Why is the NFL the best pro sport in the USA?

[Moab]

It's not

This is the USA where you have every right to be wrong.

 

[msgkings322]

This is the USA where you have every right to be wrong.

Back atcha, sport

 

[PDay8810]

football & baseball for me.
grew up with both and love um both equally

 

[broncosmitty]

I like when guys get smashed in the head and then their unconscious alligator arms curl up by their chin.

You don’t get that kind of live, game action, long term, life changing injury anywhere but football.

 

[Janus]

 

[Moab]

I like when guys get smashed in the head and then their unconscious alligator arms curl up by their chin.

You don’t get that kind of live, game action, long term, life changing injury anywhere but football.

That is my least favorite part and people that talk about the sport being pussified need to take a hit from one of these guys. You know the dudes that are too big, too fast, too athletic and too strong need to give them one of those kinds of hits.

 

[broncosmitty]

That is my least favorite part and people that talk about the sport being pussified need to take a hit from one of these guys. You know the dudes that are too big, too fast, too athletic and too strong need to give them one of those kinds of hits.

At Christmas dinner my FiL (who never played football) made some comment about “what kid would ever turn down the option to play college football without NIL money”.

I did the Rob Riggle slowly raise my hand thing.

Knew damn well when we lost in the playoffs I was never going to take up any of the school’s offers to keep playing. I’d already broken enough bones. Football fucking hurts.

Threw up during pregame of every game I ever played. That didn’t happen with other sports. Even though I loved baseball more. (Tried to pitch in college, got cut)

 

[Moab]

At Christmas dinner my FiL (who never played football) made some comment about “what kid would ever turn down the option to play college football without NIL money”.

I did the Rob Riggle slowly raise my hand thing.

Knew damn well when we lost in the playoffs I was never going to take up any of the school’s offers to keep playing. I’d already broken enough bones. Football fucking hurts.

Threw up during pregame of every game I ever played. That didn’t happen with other sports. Even though I loved baseball more. (Tried to pitch in college, got cut)

It was brutal even and the HS level even back in the 80's. Guys lived in the weight rooms and worked out a lot. That is nothing compared to the prep these guys put in today. Not close to the same and they're now huge compared to back then, and getting bigger. It's freaking nuts.

 

[Schmoopy1000]

Football is the perfect game for TV.

And while there are a few things being at a football game can provide that TV doesn't until the replays show it. Watching a game at home on the latest hi definition TV is a better seat than 99% of the seats at a stadium.

Those far as that last part goes. I haven't been to Sofi or the new stadium in Vegas. I hear both are pretty amazing.

Oh, one more thing. No matter how great a seat is at a game. I'll have to deal with traffic n hours of driving home when the game ends. At home, I'm already home.

drinks are cheaper too

 

[Breed]

drinks are cheaper too

Heh. No shit. My son, his homey, 3 females n myself went to a 9er game last year. My son bought a round of beer for everyone cept me cuz I don't really drink. It was like 23 something a cup. I mean the cups r big n all that, but WTF!

 

[Moab]

Heh. No shit. My son, his homey, 3 females n myself went to a 9er game last year. My son bought a round of beer for everyone cept me cuz I don't really drink. It was like 23 something a cup. I mean the cups r big n all that, but WTF!

Concessions are ridiculous everywhere, that's why I sit my lard butt in front of my laptop.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

MLB is just too confusing with a lot of their rules... and the fact the strike zone isn't computerized is completely stupid. It catches on as a past time and to die hards but it's not a great game for the younger generations, especially where attention spans are dwindling.

NBA used to be great in the 90s and earlier era, when the arm bar and defense was pushed. Sadly now it's offense offense offense, with players getting better at shooting 3s and perimeter shots and officials flagging everything in the paint against the defense.

NHL never really was THAT popular...

Soccer is picking up now.

NFL despite all their dumbass safety moves is still a pretty brutal sport. It's prob. why it's the most appealing.

 

[GhostOfPoverty]

A few reasons:

1) Every game feels simply matters a lot more due to the nature of only having 17 regular seasons games per year + 1 game elmininations in the postseason. It's much less time consuming to follow the NFL than the MLB, NHL, or NBA because of only having one game per week per team rather than 3 or 4 games.

2) American football has the perfect combination of action packed play and having a moment to take in what's going on in between plays. A lot of Europeans who like soccer complain about it stopping too much, but how is watching a sport where a team scoring 3 goals in a match is a big deal any better? Just because they spend more time actively running around the field more? I've never been able to buy that arguement. Same with watching NBA guys play halfcourt ball for 3+ quarters most games, or NHL guys skating the whole time. All sports have their place, but American football is pretty unique among them in terms of playstyle.

3) The NFL is arguably better to watch on TV than it is in person. Even listening to NFL games on the radio can be pretty intense with a good game and the right announcers. Whereas with the NBA, MLB, and NHL, they all seem to be widely considered better to see live in person than on TV. Goes back to the accessibility issue I alluded to in #2. It's much easier to follow a sport that's arguably as good as if not better on TV than it is to follow a league with like 82+ games per season that don't translate to TV as well as football does.


Honestly, for me, what it comes down to is the time restraints I mentioned. At this stage of my life, I simply don't have the time, or motivation to even halfwayy properly keep up with an 82 game NBA/NHL season, let alone a 162 game MLB season. Yeah, almost no one tunes in to even close to all 162 games of an MLB season except for retirees, but the point still stands.

I couldn't imagine taking the time to watch even 50 of those games in a single season, let alone significantly more. As much as I've made honest efforts to follow baseball/basketball/hockey more, I just can't keep up with leagues where half the games feel totally meaningless before the playoffs. Just too much of a time sink to tune in much unless it's towards the end of the season and the teams I'd root are doing well enough to still be in the discussion of winning a title that year.

Then when I do tune in, teams like the Twins and Wild always manage to blow it anyway. I get enough heartache from watching the Vikings do that as it is. Also regarding time sinks, may you have mercy on your soul if you're the type of person who likes watching games besides mostly your own teams. I can't even comprehend how difficult that would be to keep up with in the other sports leagues with 82+ games a year.

 

[GhostOfPoverty]

MLB is just too confusing with a lot of their rules... and the fact the strike zone isn't computerized is completely stupid. It catches on as a past time and to die hards but it's not a great game for the younger generations, especially where attention spans are dwindling.

NBA used to be great in the 90s and earlier era, when the arm bar and defense was pushed. Sadly now it's offense offense offense, with players getting better at shooting 3s and perimeter shots and officials flagging everything in the paint against the defense.

NHL never really was THAT popular...

Soccer is picking up now.

NFL despite all their dumbass safety moves is still a pretty brutal sport. It's prob. why it's the most appealing.

Yeah, I remember liking the NBA back in the 90's when defense was actually still a priortized aspect of the game. Nowadays it's always a slugfest to see who can lob up the most successful 3-pointers while playing tons of half court ball ever since teams realized that it's stastically unsound to do anything else with the league the way it's been the past couple decades. Apparently that's what has driven it to become more popular, but I just find it boring and repetative most of the time.

 

[dtgold88]

I don't think there is a better sport to watch in the US than pro football. It's a game you can follow live or in person, it's not over saturated with too many games and the way it's set up with revenue sharing and the salary cap just makes it more competitive from top to bottom, and better to watch and be a fan.

Here are the reasons why I don't follow the other pro sports.

MLB - Too slow, the pace of that game just makes it boring to me. While I do enjoy going to a game in person, it's more about the atmosphere than the game. Watching it on TV is almost unbearable until the playoffs, but even then it's slow.

NHL - Fantastic game to go see in person, just too difficult to watch on TV. Unfortunately, where I grew up we didn't have a NHL franchise so I just never got into it. Have gone to a few games and they were awesome in person. The action away from the puck is all kinds of awesome, but you don't get a feel for the game on TV.

NBA - While I did enjoy going to the games in person, it's been a long time. They took too much defense out of the game and now it just seems to me like it's take it to the rack or kick and shoot a 3. Boring as hell and at this point in time too many fan boys that just follow 1 player as opposed to a team and I cannot stand those types.

100% agree football the best.

MLB? I can really only watch my team and even then they have to at least be close to a contender. Other than playoffs cannot watch a game beginning to end.

NHL? never watch. Maybe I would if we had a team.

NBA? I guess you like what you like but I'd argue defense is required more now as opposed to just grabbing and holding. Also more scoring, I believe, because game played at a faster pace than in some eras.It's shoot mostly layups, really short jumpers/hooks and 3s because those are more efficient shots.

 

[dtgold88]

Yup I still remember the day I decided to quit watching baseball. Pitcher keep throwing to first supposedly to keep the runner from taking a lead, but the runner was barely off the base, too top it off when he looked like he was ready to throw a pitch to the batter, the batter would step out of the box. Seemed like it took forever for that at bat. When it was done I clicked the game off and told myself I wasn't watching another baseball game ever and haven't since.

You nailed that. Hate watching hockey on TV and couldn't understand the attraction for hockey until someone gave me tickets to go to a Thunderbird game. I was blown away by the difference. Hockey is fantastic live.

Yes, The game became a different animal and you described the modern game perfectly. Went from a game I use to enjoy a lot, to a game not worth my time.

as mentioned earlier I get we like what we like but why are guys who are bigger, stronger, faster, more skilled/athletic a turn off to you in the NBA?

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

As far as pro sports go I really only follow the NFL, MLB, and to a lesser extent, the NBA (I agree with dtgold88 that NBA players are tops in overall athletics). I don't follow the NHL aside from occasionally checking the standings, but I have great respect for all those passionate NHL fans.

 

[dtgold88]

As far as pro sports go I really only follow the NFL, MLB, and to a lesser extent, the NBA (I agree with dtgold88 that NBA players are tops in overall athletics). I don't follow the NHL aside from occasionally checking the standings, but I have great respect for all those passionate NHL fans.

I do, too as well as their players as athletes. I'm confident if we had a team here I'd be into the NHL (well, unless they were as bad as when we actually did have a team when I was little).

 

[BeaReylo]

I mostly gave up on football when the kneeling for the National Anthem started. Then I've mostly stayed away because there are a lot of non-competitive teams out there.

Hockey is the game for me. It's non-stop action. I became a hockey fan back in the sixties. That was well before HDTV and big screens.

Recently became a hockey fan; started halfway through the season, last year to see how Bedard was doing, with The Blackhawks. Found it somewhat enjoyable and was still a mild fan... then the playoffs started and I became hooked!
NFL is still my number one sport but now NHL is my clear cut second sport to watch.

Since I've become a fan it has kept me sane during the offseason and I only have to worry about July going through sports withdrawal, lol.

By sheer coincidence this popped up in my YT feed earlier that covers why hockey isn't as popular as other NFL, NBA, soccer and boxing.

To summarize it isn't an easy sport to play; it's expensive to get kids into it; it's only popular in cold weather climates and it's stars aren't marketed to the extent that NBA and football does.

 

[belcherboy]

For me, the NFL is the best because it’s easy to follow. There’s only one game a week, so you have time to think about each game, talk about it, and get excited for the next one. Plus, it only takes about three hours of your week. That’s a lot easier than keeping up with 162 baseball games or 82 basketball games. Honestly, the first half of those seasons doesn’t even seem to matter. I also think free agency has hurt both leagues because it makes it harder to stay connected to teams.

I used to prefer college football, but the transfer portal has made things feel messy, and there are too many bad matchups during the season. Games are often won the day they are scheduled. In the NFL, even when the Lions weren’t very good, I still felt like they had a chance most weeks—especially with Stafford pulling off several fourth-quarter comebacks back in the day.

In the end, the NFL is just easier to keep up with and doesn’t take a lot of time, which is why I think a lot of people feel it is the best sport to watch and follow.