What Is More Popular in the U.K., Football or Fishing?
Football (soccer) is the most popular sports in England, according to a top ten list from Global Sports 24/7. Fishing does not make the top ten list. Soccer is a wildly popular sport in England that has widespread support from local communities. The Free Republic notes that soccer is not just a sport but a way of expressing values and identity.
EquiliserFootball.com mentions Manchester United as being one of the most popular teams in England and around the world. Other football teams, such as Arsenal FC and Liverpool FCm are also very popular, and these teams were founded as far back as the late 19th century.
There is also a dark side to the game. The Nizkor Project notes that skinheads can trace their roots to football games in England, and many skinhead groups identify with certain teams. Hooliganism has long been a problem throughout Europe, so much so that it was a problem in England going back to the 13th century, according to the Social Issues Research Centre. Football games in Medieval Times fostered bitter rivalries in villages and towns in the same way as today. What is known as football hooliganism actually originated in England during the early 1960s.
