Toronto Mike

The most popular sports in Canada

Of the National Hockey League, which is a favourite activity in golf and cybersports, about a third of the Canadian people are involved in playing sports professionally. What sports are most favoured for to bet online?

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is the first national sport in Canada. Already in the 17th century, lacrosse was played with great enjoyment by Canadians. This also is a rapidly growing sport and has been popular since it was recognised as the summer Olympics.

Canada is a major contender on the global lacrosse scene. In 2006 it won the World Lacrosse Championships, winning against the US.

Hockey

More than 1.3 million Canadians participate actively in entertaining hockey games, boosting the growing popularity of this deep-rooted sport in Canada. There are approximately seven teams in the National Hockey League:

  • Vancouver Canucks;
  • Montreal Canadiens;
  • Edmonton Oilers;
  • Calgary Flames;
  • Toronto Maple Leafs;
  • Winnipeg Jets.

About 68% of the population in Canada watched the 2018 NHL playoffs. It reinforces ice hockey as the most viewed sport in Canada.

Football

Canadian football emerged from rugby in the beginning of the 1860s but, over the long term, became renowned as Canadian developed football. The top professional league for the sport is the Canadian Football League (CFL), while Football Canada handles amateur games.

It's interesting that the CFL championship is one of Canada's largest sports events and attracts a lot of spectators. About 33% of the Canadian population watch the Grey Cup, based on a 2014 report.

The sports are played at the semi-professional level in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) as well as in high school, undergraduate and college.

Basketball

2019 was a truly fantastical year for basketball fans in Canada. The national basketball team from Toronto, the Toronto Raptors, beat the not-so-unbeatable Golden State Warriors and won the NBA championship.

Due to the feat of the Toronto Raptors, some 15.9 million Canadians, or 44% of the population of the country, made it to the NBA Finals.

On the world stage, Canada competes in international basketball tournaments such as the FIBA Basketball World Cup and the Summer Olympics.

The sports system in Canada

National Sport Organizations (NSOs) are members of the International Federations (IFs) which set and control the sporting rules. The Canadian Olympic Association is subordinate to the International Olympic Committee.

There are sports organisations that specialise in one sport, such as the Canadian Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League. And there are others that have a broader focus, such as the Coaching Association of Canada or Canadian Wheelchair Sport Association. The sports system has a three-tier structure:

  • national;
  • provincial;
  • municipal.

These organisations are funded respectively by the federal, provincial and municipal budgets. All of them actively promote healthy lifestyles and develop special programmes for the development of professional sports, family sports and sports for the disabled. Bookmakers are also not left out and such as Vulkan Bet not only offer the most profitable betting lines but also actively sponsor youth sports organisations.

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