Athletics has been voted as the most exciting sport in a poll by members of the British public.
The study by YouGov set out to discover which sports were most likely to send people to sleep and more inclined to get you shouting in front of the TV screen.
Some may find this unsuprising, but golf came out on top as the most boring, with just 11 per cent of voters describing it as “very or quite exciting.”
By contrast, track and field beat the likes of football, tennis and rugby with what is still a fairly low score of 47 per cent, with just over a quarter of people saying it is “very or quite boring.” 40 per cent of those who took part in the survey talked down football in this way.
From time to time, the reach of athletics is questioned, especially on a continuous level compared to weekly football fixtures and sports with more regular major events.
Here, IAAF President Sebastian Coe’s choice words were “athletics needs to be innovative, braver and more creative” in order to compete and deal with characters such as Usain Bolt no longer involved.
Although the data should be taken with a pinch of salt, it is welcome news following an exciting 2017 full of drama and surprises as well as a bumper year of World Indoor, Commonwealth and European Athletics Championships to come.
