Canada’s Most Popular Sports

Different opinions out there suggest hiking to be the most popular sporting activity in Canada, but it’s not so. Ice hockey is the most popular sport in the country, followed by basketball and Canadian football. Rodney Dangerfield says “I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out.”

This article explains the most popular sports in the country and explains why they’re leading the list.

Ice Hockey: Canada’s Most Popular Sport

It’s no surprise that ice hockey is the national sport of the country. It holds a cultural place and has since become the official winter sport, since 1994.

Being the core part of the national identity can be traced down to:

• An average citizen is more likely to have participated in the sport.
• The origination from Montreal.
• The influence it holds in not just the literature and arts, but also in the political sphere of the country.

Ice hockey is also popular in the country, owing to the participation of the home teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). These teams are:

• Toronto Maple Leafs
• Vancouver Canucks
• Montreal Canadiens
• Ottawa Senators
• Calgary Flames
• Winnipeg Jets
• Edmonton Oilers

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is the second most popular sport in the country. Though often overshadowed by ice hockey, it still has its place in the sports ecosystem. It has an indigenous root that can be traced to over 500 years ago, when The First Nations began playing it.

Today, the Canadian Lacrosse Association, established in 1925, oversees the sport. As the official summer sport in the country, it’s played by thousands of people.

It’s also competitive, and can be played both indoors in hockey rinks (box lacrosse) and outdoors, also called field lacrosse.

Canadian Football

The game of football can easily be ranked the most watched sport in the country, owing to the deep cultural significance it holds. This is owing to nearly one-third of the country’s television households tuning in to watch the Grey Cup, which is the official championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

The strong following and distinct identity can be traced to the role played by the CFL, the professional league, which has its roots traced back to 1884. Nine teams, including Calgary Stampeders, BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers participate in the Grey Cup.

It’s related to American football, but with some distinct rules, such as 3 downs instead of 4 and 12 players instead of 11.

The work of the quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) is quite critical, as the person is the most visible and important player during the game. The duties include calling the play, leading the offensive team to execute the coach’s calls, and reading the defense.

As the brain and heart of the defense, the quarterback does the majority of the work to keep the team on the winning side.

This is why when the debate on who is the greatest quarterback of all time comes up, analysts tend to look at different factors. Overall, one name stands out — Tom Bardy. The California-born American football quarterback, now retired, is regarded as the greatest in this category because of unmatched success in the NFL, including 7 Super Bowl wins, 15 Pro Bowl wins, and a record 251 NFL career wins, including regular and postseason.

He encourages players to be consistent, saying “I was the kid that was the 199th pick that never had the body for it. People didn’t think I’d play one year in the NFL, and now I’m going on my 17th year.”

Soccer

Those who don’t play football often go for soccer. This is commonly the case with immigrants and youths who seek to explore other available sporting activities.

Interestingly, participation is high, with more than 55% of people between the ages of 15 and above playing soccer. This staggering number shows why soccer has a place in the country. 

Basketball

This is not just a popular sport in the country, but also an indigenous one, founded by James Naismith. Following the creation of the game in 1891, it gained national prominence and is now a common sport in the provinces of Southern Ontario, Nova Scotia and Southern Alberta.

Baseball

Baseball is another sporting activity with massive participation at the youth and amateur levels. It accounts for 11.7% of viewership in the province of Ontario, where there’s an active Major League Baseball team.

Wrapping Up

Ice hockey is the most popular sport in Canada, holding deep cultural significance and doubling as the country’s national winter sport. Lacrosse comes second, with football finishing third with the most viewership during Grey Cup competitions.