
As most sports fans know, the National Football League (NFL) is the premiere sports league in the United States. The NFL is the most attended domestic sports league in the world by average attendance per game and its Super Bowl often ranks as the most watched show of the year in the United States and second most watched sporting event in the world behind the UEFA Champions League final.
The numbers don’t lie and they show that the NFL is the top sports league in America. In fact the NFL is so widely followed that the other American sports could possibly be considered niche sports. Below is the explanation behind this thinking and the breakdown of the 4 major professional sports in the US.
NFL- The NFL generates roughly 9 billion dollars of total revenue a year, with almost half of that coming from TV revenue. What makes the NFL so popular in America is that its fan base probably has the widest margin of any other sport. The NFL attracts viewers from age 21 to 65 and allows them to share a pure common interest in the team game that it promotes.
The NFL is about establishing parity among the teams, so that fans can attach themselves to teams and not individuals when following the NFL brand. It does not cater to a specific demographic or age but rather goes after the whole sum. This is what makes the NFL special.
In terms of global following, the NFL does not have a large fan base outside of the US. Although they have had a failed attempt with NFL Europe that has not stopped them from experimenting with playing a game annually in London. I give them an A for effort, but I just don’t see the NFL becoming a global game anytime soon. As long as soccer is still around, it will always be the biggest followed sport in the world.
MLB- The Major League Baseball (MLB), often referred to as America’s pastime, generates roughly 7 billion dollars a year of total revenue. Baseball has probably been around the longest of the 4 major sports in the US. Its audience has a median age of 50 years old, which tells you a lot about the game.
Typically the MLB seems to attract an older more mature audience. This is probably due to the pace of the game itself, which is not as action rich as the other major sports. In bigger markets media markets like New York, Boston, L.A., and Chicago their respective baseball teams thrive and are unmatched in the level of support that they receive from their fan bases.
However, this is not the case for all teams in the MLB as parity among teams are not enforced, which creates an imbalance in star power. This directly affects the viewership of baseball as a whole and may be the reason why its fan base has been on a steady decline over the past couple of years.
The MLB also makes a regular attempt to expand its game internationally, by playing yearly exhibition games in different Asian markets, like Japan, China, and Taiwan. Although it still does not have that global reach in selling its brand, the game of baseball is a sport that is played in several countries. Almost all MLB teams have at least one non-American player on its roster, which give the MLB some promise that one-day it can expand internationally.
NBA- The National Basketball Association (NBA) is considered to be the premiere basketball league in the world and generates roughly 4 billion dollars a year in total revenue. It is a game that is surging in popularity and may soon pass the MLB in the total revenue that it brings in.
The NBA’s audience is the youngest of the 4 major leagues. It usually attracts a very young audience, because of its star power. The players that play in the NBA are visible to its viewers, which allow players to promote and make themselves a brand. Because of this the name of the franchises are not what drives the teams, but rather the star quality of the player that it has on it. Well there are a few exceptions in the Lakers, Celtics, and Knicks. The NBA boasts the world best paid athletes by average player salary per year.
Of the 4 major sports, the NBA has the most potential in terms of expanding internationally. It already has corporate offices in several other countries like China and England just to name a few. Its game is recognized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) as the national governing body for basketball in the US.
In recent years an increasing number of international players have moved directly from playing elsewhere in the world to starring in the NBA. It is just a matter of time before the NBA catapults with its international expansion. Maybe one day it may even rival soccer for the title of the worlds most followed sport.
NHL- The National Hockey League (NHL) is the only one of the 4 major sports leagues in America that was not started in the US. The NHL was started in Canada and currently generates approximately 3 billion dollars a year.
The NHL is a very prominent sport in Canada, where hockey is the most popular sport. It also has the smallest fan base of the four major leagues, along with the smallest revenue from television and sponsorship. Its audience are typically males ages 18-34, with estimates that half of its fan base roots for teams in outside markets.
In regards to its international appeal, the NHL broadcasts its games across Europe (excluding the UK and Scandinavia), the Middle East, Australia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, New Zealand, and Brazil through its respective networks. The NHL is also available for free online viewing outside of Canada and the United States with out blackout restrictions. While the NHL does not hold one of the largest fan bases in North America, it already has a pretty impressive audience in other countries.