NFL vs. NBA vs. MLB vs. NHL

[balli]

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/popular

Mmh, I don't know if popular is the right word here.

They sayin they hate us, but only cause they wanna be us.

[lefty]

Yeah well, the US is the most popular country in the world, by a wide margin. And we don't give a .

what?

[Ginobili2Duncan]

The NBA has clearly passed the MLB again. That's really the only two spots that are up for grabs, because the NFL will always be number one and the NHL will always be number four.

The NFL being number one, however, I believe has very little to do with their on field product and a lot more to do with the inherent advantages their sport enjoys. Such as: playing once a week, generally playing on Sunday's, only playing 16 games in the regular season, only 8 of which are at home.

Think about it, if you're a casual sports fan in you're city, maybe you don't really have the time to follow your NBA or MLB team, which plays all the time, but you more than likely will have time to follow your NFL team, because it's so much easier. Plus, because of how few games there are, every game is like an event. There is no part of the season where monotony creeps in, no dog days.

The lack of games and virtually every game being important/an event insures high ratings and also makes the league attendance wise a far easier sell than any of the others. They don't have to worry about selling mid week games, against run of the mill teams, in a relatively unimportant game. All they have to do is sell 8 home dates vs 41 or 81 and the vast majority of those 8 are played on a Sunday.

I think a lot of the time the NFL get's too much credit. There's no doubt that it's a physically grueling sport, but if NHL teams can play 3 or 4 games a week more often than not, you're telling me NFL teams couldn't play more than once? Of course they could, but then part of the appeal of their product would begin to fade. In their case, less is definitely more.

If the NFL had a schedule like the other leagues from day one, would it still be the most popular? Probably, because violence sells. But I don't think it would be quite the untouchable number one that it is today.

That all may be true, but I think league parity also plays a major part in the NFL's popularity. In 2009, the Arizona Cardinals were 2 minutes away from winning the Super Bowl, despite being the laughing stock of the league a few years prior to this. Small market teams like New Orleans and Green Bay have just as good a chance to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy as bigger market teams like the Cowboys or Patriots. That is what keeps fans interested in their teams.

The NBA will always come first in my book because of my love for the game. Lets be honest though, if your name isn't Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics, you are already at a disadvantage from a compe ive standpoint when it comes to FA and officiating. In the NFL, the league does not need certain teams in the Super Bowl have good ratings. For the NBA to stay relevant among casual NBA fans, Stern needs the Lakers and the Celtics in the finals every year.

[balli]

what?

Wake me up when two out of ten people can name a single Canadian politician. Or a Canadian film. Or a Canadian car company. Or a Canadian clothing company. Or anything Canadian at all really, that the rest of the world is even the slightest bit interested in consuming. , we even get our ing syrup from Vermont.

[Zelophehad]

Soccer wasn't included in the discussion, I don't see any reason for soccer fans to get butthurt. The question was which of the four sports listed was the most popular in the US, then someone said if you looked at those four sports worldwide which would be the most popular.