Canada is famously known to be a sports-loving country, and its citizens always love to take part in some physical activity to keep themselves fit, which also serve as a way to adapt to the cold environment. Canada is considered one of the best places, in the world, to live in, attracting people across the globe to share their sports and culture with the indigenes of Canada.
Canada is a country with a love for different kind of games and sports, with a recent study showing that 77% of Canadians follows professional sports on regular basis. The country has shown their dominance in sports across the world, which includes the Olympics. While there are many popular sports in the North American country, winter sports garnered more supporters in this nation due to its cold environment. In this article, we will be listing out a few of the most popular sports in Canada.
- Baseball
Baseball could be said to have a deep history with the North American country and it also saw a rise in viewership over the last few years. The Major League Baseball is a major tournament that comprises all the top teams across the country.
Canadian teams are always present in the American League, and there is also several other semi-professionals and amateur teams, who participate in other local leagues and championships. Baseball is a common and popular sport for Canadians, and there’s always a bet365 sign up offer for fans looking to predict the popular sport. Back in 2016, Baseball Canada announced that the sports attracted about 120,000 players, which saw a rise the following year.
- Basketball
Basketball has a deeper history with the Canadians than Baseball, as it was invented by a Canadian named James Naismith back in 1891. The sport was invented while Naismith was exploring a safe sport, which will require a skill. Basketball has developed into what it is today and become one of the most high-skilled sports across the world.
“Basketball Canada” became the official governing body for the sport in Canada back in 1928. This was overcome by the new generation of Canadian basketball in 11994 when the NBA of United States awarded two franchises to two Canadian teams, the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors. It is one of the most popular sporting activities practised by Canadians.
- Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a game the Canadians have been indulging in with extreme delight, as their history with it went as far as the 17th century. Back in 1859, lacrosse was declared as the national game of Canada and a summer sport in 1994. It has been able to garner the attention of thousands of people across the country.
There are even two professional lacrosse leagues in the country, the National Lacrosse League for the box lacrosse league and the Major League Lacrosse for the field lacrosse league. Canada broke US’s 28-year winning streak when they won the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship in a 15-10 victory in the final.
- Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey is largely considered the most popular sport in Canada, as the game itself was named the official national sport in the North American country. The National Hockey League (NHL) is established in both the United States and Canada. Canada has 7 teams in the NHL, which include Ottawa, Edmonton, Montreal, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto.
Canada also participates in the minor North American professional ice hockey league in the continent as well as some semi-professional and amateur ice hockey leagues.