Will any sport ever have as many fans and revenue as football?
 

Think about it, no sport can come remotely close globally when it comes to TV viewership, revenue and fanbase. The sports world and media seems to focus on football, particularly the NFL, more than any other sport. Will any sport ever replace it in your opinion and matter to more people than football?

Re: Will any sport ever have as many fans and revenue as football?
 

American football doesn't even come close to European futbol in this regards...

Re: Will any sport ever have as many fans and revenue as football?
 

No, I'm pretty sure that the NFL makes more money and gets bigger TV ratings than soccer (Super Bowl is the biggest sports TV event in the world), soccer only has more people playing because its third world cheap while football is first world complex. When people say soccer is the "most popular sport in the world" they mean to play, not watch.

Re: Will any sport ever have as many fans and revenue as football?
 

Oy. I don't think so.

Re: Will any sport ever have as many fans and revenue as football?
 

Soccer is king in pretty much every country but the US and Canada. Globally it isn't close. I know us Americans have giant egos and like to think our stuff is always the best/most popular but worldwide football doesn't compare to soccer.

As for State-side, football will remain the most popular sport for the rest of our lifetimes. The basics of the sport have everything going for it, and in today's short-attention-span world it benefits even more.

- Gambling
- Violence
- Parity (moreso than NBA/MLB)
- Big vs Small market is irrelevant (unlike NBA/MLB)
- Minimal commitment as a fan compared to all other major sports
- Event/party-like atmosphere since it only happens once a week

People who don't give an eff about the NFL can still have a blast on a football Sunday. Tailgating or a party at someone's house. Anyone that's ever been tailgating, college or pro, knows that there are always plenty of people there just to tailgate, they don't have a ticket to the game.

It takes just 3-hours a week to be a fully committed fan of your team. It's essentially a weekend-only sport, grown men with full schedules can see every second of their team's games without pissing off their wife, missing out on the children's events, blowing off work stuff, etc. Hell it's practically the only "me time" a family man can get that's a big sports fan. Relax, grill/BBQ/eat wings, have a few beers, veg on the couch. Don't think the Mrs appreciates you doing that too much on a Tuesday night to watch a regular season NBA game. :lol:

It's the absolutely perfect setup for the current state of the US's society.


Side rant: I honestly think the actually sport of football has very little to do with its popularity. The violence helps, yes, but not overwhelmingly. If you took the NBA and had it so games were only on Sundays and turned it into a huge event then it would absolutely take off. Probably not quite as popular as the NFL but it would be much more popular than it is now. Baseball is a lost cause at this point, people don't have the attention span for it anymore.

Re: Will any sport ever have as many fans and revenue as football?
 

Formula One is the most popular sport in the world, with over 700 million people tuning in each week.

Re: Will any sport ever have as many fans and revenue as football?
 

Great post ehh.

I always laugh when the NFL, NBA, or MLB crowns their "World Champion."

Re: Will any sport ever have as many fans and revenue as football?
 

I don't. They're the biggest and most important leagues respective to their sports in the world. If other leagues want to challenge them, then let's see it.

Until then, the winner of the best leagues in the entire world are the world champions.