The sports sector in Europe is extremely organized with professional sports leagues for most of the games which are played here. Football, amongst all of the other sports which are played, can be viewed as among the preferred sports played in Europe. The European football clubs are considered to be the best paid teams around the word owing to their strong standing in the game. This game almost has achieved a cult status amongst its followers.
The European club championship is known as the UEFA Championship league and is one of the most esteemed tournaments amongst football clubs throughout the continent. Apart from taking part in this tournament, national football clubs across Europe also participate in the UEFA European Football Championships which can be considered to be the principal national championship for men?s football. Europe has also dominated the FIFA World Cup and is seen as worthy adversaries by their Latin American competitors.
The European Premier League, Spanish La Liga, the Italian Seire A, Russian Premier League, the French Ligue1 and the German Bundesliga are the most prominent football leagues in Europe.
Amongst Mediterranean region, Basketball and Volleyball are sports of popular choice being played in countries such as Serbia, Croatia, Russia, Greece, Italy and Spain. Another sport that is extremely popular in Europe is road bicycle racing. This sport finds its followers in France, Belgium, Germany, Spain Switzerland and many more countries.
Ice Hockey is popular mostly in East European countries as well as in Scandinavia.
Cricket and Rugby as sports have retained and gained prominence primarily in Great Britain and also the British Isles, Italy and France respectively. Cricket, which used to be the summer sport of the English, has been successfully imported to many regions of the world, especially to regions that fell under the British Empire and developed hence. Though rugby is not as popular an activity in Great Britan anymore, it does carry a small following of rugby enthusiasts in Great Britan.
A few of the major sports news providers in Europe are ESPN, BBC Sport and Sky Sports. ESPN credits itself on being ?the worldwide leader in sports? and also a huge network that spans the world. From covering the action in the football Premier League games to championships in tennis, hockey, motorsports, rugby, and several popular sports, ESPN broadcasts live sports from across Europe. ESPN Classic in Europe covers the FA Cup, European Cup, League Finals Cup as well as other games from England
Sky Sports gave tough competition to BBC Sport since its inception. They have played a crucial role in the commercialization of British Sports. They also focus considerably on football but in addition have focused on motorsports and golf, having taken the broadcasting rights of the A1 Grand Prix and the PGA tour golf.
Eurosport sports channel is available across Europe in 59 countries in 20 languages which makes it probably the most popular sports news channel in Europe. Not only do they broadcast events such as UEFA Champions League and UEFA cup in football but in addition air the prestigious Le Tour de France and other road racing events. Additionally they also cover tennis events such as the French Open and also the World Snooker Championships. In addition they cover the Olympic games.