14.11.2020 - Discover the most popular and successful sports leagues in the United States, including the top real money casinos where you can make bets.
The professional sports games in America has grown into a successful industry that stretches across the county and beyond. As a result, there is a growing number of casinos and sportsbooks that are state-licensed. You can also find great sites at the Top10 Casino Portal . Many USA real money casinos provide an option bet on these sports, and try out a number of other exciting and entertaining games.
While soccer is the most popular sport in the world, it does not enjoy similar popularity in the United States. Instead, American football is the most popular team sport in the country. Here is an analysis of the top five US-based sports games that have been hugely successful.
The NFL
The National Football League is the most popular league in the United States with over 20 percent of Americans following the sport. Given its popularity, the NFL attracts the most commercials with the average three-hour game involving commercial breaks and on-screen promotions.
With an estimated TV viewing of 112 million, the National Football League brings success, fame, and money, as demonstrated with the Super Bowl. It has the highest average attendance in all of the sports leagues. Some of the most popular NFL teams in terms of spectators and history include the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys.
The NFL comprises of 32 teams from the United States divided into two conferences: The American Football Conference and National Football Conference. The teams in each conference play each other between September and December. After that, the best teams from each conference advance to the playoffs that culminate in the Super Bowl.
The NFL gets the highest TV ratings among all major sports in America and has grown to the status of being part of the American culture - which is easy to see with the rise in College Football too. In America, the Super Bowl is the biggest annual sporting event. The event happens on a Sunday when the final game of the season is held.
The NFL began in 1920 involving 14 teams from Midwest before the league rose into its national prominence. Over the years, there have been logo changes, expansion, and relocations as teams merged to form the sports juggernaut as it is known today. Today, NFL players are bigger than many players in the early days who were within the range of normal humans.
Pro Baseball
Major League Baseball is the oldest of the major sports leagues in America that began in 1903 with some baseball franchises tracing their history to the 1970s era. MLB was formed after the American League and National League cooperated to play one league. A wave of relocation starting in the 1950s transitioned the Major Leagues to become national. The movement allowed teams to be spread across the country. The Yankees and Red Sox are some of the popular baseball franchises with large fan bases.
MLB comprises 30 teams from the US and Canada. However, a significant percentage of baseball players are born elsewhere around the world. For example, the modern era in baseball has seen an increasing number of Hispanic players from Venezuela and the Dominical Republic coming to play in the MLB.
In most cases, baseball has been categorized into large-market teams and small-market teams. The large-market teams have continued to dominate the playing field due to their ability to buy talent. On the other hand, there are small-market teams known for being perennial losers. This means there are top teams that dominate the league while smaller-market teams continue to struggle to attract clients.
However, many pro baseball teams across the country are not part of Major League Soccer. These are the minor league clubs that can draw up to 3000 fans per game and serves as a ground for younger players to develop. This means the established major league baseball clubs look into the minor leagues to recruit players. Conversely, veterans who cannot survive in Major League baseball move down to the minor leagues to entertain fans.
NBA
Despite being one of the most followed US sports. Basketball is ranked the third most popular sport among Americans, but the most widely followed sport by fans outside the country. According to reports, 10 percent of Americans rank basketball as their favorite sport. An interesting fact about basketball is the number of people who play in the country compared to other sports. A majority of American homes have basketball courts.
NBA is the youngest league of the major American leagues, having been established in 1946. Like other leagues, the NBA has experienced several relocations with teams moving from one region to another while hanging on their names. For example, the Los Angeles Lakers were previously known as Minneapolis Lakers.
The league comprises 30 teams divided into Eastern and Western conferences. Each team plays an 82-game regular season. The best teams advance to the playoffs before the NBA finals.
Los Angeles Lakers are the most popular NBA team in the country. Recently, the Miami heat has also garnered an increased fan base with supporters coming from the southeast. One reason for the Lakers increased popularity is the presence of NBA greats such as Lebron James and Kobe Bryant.
In the modern age, the NBA has been embracing big data with cameras automatically tracking every player using algorithms. This data helps coaches to make the best decisions while fans can get some arresting visuals that define the game. For example, a series of cameras are placed in every arena.
In the late 1990s, the NBA started a women basketball teams that are affiliated to the men’s teams. These WNBA could share arenas, color schemes, and owners. Today, this women’s NBA has grown into a 12-team league that is recording increased attendance and TV ratings. They are also becoming independent with their arenas.
The NHL
The National Hockey League is one of the oldest leagues founded in 1917 and the only league to be founded in Canada. Its status as a major league is not in question, with an average NHL team generating more Google search traffic than an average NBA team. However, its popularity is much less than American football, baseball, and basketball.
Ice Hockey is one of the major US sports despite a majority of fans coming from the Northern US states and Canada. About 4 percent of Americans name ice hockey as their favorite sport to watch, which means its popularity has been overtaken by soccer. The Montreal Canadians is the most popular NHL team measured in the average number of attendance.
The NHL has a different history from other leagues in the country. The league remained with six teams for 25 years since its establishment until the late 1900s when it was expanded. By the 1990s, there were a total of 21 teams participating in the NHL, which now has up to 30 teams. Currently, the National Hockey league is contested by 31 teams divided into Western and Eastern conferences. The top teams from each conference advance to the playoffs and fight for the Stanley Cup. This Stanley Cup is considered to be one of the most important championships by the International Hockey Federation.
Pro Soccer
Pro soccer is increasingly becoming popular among American fans, though it still lags behind. It has taken many years before soccer joined the list of major American sports with arguments of being too boring and having few goals to enjoy. However, per-game attendance has been increasing.
Soccer has slowly gained traction, with 7 percent of Americans naming it as their favorite sport to watch. When it comes to TV records, soccer has reached the level of ice hockey as more people develop an interest in the sport.
The Major League Soccer (MLS) started in 1996 as the newest league in the country. Plans for the league started as a FIFA requirement after awarding America the right to host the 1994 world cup. Since its establishment, the MLS has been expanding to include more teams and engage more soccer fans in the country. Today, the MLS has 26 teams from the US and Canada with plans to increase the teams to 30.
The popularity of MLS increased as millennials show more interest in the sport. Many designated professional players such as David Beckham are coming to play in the league. In 2017, the Major League Soccer had registered an average attendance of 22, 112 per game.
Bottom line
The difference between American sports leagues is measured in terms of popularity, quality of play, and economic factors. The major sports include football, baseball, basketball, and ice hockey as estimated in the number of fans. Though basketball may be considered the most globally popular US sport, American football is the most popular sport among American fans. Furthermore, many Americans would rate baseball as the sport that captures what their country is all about. From the look of things, there is a great future for soccer as more people embrace the world’s popular sport.
