Why is water polo not a popular sport?

Question

...in America

(Please answer, i need this answered for a project)

Answer 1

You need water, which is not available in all areas, and not everyone likes to swim or play sports in water. Water polo is more of a European, yuppy sport--not to say that it's not fun!

Answer 2

I think it is unpopular because it is a very hard sport. It also is rough. Depending on the place or league, you're playing it in, the games can last 72+ minutes with short breaks. There are no goggles, so your eyes will get irritated. There is a lot of sprinting and sometimes you get to the other side and the other team gets position of the ball and you have to sprint again. Also, there is some fighting and attacking for the ball which some people don't enjoy. Also, there are many rules so it is confusing for new players.

Answer 3

Water polo is over shadowed by other sports like football and basketball. Also, it is a very difficult sport to play and it is not offered for younger children in all places.  Notice that the most popular sports are easily available for young children but water polo doesn't have that.  I live in so cal where h2o polo is really popular but i still didn't start playing until high school.  Also, water polo doesn't get any widespread media attention that all the other popular sports get.  Many of my friends had never even heard of water polo when I told them I played (some just assumed that it was like volleyball but in a pool??? don't see how they came up with that)

Answer 4

im guessing polo isn't a popular sport because of the amount of skill, stamina, and strength required to play.  it takes a lot to be able to egg beat the whole game, keep up with the ball, and play  offensively and defensively with both hands.  and not a lot of people know how to swim (as has been stated earlier) anyways that and it's not much of a spectator sport unless you know what's going on (also stated before).

Answer 5

Well, I don't think waterpolo being a rough sport is the main problem. It just does not make a good TV sport. It is pretty dull to watch if you're not playing it yourself. You just see two teams moving up and down the field in a semi-circle.  

There are lots of rules that you dont know if you don't play the game, so you have no clue what's a foul and what's not. You also wouldn't appreciate the strength and skill needed to play waterpolo, so you wouldn't recognize a great move or a brilliant shot.

It's like watching cricket, you can recognize a score or an interception/catch, but it's hard to like it without having played it or knowing the rules. But still, if you would know the rules or had played it, you'd still admit that it is boring to watch on the telly compared to faster sports.

Oh, and not much room for advertising on clothing, so commercially very uninteresting as a sport I guess.

Answer 6

Water polo quickly became a very rough sport, filled with underwater fights away from the ball, and it wasn't unusual for players to pass out for lack of air. But water polo is played in England alot. The Scottish game, which emphasized swimming speed, passing, and team work, spread to England during the early 1880s, to Hungary in 1889, to Austria and Germany in 1894, to France in 1895, and to Belgium in 1900. Water polo was the first team sport added to the Olympic program, in 1900. I dont think its not popular its just not alot of people play it because its such a rough sport.

Answer 7

Water Polo is not a popular sport due to its difficulty to play and learning curve. Unlike sports such as Soccer(football), or American football, Water polo requires you to play the same game but in water.. which is extremely difficult. You have to have the strength to keep yourself above water in the middle of water using just your legs.. and take punishment without padding, worse then any football or soccer player deals with. This makes the sport intimidating to people, and there are far less players who can make the cut to water polo.

And nothing is a sport unless its popular enough.

Answer 8

In America? I was under the impression it was popular in some countries like Italy? Anyways, I think it has to be a very hard sport. Never played it though.

Answer 9

It is because most people are wimps that cant play the sport so they go with lesser sports like football

proof that water polo is better:

almost every thing is legal because you can not see that well under water

it is a combination of many sports

no running

its in a pool so its harder to feel tired

women fighting each other in swimsuits that rip(don't See that in football do ya)

Answer 10

I would think it's not that popular in America because it's such a rough sport...

It is pretty popular here in SoCal though...I played it for two years....once you learn how to egg bitter underwater...then you realize how freaking hard it is to be doing that for an entire game.

If you don't know..."egg bitter" is the movement your legs do to keep you out of the water.

This sport takes a lot of effort and tons of training...

You should try it!

Answer 11

The popular answer seems to be that it is because water polo is a very rough sport with fights all the time.  That's total bull!  Football is the most popularly watched sport in America, despite it being extremely rough.  You don't tackle people running at full speed in water polo.  Hockey has lost some over the years, but is still fairly popular in the U.S., as it still has a professional league, but fights break out in Hockey all the time. Water polo is definitely not as dangrous as these sports.

      

The real reason why water polo is not very popular is because it's a water sport.  Everyone knows how to run, but not everyne knows how to swim.  400 lb offensive linemen who can barely move can thrive in football, but in water polo, you need to be able to swim as fast as the guy you're matched up against.  Otherwise, you will give up a fast break on every play.  At a competitive level, there are enough very fast players so that you need to be a good swimmer to play and not embarass yourself.  That means that everyone who isn't  very good swimmer can't play competitively.  This eliminates a good percentage of the population.  In general, if you haven't played a sport, you're much less likely to want to watch it.  It's a shame though, because it is a namazing sport.  It's like soccer, except people actually score.