So which sports do you think the Italians love most? Find out as we take look at the most popular sports played in the country.
Italians are as heavily into sports as they are into eating. Their love for sport is not just limited to soccer rather they have an all round love to participate in most of the sports known to us. In fact Italy is a top class representative in many major sports in the world. Despite the popularity of the many different kinds of sports there is nothing that comes close the popularity of one sport and that is football.
FootballThe country of the current World Cup Champions has a deep love for the game. Italy has a long history of participation in the game and has won four World Cups along its run. Some of the most popular people from Italy are footballers who make millions doing what they love to do and are good at. Moreover there are many local traditional games that the country has developed over the years that revolve around foot ball. These games vary from region to region and have interesting and very different rules. These traditional games also stem from the Italian’s deep love for football.
Basketball
In terms of popularity basketball is probably the fastest growing sport in Italy. Although the Italians are rather new to this sport the national league of the country is regarded as the third best in the world after the NBA of America and ACB of Spain. With outstanding performances in recent years the Italian basketball players are getting their country noticed amongst the top players in the game. The American perspective about Italy’s capabilities in the game has also drastically changed as the Italian players come into light with the Italian Seria A. Some of those Italian players that managed to give outstanding performances have even been signed up for the NBA.
Cycling
If there is any sport that deserves to be mentioned right after basketball it has to be cycling. The sport is a solid part of the Italian life and the Italians have a wonderful history with the sport. Cycling legends like Bartali and Coppi are highly regarded in the eyes of the world for being amongst the top cyclists that the world has ever seen. Over the years however the sport that used to be a gentleman’s sport has disintegrated into a sport of drugs and dope and hence we see that the sport is fast losing the reputation and respect that it once used to have.
Motor racing
Since Italy is into producing some of the world’s fastest and most good looking cars it is but natural that they are involved in the sport of motor racing. With speed machines like Ferrari and Lamborghini the Italians have made a mark on the sport in more than one way. Cavillino, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen are some of the biggest names in the sport. The Italians are also involved in two wheel motor racing and have managed to make a mark with the likes of the invincible Valentino Rossi. Both these sports have a huge fan following in the country.
