There are very few things that bring Finnish people together like sports. As one might guess, hockey sits above the rest in Finland. There is no other sport that generates more revenue or interests people more.

However, in a true European fashion, football, or soccer in the United States, has the most registered players. Recently, Finland made its first appearance in the European Championships, which was the first major tournament in the country’s history in the sport.

In addition to hockey and soccer, sports-crazy Finns have had success in other sports as well. Floorball is one of these sports, and it actually has even more registered players than hockey.

Compared to the U.S, basketball is not nearly as popular in Finland. However, Finland has had decent success on a European scale. Popularity of the sport exploded during the 2017 European Championships, where Finland was one of the host nations and even managed to beat France, one of the basketball powerhouses.

Most Finnish professionals play in Europe, but Lauri Markkanen was drafted seventh overall in the 2017 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Even though his career has been injury-riddled so far, he is developing into a very solid player for the Chicago Bulls. When it comes to the WNBA, Awak Kuier was drafted second overall in 2021 by the Dallas Wings.

American Football is even less popular than basketball. Despite the fact that some Finns can make it to the NCAA, there has not been a single Finnish NFL player yet. Some have managed to make the practice squad, but they have not played any games. However, there’s still hope.

Olaus Aulinen might be the biggest football prospect ever from Finland. The 6-foot-7, 325-pound 17-year-old plays for Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut. The Top 10 offensive tackle in the nation has already received offers from schools such as Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Oklahoma, Oregon, and West Virginia, to name a few.

America’s favorite pastime, baseball, is something you do not really see in Finland. Other than playing twice with some Cuban guys I had just met, I’ve never seen anyone play it. Finns do have a similar game, though. This game is called pesäpallo, and some of you might have even heard of it. The main difference between baseball and pesäpallo is how the ball is pitched. In pesäpallo, a pitcher stands next to the hitter, pitching the ball vertically. It’s easier to hit the ball than in baseball, but the hitter needs to be accurate.

Pesäpallo fields have a backline, which is approximately 315 feet from the home base. Instead of just hammering the ball as hard as possible over the backline, the ball has to hit the ground inside the field. Another major difference is that the bases are in a zigzag configuration. This requires pesäpallo players to be more athletic, which is why MLB scouts have visited Finland, trying to find new talent.

Even though the popularity of NASCAR and IndyCar Series is nonexistent in Finland, the love for the auto racing is still there. It is quite amazing that Finland is able to produce world class talents in Formula 1, rally, and MotoGP. In Formula 1, Mika Häkkinen, Keke Rosberg, and Kimi Räikkönen have all managed to win the world championship. Valtteri Bottas is currently a top-tier driver for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas.

When it comes to the World Rally Championship, seven Finns have been crowned as the champion. Juha Kankkunen, Tommi Mäkinen, and Marcus Grönholm have all won the championship more than once.

In Grand Prix motorcycle racing (MotoGP), Jarno Saarinen and Mika Kallio have represented Finland with good success.

Since Finns get to enjoy snow and cold winters, winter sports are naturally quite popular. Matti Nykänen might just be the most controversial but successful winter sport athlete ever from Finland. He won five Olympic medals, nine World Championship medals, and 22 Finnish Championship medals in ski jumping. Nykänen struggled in his personal life and was part of countless controversial incidents. Sadly, Nykänen passed away in 2019 at the age of 55. In addition to ski jumping, Finns are also well-known for their success in cross-country skiing, biathlon, Nordic combined, and alpine skiing.

Track and field has long traditions in Finland. In fact, only the United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom have won more track and field medals in the Olympics. The golden era of track and field might be over in Finland, but the new generation looks promising. Especially Finnish javelin throwers have always been world class. Seppo Räty, Tero Pitkämäki, Antti Ruuskanen, and Aki Parviainen have all won medals on the highest level. Long-distance running has always been another bread-and-butter sport for Finns.

Paavo Nurmi is the most successful track and field athlete from Finland. He won nine gold medals in the Olympics and went undefeated for 121 races. Lasse Virén, on the other hand, managed to win four Olympic golds. In the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Virén fell at the 10,000 meters final, but still won the race and broke the world record.

After all, the purpose of sports is to have fun and entertain. It’s not always that serious, which can be seen in some of the Finnish sports. In wife-carrying, the male carries the female through an obstacle track. Some other unique sports in Finland are wellie wanging, phone throwing, and naturally World Sauna Championships. Finns definitely know how to compete in anything and everything.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Roni Salmenkangas is a student athlete at Ferris State University, majoring in sports communication. For the most part, Roni’s stories focus on Finnish culture and people. He is completing his internship from Tampere, Finland.