Canada is a country known for the love of sports and adventurous activities. Sine people from all over the world have settled in this country, it has a wide variety of games and sports being played here. While some sports are played in winter, others are categorized as summer sports and yet others are popular all year round sports.
Here is a list of top 10 most popular sports in Canada:
1.Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is undoubtedly the most popular and widely played sport in this part of the world. As the name implies, this sport is played during winters, though its popularity has made it a year round game, with indoor ice rinks being used for this purpose. It is actually the official winter sport of the country, with several tournaments being organized every year. The National Hockey League (NHL) is the most popular professional league among spectators in ice hockey.
2.Basketball
Basketball is another well loved sport in Canada, with its invention being credited to a Canadian sportsman called James Naismith. This sport is particularly growing in popularity in many big cities, with more and more young people developing interest in it. The team called Toronto Raptors represents Canada in NBA, the North American Basketball Professional League.
3.Soccer
The widely loved international sport of football has a huge fan following in Canada, where it is popularly known by the name of soccer. Amway Canadian Championship is professional soccer competition held in the country every year. The country is going to be the host for FIFA Women World Cup for the year 2015.
4.Football
Next on the list of top 10 most popular sports in Canada is football, which is synonymous with rugby. The popularity of this sport in the country can be judges from the fact that it has its own professional league in the game, known as CFL, Canadian Football League. Also, the event called the Grey Cup is the largest sports event in the country, which enjoys massive viewership on Canadian television.
5.Lacrosse
The history of the sport called lacrosse in Canada dates back to 500 years ago and till today, it is one of the most widely played sports in the country. The sport has been titled as the official summer sport of Canada. The National League in the sport has 9 participating teams, with 3 of them being Canadian and the rest being American.
6.Baseball
The next widely appreciated sport in Canada is baseball, which is also one of the most popular sports in the neighboring USA. The only Canadian Major League Baseball team is that of Toronto Blue Jays and the team has the honor of being the only non American team to win the World Series title in 1992 and 1993. A large number of baseball teams are operating in the country at various levels of the game.
7.Cricket
Another sport which is climbing new levels of popularity in Canada is cricket, which is particularly liked by foreigners. The country has even qualified for the Cricket World Cup on several occasions. In addition to leagues set up at domestic level, the country has participated in international tournaments too, in the years 1979, 2003 and 2007.
8.Curling
The sport called curling is widely enjoyed in the provinces of Alberta and Manitoba, besides slowly catching up all over the country. The sport is governed by the Canadian Curling Association, while the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame has been established to honor great performers in the game.
9.Tennis
The individual sport called tennis or lawn tennis is another famous sport in Canada. People in Canada show keen interest in international events in the sport, including the Grand Slams.
10.Golf
Golf is another sport in the list of top 10 most popular states in Canada. The country has some of the best golf courses in the world. The sport is governed by a body called Golf Canada, which conducts the PGA and LPGA Tours here.
Some other sports played in Canada include cycling, wrestling, shooting, boxing, and motorsport. There are a lot of sports streaming sites like firstrowsports where you can watch your favorite sports online