Sports have always been entertainment. People are willing to pay money to see men or women try to advance an odd-shaped ball down the field (football), throw a ball through a hoop (basketball), hit a hard-thrown ball with a stick (baseball), or kick a ball around (soccer).
They will also pay to watch tennis matches, swimming and diving competitions, and even ping-pong tournaments. They'll pay to watch athletes wrestle or pound one another with their fists encased in gloves. Yes, sports are definitely entertainment!
As a matter of fact, sporting events might even be able to claim to be the first form of entertainment — ever. Our prehistoric ancestors drew pictures that still exist today depicting men engaged in wrestling and fighting with their fists. The written word and plays came along much later, and movies and television even later than that.
Live sporting events are very popular today, but televised sporting events are even more popular. Every day people all over the world tune in to see their favorite teams compete.
The biggest single sporting event today is the Super Bowl. It's a one-game, winner-take-all contest between the AFC (American Football Conference) and the NFC (National Football Conference) champions. Thirty-second television commercials during the Super Bowl cost millions of dollars. More people watch the Super Bowl on television than any other event — sporting or otherwise.
The World Series of baseball also draws large crowds, but the World Series consists of no less than four games and can consist of up to seven games. In total, the World Series probably has more viewers, but the Super Bowl wins for most viewers of a single event.
Just recently the Olympic Games were held in Beijing, China. Michael Phelps garnered eight gold medals. Now THAT was entertainment!
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