The popularity of a sport doesn’t mean that it will be popular in everything country which is why many people don’t know anything about cricket but it’s the second most populated sport in the world. Almost everyone knows about soccer but the US isn’t the place where you want to play suppose you are one of the best players in the world.
There are a few ways you can determine which sport is the most well-known in any country including the number of players, number of viewers, and money invested. For example, when people spend online casino real money on a certain sport more than others, it usually means there’s more interest in that sport.
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American Football
Football is still at the top when it comes to sports in the US and in 2022 it reached $80 billion in value. But, the value isn’t the only important thing to consider because there’s more money in gaming. Instead, the number of fans and people playing the sport is the biggest advantage of football.
It’s been in first place for a while now even if the USA has the best basketball league in the world. The Super Bowl is the biggest sport event every year with more than 100 million people watching live.
Basketball
Many people assume that basketball is even bigger than football because they brand it more with Michael Jordan being one of the most popular people in the world. But, everything depends on how you look at the sport. If you check the global audience for the US sport, basketball would be in the first place.
There are much more people outside of the US watching the NBA than the NFL which is a huge deal for them. But, they are still not making enough money because they can’t monetize everything outside of the country. The estimated profits for 2021 were around $7 billion.
Baseball
Baseball is a bit different from football and basketball because the market only focuses on the US. There are plenty of teams outside of the country but many people don’t even know the rules of the game. This hasn’t stopped them from becoming one of the top sports in the US with the revenue reaching $9 billion in 2021.
You can consider it a national sport with a lot of viewers each year. People love the game because it’s not fast-paced like basketball. The feel of the game is much different and many people consider it more enjoyable.
Ice Hockey
Hockey is a very popular sport but it’s no way near football with around 4% of the people considering it as their favorite sport. This is a very small number but the number of viewers is still huge compared to other sports from different countries.
Russia also has a very strong league but the NHL is the best league in the world according to professionals. The revenue they make is usually half compared to baseball meaning that it was around $4.5 billion in 2021.
Honorable Mentions
When you look at the revenue and profits that a certain sport can make in the US, eSports would actually be in the first place. But, this is hard to determine because eSports is considered a part of the gaming industry. This doesn’t only include professional leagues and tournaments but also people that play games as a hobby.
But, when you consider that it’s a $100 billion industry only in the US, there’s a huge chance it’s worth more than baseball. Players are still no way near making the amount pro players in basketball make, but this may change in the future.
Another sport that is gaining traction in the US is soccer with many popular players finishing their careers in America. It’s become a popular place for them because the league isn’t as strong as other European leagues. A huge advantage for soccer is the number of people watching outside of the US that can start following MLS.
