Sorry Tiger, golf is the most boring sport to watch say Brits

Golf is officially the most boring sport to watch, according a new YouGov survey.

At the other end of the scale, athletics and football have been named as the two most exciting sports for spectators, in a poll of more than 1,600 British adults.

Golf was chosen as the most boring sport by 70% of respondents, of whom 52% say it is “very boring”. In second place is NFL/American football (59%), followed by cricket (58%), darts (58%), and snooker (57%).

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YouGov’s Matthew Smith, who authored the report, said: “The adage that golf is a way of ruining a good walk has been misattributed to both Mark Twain and Winston Churchill over the years. However, the sentiment remains strong with the British public.”

Britain’s most exciting sport

At the other end of the league table, the British public say that athletics is the most exciting sport, with 47% finding it thrilling. Next up is football and tennis, with 43% each. A total of 20% say they find football “very exciting”.

Smith added: “While it may be seen as the second most exciting sport, football is also Britain’s most divisive support. It is the sport that viewers are least likely to sit on the fence about.”

The poll found that the 43% who find football exciting is almost equalled by those who find it boring, at 40%.

Rugby Union vs. Rugby League

The YouGov survey also pitted the two rival rugby codes against each other. For people from London, the South, midlands/Wales and Scotland, union is seen by 41% as more exciting than league (34%). Only in the North - league’s heartland - is league regarded as the more exciting option.

How sports fans reacted to the YouGov poll on Twitter…

Imagine if athletics was on TV as much as football?

Golf not shown in a good light...

It’s just not cricket.

Darts? Boring?