Your quick guide to writing about the most popular sports in Asia

Watching sports is an interesting activity that a lot of people love to do. There are various sports to follow, and within each sport, there are even more leagues and tournaments for every avid sports enthusiast. Sports also make it easier to start conversations and even form good relationships with someone you just met. And in some cases, sports are celebrated even more with betting.

Sports are popular across the world and in every continent, specifically Asia. If you want to create content about the sports widely watched and wagered on in Asia, you should know what sports these are. QWERTYLABS provides a writing guide on what sports take centre stage in Asia and how to write effectively about them.

Popular sports and sports leagues in Asia 

Several sports have been popularised in the continent, and each is interesting. Some of them are: 

Football 

Football, the most popular sport globally, is also a massive hit in several Asian countries. In this sport, two teams compete against each other while attempting to score goals.

The sport is highly popular in Asia, and one of the impressive leagues created for it was the Pro League, based in the United Arab Emirates. 14 impressive teams contest it. They all play in a series of matches that work in a system of promotion and relegation.  

Other popular football leagues in Asia include the K-League of South Korea, the Super League of China, and the J1 League of Japan. 

Cricket 

Cricket is another exciting sport that many people have grown fond of. It's played by two teams who take turns in playing as the batting and the bowling team. The main objective of this game is for players to score as many runs as possible. The most interesting part about it is that it's played under three major formats: Tests, Twenty 20s (T20s), and One Day Internationals (ODIs).

Though cricket isn't as big as in Asia, it is a massive hit in countries like India, where it has grown to be a part of their culture. They host the popular Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's most viewed and attended cricket league. It features ten impressive teams that feature not just local players but also international players. 

Baseball 

This bat and ball sport is also popular among Asian sports fans. In this game, two teams would have to take turns in batting and fielding while outscoring each other in terms of runs. Its intense gameplay keeps fans on the edge of their seats since every moment can be quite unpredictable. 

There are a lot of baseball sports leagues in Asia, and one of them is the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) which features some of the country's best players. As the highest form of baseball in the country, fans are always excited to watch 12 talented teams fight their way to the top to earn their prestigious title each season. With the high-calibre skills of the players in this league, some even compare it to Major League Baseball (MLB).

Basketball 

Basketball is another popular sport in Asia. Here, two teams of five players compete against each other. The game's main objective is for the teams to shoot the ball into the netted hoop. Each game is a fascinating feat since each team tries their best to prevent its rivals from making a shot on their hoop.

One of Asia's most remarkable basketball leagues is the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Asia's first professional basketball league for men. It was established in 1975 and is the second-oldest continuously running league in the world. It is played between 12 company-based franchise teams who all participate in a season divided into different match sequences. 

Volleyball 

Volleyball is another team sport that took Asian fans by storm. In this sport, two teams of six players play on each side of the court. The players must ensure that the ball won't touch the ground on their side of the court. A team will score a point if the team fails to pass the ball back. 

There are several impressive volleyball teams across Asia, most of which are part of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) based in Bangkok, Thailand. This is participated by 65 member associations that came mostly from the Asia Pacific region. Aside from this wide-scale organisation, volleyball is also a popular sport among young people in several countries like Japan. 

Other popular sports in Asia 

Aside from the sports mentioned earlier, several other promising sports events are popular across many Asian countries. Some of them are: 

• Badminton 
• Swimming 
• Rugby 
• Tennis 
• Horse racing.

How to write about sports betting 

Aside from making popular sports your topic, you can include sports betting in your talking points. In case you haven't tried it yet, here are some that you can consider writing about: 

Betting markets

One of the factors that you can write about is the available betting markets featured on the matches you are wagering on. Upon visiting any bookmaker, you will notice that there is more than one betting option you can wager on. 

To explain the basic concept of sports betting, you should understand how outright, in-play, future, and even prop bets work. Once you already know the basics, it will be easier for you to delve deeper into other sports betting markets that will help your readers have more options when it comes to spreading their bets.  

Betting odds 

Another great talking point you can keep in mind when writing about popular sports in Asia is the odds for each match. This way, you can freely discuss the teams and how they are being classified as underdogs and favourites. You may also want to consider talking about the odds formats since they vary accordingly from one another. 

Three of the most common formats of odds are decimal and moneyline. The lower value is the favourite with decimal odds, while the underdog has a higher value. On the other hand, moneyline odds come with a positive (+) and negative (-) sign before the number. The former is the underdog, while the latter is the favourite to win. Expounding on this concept will make your guide more informative and helpful, especially to new punters.  

Online sportsbooks 

There are a lot of sportsbooks around the world, but there seem to be more online betting sites. With that, you may want to talk about the various options or how the odds differ from one site to another and their special features. You can also provide tips on how to look for the best betting site to wager on.

Other tips for writing a great sports article for an Asian audience

Aside from sports betting, there are several other topics which you can cover when writing about sports popular in Asia. In case you're running out of ideas, here are other exciting pointers which you can expound on: 

Sports leagues 

As mentioned, several leagues are hosted for each popular sport. Since each country brings a different approach to their gameplay, you may want to write articles about specific leagues and what they are all about. It's essential to know the particular leagues in each region or country. Sports betting content for the United States, for instance, will not be the same as sports betting content for the United Kingdom.

You may discuss a league's history, sponsors, schedule, and format. It is also a great idea to focus on their participating teams and which ones are the most successful. 

Best players

Aside from the participating teams in the leagues, you may also want to write articles about the best players of each team and what makes them special. You can tell about their playing histories, achievements, unique playing styles, and even recent performances. 

Sports trivia 

You may also want to write some interesting facts that some fans may not know about the sport, leagues, or players. This kind of article will keep them interested in the sport they like. While sports betting content should mainly focus on odds and betting markets, you can also engage with your audience using these fun facts. 

Match updates 

Aside from evergreen content, you may also want to write articles based on the current matches or the current status of the teams. There, you can talk about the injuries, the outstanding players, or just match highlights that some fans may tend to miss out on. 

Write quality sports content with QWERTYLABS

These are just some interesting writing angles you may want to focus on when writing about sports that are popular in Asia. One of QWERTYLABS' services is also creating sports betting content for various audiences and regions. Contact us and find out more about our content creation services.