Ice hockey, basketball, and football (including American football) are all team sports which are greatly admired and watched all over the country. They gain massive media coverage and generate huge amounts of revenue. However, there is one sport (I am sure you know which one I'm talking about) that literally takes the cake: American Football.
Although most of you may wish to consider baseball to be the leading sport, it however, is considered as America's national pastime. It definitely holds a huge part in the American culture, but is certainly not the most popular sport. And to add in the argument about ice hockey and basketball, both well-renowned and widespread, again, counting them as one of the most popular sports in America, doubtful.
Now that we have pretty much eliminated the other contenders, it is but obvious that the crown goes to American football; also included in the top 10 sports in the world. But don't get me wrong here. Every sport has its own set of fans who are always ready to defend its 'honor' and pledge their lives to that sport. But it will be safe for me to say that American football is the leading contender.
Most Popular Sport in America - American Football
American football is definitely not the same as soccer. If you are a diehard fan of sports and keep a thorough knowledge about sports played in the United States and around the world, then you know what the differences between the two sports are. Growing up, my father was (actually he still is) a huge fan of sports. Be it cricket, baseball, basketball, soccer, or tennis, he has to watch and keep himself updated about the latest matches, games, and news. And that is why, when he used to watch all the games, I sort of found out the first differentiation between soccer and American football: the shape of the ball. If you want to read more about these two sports, then go to the article football vs soccer for further information.
Moving on, we did find out which is the most popular sport in America, but still haven't discussed on the why part. Well, here they are:
- The biggest reason of them all, according to Nielsen Co., was the '2010 Super Bowl XLIV between New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts that had about 106.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched program in U.S. television history.'
- People like to gamble, place their bets on the games.
- 32 NFL teams and 16 regular games in a 17-week span is quite entertaining. Plus the fact that your Sundays afternoons are covered; now who can beat that.
- Another awesome reason - Monday Night Football; need I say more?
- You get the traditional Thanksgiving Day Classic game between Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions that is a must watch.
- Generates a lot of revenue (advertisements during Super Bowl and regular seasons).
- The sport can be watched in person and on television. Whereas, in baseball, it's much more enjoyed if watched in person.
- A lot of physical contact in the game; athletes getting jumped on is great to witness any day.
Now that you know what is one of the most popular sports in America, you might also be interested in reading about the most popular sports in the world. If you look at the sporting enterprise as a whole, the National Football League ranks as the most popular in the country as it attains a huge attention from everyone. If you feel that claiming American football to be the most popular sport in America could be debatable, then do leave us a comment below and bring attention to your viewpoint.