Editorial - Where's the Love? In Support of Non-Ball Sports

                Yet again, I am preparing for another long day doing a live telecast of a horse race. The Dan Patch stakes are one of Indiana’s other big racing days. And once more my mind turns not to a particular sport, but how the public responds to sports.

As big a deal as horse racing seems to be in this state, it’s still very understated. Most locals I’ve spoken to about things like Dan Patch and the Indiana Derby, are genuinely surprised to hear about it.

This time around, I’m considering the popularity of sports without a ball. Or rather, the lack of popularity. American football is the most popular sport in the U.S. by a considerable margin. A distant second is basketball. Ironically, America’s Favorite Pastime of baseball, ranks third.

In Europe, the top sports are English rules football (known to Americans as soccer), rugby, and cricket. These are all sports featuring a ball. In Japan, the top sports are soccer, baseball, and basketball. A pattern is emerging here.

The world over, sports that involve transporting a small roundish object from part of a field to another are by far the most loved. It’s so pervasive in fact, that often people need to be reminded that sports exist outside of ball games.

In fact, there are sports that aren’t even competitive. Most skydivers aren’t exactly in a rush to get to the ground. Mountain climbing is considered a sport. Some people do compete to reach the top. It may not be a race in the common definition, more of a time trial situation. However, I don’t believe there is any organized scoring system or league in place to represent it.

These sports, and others like them are referred to as ‘extreme sports’. Also included in this category are snowboarding, base jumping, whitewater rafting, among others. There’s even extreme pogo... yes, as in pogo stick.

So why the disproportionate love of ball games the world over? Why do sports that don’t involve a ball lag so far behind?

There’s one thing that seems to separate ball sports from non-ball sports. One generally requires a cooperative team effort, while the other works on a more individual level.

Once again, there are exceptions. Golf and bowling are generally played solo. Golf and bowling are also substantially less popular. On the other hand, whitewater rafting is mostly a team effort. The rule is definitely the former though.

My hypothesis is that humans are mostly social creatures. Naturally they will flock to sports that involve group participation. In a way, support of their favorite team makes them a part of the team. There’s a sense of inclusion under the banner of that team name. That sense of belonging to a group is more difficult under an individual.

This is all just speculation on my part, but an article I read recently supported my idea. Kids’ Health ran a piece about fitness for kids who don’t like sports. The list was very individualistic, and all but one of the sports listed included a ball.

These sports were meant to provide some form of exercise for those kids who preferred not to compete, or just liked doing things on their own instead of a team. These type of people are a minority though. In general humans prefer group participation and competition.

I could be completely wrong, but I think it’s worth considering. I was surprised to find no information at all on the subject. Are there any psychologists out there willing to research this idea? I would be anxious to have an answer.