It’s an unspoken truth in the sports world that certain teams and players dominate their sport. The New York Yankees are the most successful baseball franchise of all time, Manchester City is on course to create a dynasty in England’s Premier League and the Golden State Warriors are doing a similar job in the NBA.

Who’s dominating global sports right now? makes these teams and athletes so good, in part, is that they have been able to build a large, dedicated following by being consistent winners over long periods of time. And of course, the big event mega-sports like the Olympics and the World Cup are huge money makers for their hosts.

However, other factors also seem to contribute to a sport’s dominance. One would think that sports would benefit from longer seasons, so that their best athletes can stay with their teams and the public gets to know them better.

Ruling the Field: Unveiling the Dominant Forces in Global Sports Today

Another factor is the size of a sport’s fanbase and its willingness to travel. For example, rugby union has a massive global following and players such as Maro Itoje have taken advantage of this by establishing a reputation as heavy-hitting defenders for the British and Irish Lions.

Finally, it’s also worth examining the nexus of wealth and power that seems to fuel many major international sporting events. The Gulf states are investing heavily in sports as part of a wider strategy to remake themselves as more than oil pump and shopping centres, and to attract foreign investment and talent. The problem is that the global sports establishment seems content to partner with them, even as their repressive regimes show no sign of wanting to reform.