Ninja Warrior is quickly becoming one of the most popular sports in America. It started off as a show that was aimed at getting high volumes of TV viewers but is now becoming an activity that everyday people want to do for fitness and fun. Obstacle courses are being set up all over the world for people competing in charity obstacle course races, or simply having fun on a Saturday with friends.
So what is it that makes Ninja Warrior so popular?
To start with, Ninja Warrior is open to competitors from all walks of life. You may see retired athletes doing well on there but you can also see teachers and nurses, vets and drivers. Watching Ninja Warrior inspires people to get started with fitness – when you see someone who is ‘normal’ competing on Ninja Warrior, it can give you the impetus to start training and go and give it your all at an obstacle course.
It is so much more fun to fling yourself around an obstacle course than to run on a treadmill. The adrenaline pumps as you try a new challenge every few steps using different skills and muscles. And the determination that you have to finish the course is a very different feeling to hitting your target distance on a treadmill.
For all of these reasons, Ninja Warrior has been welcomed into the hearts and homes of Americans. The prize money is obviously a great incentive for competitors but there is so much more to it than that. The people that have set records on Ninja Warrior have become heroes and social media sensations, they have brought people to tears and they have had people leap out of their chairs jumping for joy. There is something very special about it and although it will never overtake the nation’s favourite sports in terms of potential revenue, it appeals to a much wider audience than baseball or basketball can.