Top 5 Sports in the Philippines

Top Sports In the Philippines

Sports play a very important role in one’s life. Not only it helps us to stay fit and healthy but it also provides an opportunity to an individual of living his dream and being successful. With the growing technology, love for sports and viewership, popularity of sports has been increasing tremendously. Therefore, importance and value of sports for every individual is simply unquestionable and without any doubt. Playing a sport is totally different from watching a sport. Some people take part in the game, play and stay fit whereas some just watch it for entertainment. The article below focuses on the viewership of sports. According to the popularity of sports as most viewed, here is a list of top 10 loved sports in the Philippines:

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1. 1.  Basketball

It is the most loved sports in the Philippines. The players are generally tall and energetic. Basketball is one of the few sports whose exact origin is definitely known. In the winter of 1891–1892, Dr. James Naismith, an instructor in the YMCA Training College (now Springfield College) at Springfield, Mass., deliberately invented the game of basketball in order to provide indoor exercise and competition for the students between the closing of the football season and the opening of the baseball season. He affixed peach baskets overhead on the walls at opposite ends of the gymnasium and organized teams to play his new game in which the purpose was to toss an association (soccer) ball into one basket and prevent the opponents from tossing the ball into the other basket. Because Dr. Naismith had eighteen available players when he invented the game, the first rule was: “There shall be nine players on each side.” Later the number of players became optional, depending upon the size of the available court, but the five-player standard was adopted when the game spread over the country. U.S. soldiers brought basketball to Europe in World War I, and it soon became a worldwide sport.

From: filipinofootball.blogspot.com

1. 2.Football

It is the 2^nd most loved sports in the Philippines.  Football refers to a game where you have to score a goal by kicking a ball using your foot. The beauty of this game is that it is the most economical sports to practice require only one ball. Irrespective of the wealth it can be played by anyone .it is only the most widely watched sport but also the most played game in the world.

While football traces its origins to rugby and soccer, the unique history of American football has resulted in a game that substantially differs from its predecessors. As such, even those who are familiar with rugby and soccer might find football difficult to follow. Although a short summary might not sufficiently cover the intricacies of football, knowing its basic rules and goals can help you to develop a deeper understanding of the game.

From: english.sina.com

3Badminton

It is the 3^rd most loved sports in the Philippines.  Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court. Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor, or if a fault has been called by either the umpire or service judge or, in their absence, the offending player, at any time during the rally.

The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered (or, mainly in uncompetitive games, plastic) projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently than the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Shuttlecocks have a much higher top speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock flight is affected by wind, competitive badminton is played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.

From: www. demotix.com

4. Sepak Takraw

It is the 4^th most loved sports in the Philippines.  The origins of Sepak Takraw remains a matter of intense debate in Southeast Asia, as several countries proudly claim it as their own. There is, however, some agreement that the game was introduced to Southeast Asia through commercial contact with China, where an ancient form of the game originated.

It is believed that many variations of the game evolved from an ancient Chinese military exercise, where soldiers would try to keep a feathered shuttlecock airborne by kicking it back and forth between two or more people. As the sport developed, the animal hide and chicken feathers were eventually replaced by balls made of woven strips of rattan.

From ph.sports.yahoo.com

5Boxing

It is the 5^th most loved sports in the Philippines. Boxing is one of the oldest known sports, with 2,000-year-old depictions on the walls of tombs in Egypt and stone carvings indicating that Sumerians, who lived in what is now Iraq, boxed at least 5,000 years ago.

Boxing began as an exhausting and brutal spectacle. In ancient Greece, two men would sit face to face with their fists wrapped in strips of leather. They would hit each other until one of them fell to the ground unconscious--or dead. Roman fighters wore cestuses (leather straps plated with metal) to shorten the length of the bouts. Shortly before the birth of Christ, Romans prohibited boxing, because the sport had become so savage.

What was called the golden age of U.S. boxing began in 1920 in New York with legislation that permitted public prizefighting and introduced fighters such as Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney and Joe Louis.

Attendance at boxing matches declined during the '50s with the advent of television. Many fight fans preferred to watch major fights on TV at home rather than watch from a ringside seat.

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