Almost everyone we know watches sports and it’s a topic of daily conversation at our office. But we bet it will come as a surprise to many that the most-watched televised sporting events actually take place outside the United States. In fact, of the Top 10 most watched sporting events around the globe, three are soccer, two are cycling, two are Olympic Games (winter and summer), and Rugby, Cricket and the Asian Games round out the list. None are in the U.S.
Holding the top spot for the most watched sporting event by cumulative audience is the FIFA World Cup, which draws an average cumulative TV audience of 3.5 billion every four years. And the 2022 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Qatar from November 21st to December 18th, is expected to draw even more viewers this year.
Second on the list is the three-week Tour de France, which attracts an average viewership of 3.0 billion. Compare these numbers to the most watched sporting event in the U.S., which happened to be the 2015 Super Bowl that drew 114 million (this year’s drew about 105 million).
But global TV viewership aside, we’re going to start an argument and proclaim that April is “The Greatest Month in Sports” every year. Here are our reasons why:
NCAA Basketball. We just crowned Kansas as the 2022 National Champion after their thrilling come-from-behind victory this week. (Connor never doubted that his alma mater would pull off the win and proudly wore his University of Kansas Golf pullover to the office yesterday.)
Baseball’s Opening Day. This Thursday, April 7th, will be Opening Day for the 2022 season of Major League Baseball. From 1876 to the present, every year has had an Opening Day. And Opening Day reminds us that summer is not far behind.
The Masters. The beloved Masters Tournament begins this weekend, maintaining a tradition that started in 1934. Our newest Wealth Advisor, Brian, is lucky enough to be able to attend this year’s event in person.
The Boston Marathon. The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon and started in 1897, having been inspired by the success of the first marathon run at the 1896 Olympics.
NBA and NHL. Both the National Basketball League and the National Hockey League wrap up their regular season and the playoffs begin.
NFL. The end of April brings us the NFL draft and then the release of the upcoming fall football schedule.
We watch sports for the excitement, we watch sports for the drama and we watch sports to be with friends and family.
What does this have to do with Financial Planning? Nothing really. But it should make us wonder: Is April the Greatest Month in Sports to offset Tax Day?
REMEMBER…
This year, Tax Day falls on April 18th and not April 15th because of the Emancipation Day holiday. (Taxpayers in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 19th to file their returns due to the Patriots’ Day holiday in those states.) Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until Monday, October 17, 2022, to file.
In the meantime, we hope you are able to enjoy some of the many shining moments in sports this month has to offer.
Advisory services offered through Wilon Wealth Management, a Registered Investment Adviser Firm.
Source: FMeX ©2022
