Sports are a cherished part of American culture, captivating the minds and hearts of countless fans throughout the country. The US is home to a wide range of sports and sports leagues, offering thrilling football matches and graceful basketball games. These sports have woven themselves into the very fabric of American society. But if you don’t come from the US, navigating the world of American sports might be a difficult task.
What are the most popular sports in the US? How are the Leagues organized? And how can you enjoy America’s most thrilling sports streaming action from the comfort of your own home? Dive in to find out.
A passion for sports
According to a survey conducted by Statista in 2022, American Football stands as the most popular sport in the United States. An astounding 70% of Americans identify themselves as NFL fans, showcasing their immense love for the sport.
MLB closely followed with the support of 54% of respondents, while the NBA secured the third spot with 50% of fans.
Notably, the National Hockey League (NHL) claimed the fourth position, with nearly 40% of Americans expressing their fandom for the sport. This survey, among others, highlights the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL as the sports most cherished by Americans.
The National Football League (NFL)
The NFL stands as a pillar of American sports, captivating fans with its thrilling games and rich traditions. The NFL has a huge fan base and attracts high attendance numbers. This makes it one of the most-watched sports leagues globally.
To give you an idea of the numbers involved, in 2019, the NFL recorded an average attendance of around 67,000 fans per game, resulting in a total season attendance of over 17 million fans. In 2020, 7 out of the top 10 most watched primetime telecasts of the year were the NFL games…
In the 2023 Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, creating a significant milestone in sports history. The thrilling matchup garnered an incredible audience of over 115 million viewers in the United States alone. This remarkable viewership made it the most-watched Super Bowl ever. It also earned the distinction of being the most highly acclaimed television program of all time in the country.
The NFL divides its teams into two conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). Each conference consists of 16 teams, which are then further divided into four divisions: North, South, East, and West.
This structure promotes regional rivalries and ensures exciting competition throughout the regular season. The NFL regular season spans 18 weeks, with each team playing 17 games. The regular season typically kicks off in early September and concludes in early January. Following the regular season, the top seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs.
The NFL playoffs are a thrilling and high-stakes tournament that determines the conference champions and culminates in the Super Bowl. The playoffs consist of three rounds: the Wild Card Round, the Divisional Round, and the Conference Championships. During each round, teams compete in single-elimination games, with the victors advancing to the next stage. The winners of the Divisional Round in each conference face off in the Conference Championships.
The results of these games determine the conference champions and the teams that will compete in the Super Bowl. The NFL hosts the Super Bowl on the first Sunday in February.
How to stream the NFL
Starting in 2023, Amazon will pay $1 billion per year for streaming rights to NFL games on Prime. However, there are other sports streaming platforms that require subscriptions to follow all the games. ESPN+ and Peacock will be streaming a select number of exclusive games. Some of the games will be available on Paramount + and Tubi.
NFL+ is the official sports streaming platform of the NFL. It allows you to watch NFL live local and primetime Regular Season and Postseason games on your phone or tablet. However, please note that NFL Network games are only available for streaming on mobile phones over wireless networks.
Besides, there are free streaming services such as NFL-Streaming. It provides with top-quality streams from channels such as NFL Network, ESPN, NBC, CBS, and Fox. Besides watching NFL online, soon you will be able to get their NFL scores and NFL schedules. They’re also working on standings and detailed stats for every game.
