Why the NFL continues to be the most popular sport in North America

A new poll has found that NFL is still North America’s favorite sport despite some fierce competition from some other rapidly increasing sports. In the latest research by Harris Poll, nearly a third of US adults surveyed said NFL was their favorite sport. For the last 31 years, this poll has been coming up with the same answer – putting American Football firmly at the top of sports watched in North America. But why does the game continue to prove so popular?    
Like all big trends, American Football has had to keep up with technology and modernise itself over the last few years. More and more fans are now interacting with the sport in ways they never could just five years ago. Fans can now keep up to date with the latest scores and team news on their mobile phones on social media. They can also create their own Fantasy Football team and really immerse themselves in the sport.

The popularity of the sport hasn’t gone unnoticed by the media, and the action is encouraging more and more films, shows and games. The sport continues to produce the most watched TV around the country. Over half of last year’s 40 most watched shows in North America were all NFL matches. Gaming websites like Royal Vegas Casino are now even creating slot games based on the sport, meaning members of the Royal Vegas Casino can now even enjoy two of their favorite pastimes together. Even one of Hollywood’s biggest films of last year was based around the NFL. Will Smith starred as Dr. Bennett Omalu’s to tell the real life story of his struggle to transform the safety of the sport in the film Concussion.      
Although American Football has around double the amount of fans than its closest rival baseball, the gap between the two is the closest it’s been since 2010. Baseball has increased its fan base by 2 percent since 2013, making it the only sport in the top 5 to increase its popularity over the 12 months. But that top 5 may soon change, as the popularity of soccer could soon rocket the sport into the list of the most popular sports in North America.

Soccer has its biggest fan base in North America in over three decades, trebling its amount of fans from 2% in 2013 to 6% in 2014. America’s success in the World Cup followed by a big number of world class players getting involved in Major League Soccer have drawn millions more fans to the sport. That number is only set to get bigger this season after some of the world’s biggest footballers including Liverpool FC’s Steven Gerrard and former Chelsea captain Frank Lampard joining the league.          
This popularity isn’t going unnoticed either by the media. Just like American Football, soccer also has its own themed slot machine on the Royal Vegas Casino website. The Soccer Safari game on the Royal Vegas Casino has embraced the popularity of the World Cup and included the teams that competed in the competition into a fun jungle themed slot.

It’s not just men’s soccer that’s increasing in popularity either. Women’s soccer normally doesn’t appear in the poll, but in 2014 one percent of North Americans said it was their favorite sport. The sport has now become big business, with the FOX network earning an estimated $40 million in ad revenue from advertising during the Women’s World Cup in 2015.