Everyone loves sports, playing and watching alike; people love seeing the athleticism on display and all the cool goals, slam dunks, and home runs live, followed by a roaring crowd. In the United States, if you asked a large number of random people what their favorite sport is, most would probably say American football or basketball. 50 states having their own teams fighting for glory with sick goals, crowd-pleasing touchdowns, long-distance three-pointers, and slam dunks. There’s the thrill of competition and loyalty to a team. Usually, the state one lives in or grew up in along with team rivalries like the New England Patriots and the New York Jets light a fire inside fans of each team.
On the other hand, if you asked a large number of random people what their least favorite sport is, most of those people would likely say golf. Unlike other sports, golf doesn’t have the same thrill; there aren’t whole teams of players duking it out to score goals against each other. Golf players work on their own to score holes in the least number of strokes. The strategy doesn’t come from formation or understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy; it comes from understanding what golf club to use for distance and what angle to hit the shot from based on the wind.
The biggest detractor from golf’s popularity, in my opinion, is how open golf courses are compared to other playing fields. Football fields, basketball courts, baseball stadiums, and soccer fields are all confined areas where audiences can see all of the action in one spot. They have large balls that audiences can see moving across the field from player to player; they can see cool goals in real time with the trajectory of the ball. Golf balls are noticeably smaller than a soccer ball or basketball since it’s about hitting it with a golf club. Golf courses take up way more land than any stadium; it’s impossible to see all of the action on a golf course even on TV since the small golf ball travels so far. Audiences can’t go to golf matches and see everything up close; it doesn’t grab their attention like the other sports.
