Is the World Cup bigger than the Olympics?

BY SAM BUCKLE

Great, now we’re all agreed football is a better sport than rugby (relax, wind-up), it’s time for another inane, irresolvable dispute. Is the Fifa World Cup bigger than the Olympics?

As a football fan, I’d always taken for granted that the World Cup is global sport’s holy grail, the biggest and most important sports event on the planet. And I don’t think there’s any doubt that view would prevail – overwhelmingly – in Europe, South America or Africa. But one or two Hand of God readers recently scoffed at the suggestion – which, surprisingly, ruffled my confidence a touch. It got me pondering. Is the World Cup actually the biggest deal in global sport, and how do we decide?

New Zealand is one place the World Cup’s profile has lagged  behind the Olympics (not to mention the Rugby World Cup) but it’s not the only place it plays second or third fiddle. The world’s biggest commercial and sporting market, the United States, is still dominated by its own obsessions. The likes of the World Series, Superbowl and NBA playoffs would all, I’m sure, outstrip the profile of the World Cup in the US. But Americans do get stuck into the Olympics -  and worship a Phelps, a Flo Jo (well ... ) or a Mary Lou Retton (remember her?).

Neither is football number one on the subcontinent, where a quarter of the world lives. So, maybe the World Cup’s not the slam dunk, Lay Down Misere I’d assumed.

As a defensive response to these creeping doubts, and in an attempt to dispel them, I went chasing hard facts to reinforce my faith. I was not going to let a few random blog posters shatter the foundations of my religion. Unfortunately, hard evidence was hard to come by. There’s scant basis for objective comparison. Nevertheless, I did turn up a few moderately interesting facts.

Countries represented at the 2008 Beijing Olympics numbered 204. Likewise, 204 countries entered qualifying for the 2010 Fifa World Cup (although only 32 countries will do battle in South Africa at the World Cup Finals). So, when it comes to global reach it's pretty tight. If anything it’s a photo in favour of the Olympics.

Commercial value is sometimes cited as measure of “bigness” and the predominant hearsay on the internet is that the World Cup is worth more in terms of sponsorship, advertising and broadcasting value. But I cant say it's conclusive.

When it comes to international audience numbers, the World Cup and the World Cup Final have historically trumped the Olympics and its showpieces. Depending on who you believe (and many sources are highly dubious), between 300 million and 1.3 billion people watched the 2006 World Cup Final in Germany (and apparently a cumulative total of 26 billion tuned into the tournament at some point). Indeed, this Guardian article reckons there were more eyes on the 2004 European Championships final than the Olympics opening ceremony of the same year.

The Olympics bit back in 2008, however. Bolstered by a massive home Chinese audience, the Beijing opening ceremony was watched as many as two billion, according to the New York Times. Whatever the actual numbers, the Beijing opening ceremony was massive. Everybody remembers the bird’s nest and the girl who never sang. So, I’m going to call that a draw.

Facing the realisation this battle could not be waged successfully through statistical, evidence-based warfare, I deployed a new weapon, the concept of "emotional value". It proved a brilliant and conclusive stroke (beware, oncoming generalisations).

The Olympics is entertainment. The World Cup is an obsession. The Olympics generates national pride. The World Cup invokes national passion. Olympic failure is disappointing. World Cup failure is heartbreak, even catastrophic (who can forget Andres Escobar, murdered for an own goal). Football is the number one sporting obsession across 80% of the world’s landed geography. The Olympics is great sport and a great spectacle but, let’s be honest, it’s a collection of (largely) minor sports we get excited about once every four years – and even then, only if we’re winning.

Those are crucial differences. And that is why the World Cup is bigger, better, more thrilling and more important to the world than the Olympics. That’s why if you ask a Mexican, an Englishman, an Iraqi or an Argentinian whether they’d rather win the World Cup or finish top of the Olympic medal table, they won’t even stop to think. That’s why broadcast audiences, commercial values and the numbers of participating countries are secondary in relevance.

The Fifa World Cup matters. It really matters. That’s why it’s magic to be part of it. Bring on the draw.

My faith is restored. It should never have been shaken. And if you’re still not angnostic or even worse, go consult the omnipotent WikiAnswers.

Finally, with World Cup fever to descend upon New Zealand next year, I wanted to plug a book written by a Kiwi World Cup obsessive. World Cup Baby by Euan McCable is a really neat read about one man’s infatuation with football, especially the World Cup and his trip to Italia ’90. More about it and how to get hold of a copy here.

Picture: Reuters