167/apw2010010104. Gale A397005606.
- ^ Stacker, Sam Kaye (2022-11-17). "The World Cup is the most-watched sporting event internationally. Here's how it stacks up to US events". Fredericksburg.com. Retrieved 2023-10-03.