Which sports league is most successful?

[Squall]

Which of the major sports leagues in the U.S. is the most successful overall? In other words, which major sports league in the U.S. has the best ticket sales, marketing, logos & colors, championship buzz, etc. in your opinion? Try to be as objective as possible. :)

Personally, I think that the NFL is the most popular major sports league in the U.S. Not only do all 32 NFL teams sport regular sell-out crowds in their stadiums, and get great coverage on TV, but NFL merchandise is as popular as ever. It seems like the NFL, not MLB, has been "America's Pastime" since the Super Bowl began in 1966.

What do you think? :)

[DianaGohan]

I could be wrong, but I think the MLB is the most succesful sports league of the major leagues, but I don't know that much about sports.

[okendri]

Well i would vote for either the NFL or Nascar. NFL has been one of the most stable leagues and given the short schedule it makes every game important, which is great for fans. Nascar from the numbers has grown by leaps and bounds and moved outside of their stronghold in the SE. Lots of races have hundreds of thousands of fans. MLB is having a tough time thanks to the last strike and high salaries. Some teams like Montreal and Florida barely average more than 12,000 people at their home games.

[cross blues]

I think it's probably Nascar because the track stadiums are huge and (I think) races get the highest viewer rating. It's probably because there are only around 30 racers in Nascar versus hunderds of baseball, football or basketball players. Fans identify more with the "athletes" so they are willing to pay more or invest more time watching. I'm sure you could look it up somewhere.

[Ajax]

The NFL is by far the most successful. The fact that there is only 17 games with a game a week makes it easier to watch. If you think about, people skip church to watch there favorite teams. And there is no other championship game watched more then the superbowl. The only other sport that I believe is as successful is the NBA. My reasons are because of the following they have, I mean College Football/basketball are watched religiously, and there Draft days are made into big events.

[Chris Wood]

I believe in terms of viewership the NFL is most successful, but I don't know the exact figures.

It's obviously not NASCAR. That's still largely a rural sport, and doesn't draw big TV numbers.

[The Landstander]

I'm almost positive its the NFL.

[okendri]

Desslar, Nascar has grown past its SE roots. They are in Delaware, California and are thinking about adding a race in NY. Nascar is gaining a viewership since the breakup of Cart and IRL. Throw in the advertising most drivers are household names almost everywhere.

[EightOh]

The NFL pretty much destroys any competition.

In 2002, the NFL brought in a profit of $4.8 billion. MLB came in at $3.5 billion, the NBA made $3 billion, and the NHL took in a $2 billion profit. The NFL's various TV deals (with CBS, FOX, ESPN/ABC) brought in $2.5 billion alone last year. I dunno about NASCAR, but I'd guess it's raking in quite a bit of cash. The merchandizing revenue alone has to be gigantic. For a long time, now, the NFL's ratings have actually been around three times higher than that of its competitors.

Some teams like Montreal and Florida barely average more than 12,000 people at their home games.In 2002, the Sacramento Rivercats and the Memphis Redbirds, both of the Pacific Coast League, averaged 11,515 and 11,035 fans per game, respectively. Those are HUGE numbers for minor league baseball, and the two far outpaced their nearest competitors (Memphis and Sacramento have been battling back and forth for attendance bragging rights for a few years, now). If you're wondering why that's relevant, it's because the Expos and Marlins averaged 10,031 and 10,039 fans per game last season, respectively. The AA Round Rock Express, owned by Nolan Ryan, drew over 9,000 fans per game last year.

[okendri]

Thanks for the info on that Eightoh. I didn't expect the number for NHL to be so high. Oh well I don't really keep up with hockey though.

[Red]

I'm almost positive its the NFL.
And I'm almost positive your right....

[Condiment King]

I am sure that its got to be the NFL. Because it is so easy to get into for the sports fan. On ESPN and other channels, they replay the highlights sometimes more than later Sunday and Monday, sometimes all the way to Saturday are shows like 'NFL Matchup'. You have practically memorized the scores by then and know the standings by heart. At least, that's it for me. :o

Giving its universal coverage, viewership, and short regular season compared to other sports, NFL is the prime sports league.

Oh and believe it or not, I believe that NASCAR is the 2nd, as I heard it somewhere and from a friend. I won't lie to you, I was very surprised to say the least. MLB is probably third.

[Chris Wood]

Desslar, Nascar has grown past its SE roots. They are in Delaware, California and are thinking about adding a race in NY. Nascar is gaining a viewership since the breakup of Cart and IRL. Throw in the advertising most drivers are household names almost everywhere.

I know it has grown some in popularity, but I hardly think we're to the "household name" point yet. It's hard enough to find someone who is really into any kind of motorsports, and the few I have met seem to prefer F1.

I'm sure there are certain areas where it is very popular though.

[TimTwoFace]

As much as I love my hockey, I'd have to say that the NFL is currently the most successful. The 32 teams are all into revenue-sharing and salary caps as far as I know, and that means that all 32 teams are on equal footing and can be equally competitive each year. What makes the difference is how they play on the field, how they're coached, and how the GM structures his team.

The NBA is somewhat of a joke. Being a Vancouverite, I've had a bitter aftertaste of the NBA and their money-grubbing ways for a few years now. But I wouldn't call it a success. The fouls being called these days are ludicrous. And too many Trailblazers have gone to jail lately to make me take it seriously. :p

The NHL...I know about this league in depth of course. The problems are numerous, but easy to fix: players make too much money when their talent doesn't match, teams are not on equal footing (tax breaks for American teams, the problems with the Canada/US exchange rate), the goaltender's equipment is too big (Giguere, anyone?), the inconsistent referreeing, and for the playoffs, the American TV networks dictate the schedule. But what really killed the league is how Gary Bettman has expanded the league to 30 teams in non-hockey markets over the past 10 years - and many of these markets don't even like their teams. 2 teams in Florida, one in Quebec? 3 in California, yet Winnipeg doesn't have any? Hell, Pittsburgh and Buffalo are on the verge of collapse and they both have rich histories in the league. There aren't enough hockey markets in the USA to make the NHL's expansion worthwhile; the league, as great as it is, will never appeal to the American public like it does to Canadians, so some teams should be contracted. This should all be fixed in 2004 for the CBA.

The MLB - From drug allegations to the big screw-you to the fans, what, with cancelled World Series' and a tie in an all-star game, I wouldn't come back, either.

So, that leaves one question - what's MLS???

-Tim

[Chris Wood]

So, that leaves one question - what's MLS???

-Tim

I believe it stands for Major League Soccer.

[Ajax]

I believe it stands for Major League Soccer.
I believe either that was a rethorical question, or Timmy over there was just being sarcastic.

Soccer in the United States is about as popular as Football is in Europe.

[Digu Volz]

NFL is probably the most popular, NBA/MBL really seem to have declined in popularity in the past decade or so.

[TimTwoFace]

I believe either that was a rethorical question, or Timmy over there was just being sarcastic.

Soccer in the United States is about as popular as Football is in Europe.

I think my lack of knowledge proves this point - I honestly didn't know what MLS stood for. I figured it could be soccer, but didn't know for sure. :p

-Tim

[Ajax]

I think my lack of knowledge proves this point - I honestly didn't know what MLS stood for. I figured it could be soccer, but didn't know for sure. :p

-Tim
Oops sorry, I thought you were really being sarcastic. :sweat:

[Boy Wonder]

I think it's probably Nascar because the track stadiums are huge and (I think) races get the highest viewer rating. It's probably because there are only around 30 racers in Nascar versus hunderds of baseball, football or basketball players. Fans identify more with the "athletes" so they are willing to pay more or invest more time watching. I'm sure you could look it up somewhere.

1. NASCAR has 36-43
2. It is the most sucessful, for now. It will die sooner or later.

[Weatherman]

From what I have seen recemtly, NASCAR has been the most adept at promoting itself in recent years with the NFL not too far behind. They've managed to create customer loyatly to particular franchises, something the other leagues have had alot of difficulty with recently


MLB and the NBA seem to be in the same boat of overinflated salaries, thickheaded owners and disgruntled fans fed up with the mess. The NHL just needs fans period and MLS needs to get its act together and start promoting more.

What's strange to me is that the sports that are least telegenic, NASCAR and Football, have the highest TV ratings. Neither one really carries over the tube very well, though football does look betetr then baseball alot of the time. Hockey and soccer are very telegenic, and their ratings suck. It's weird. :shrug:

[dark knight acolyte]

There are many factors that could go into this...but I feel the main factors should probably be financial solvency, quality of gameplay, and the fan/sport interaction.

THE NFL gets my vote HANDS DOWN. Each game is important, and more often than not, SOLD OUT well in advance. With only 16 games per season, every moment is magnified and being there live is more of a special privelege as opposed to another day at the park. Each team has opportunity and a distinct IDENTITY and story...wiht revenue sharing (to some degree) and free agency. Its playoffs are far more impactful (IMO!!!), with a diverse but not overgenerous field. It has a prime time following on a major network (ABC) and is the only sport sponsored by four diffent major networks. It is FINANCIALLY SOOOOOLVENT, has quality gameplay, and the fan/sport interaction....swell! The Superbowl consistently brings in a revenue that compares to the entirity of the revenue brought in by the entire playoffs for other leagues and its Nielsen ratings ALWAYS come in no. 1 in annual television events (or dang near), with the only competition being BOb Hope specials.

THE NHL....Timmy Two-Face stated it best. Inconsistent refereeing, where talent and skill are often compromised with tug-n'-pull teams who are catered to by seemingly non-nostalgic referees that forget that ice beget speed and skill as opposed to tug-n'-pull at such a sickening degree. Likewise, great franchises are on the verge of bankruptcy while seemingly non-existant cities are receiving franchises like dependent's tax money on April 11th (isnt' that tax day?). And....another problem with this league.....ANNOUNCERS and the MEDIA! People don't want ot give this sport hype anymore. The last finals...a GRAND finals was given a thick layer of negativity by analysts who said "who wants to see a team like Anaheim or Minnesota in the finals when you can see Roy or the Redwings??" hey...who beat Roy or the Redwings...and further...finances, city-size, and star-power don't necessarily make a great finals. Rangers vs Red Wings anyone??? bah....Wings in 5!

Nascar...up and coming....certainly. I'm not a big fan, so I'm jaded. But sponsorship, etc. in this sport keep it consistently solvent and fans are really taking to it of late!

MLB...the all-star game for home field!?? ok, if that doesn't scream desperate..what does? If I'm the Braves, pushing for the best record in the leagues....for home field in the series..... and Brian Giles of the Pirates is up to bat with the bases loaded any the NL down by 1 with 2 outs....and that decides my home-field fate...sorry, that's just MLB desperation....and its not fair. Last year's all-star game....a tie? Nice way to be clever. Bud Selig, while I won't persecute him entirely, has made some BUM decisions. The Yankees' radio contract is worth MORE than the contract of the entire Pirates' ROSTER......yikes! Revenue sharing is a much....I understand big city markets are going to whine about this...but suck it up. It's a sport in grave trouble. What happens when these "peace hush-hush agreements" come to an end in 2006...same old, same old lest these issues get resolved. Either make salaries less dispropotionate or increase the playoff field. And 162 games? Not to complain...b/c 1 game can STILL count...but who would ever know it? Who even cares?

And the NBA....while a fine league with star power and a following... hey, I don'tthink it has a following like the NFL, to put it simply. And the fact that most games turn into 4 minute games in the final mometns turns me off.

[okendri]

Nascar rise is thanks to the break up of IRl and Cart. It doesn't hurt either that you don't see the racers on police blotters. Hockey's problem is the lack of household names and its not that great on tv. Sometimes its hard to see the puck in the corners. Soccer is just too foreign and new. MLB needs a salary cap and contraction. NFL is almost perfect. NBA just needs time to build stars.

[TimTwoFace]

...The NHL just needs fans period...

You nailed it. There are a number of problems with the game that all the diehards like me see, and it's been hurting the game since the mass wave of expansion has come in through the 90's, when the amount of teams ballooned from 21 (just prior to San Jose coming in) to the current 30. The main issues are what I stated before. Hockey's selling points are speed and passion - and ever so slowly, with the introduction of the trap, smaller ice surfaces, and bigger athletes, things have become more clogged and slower. The passion is still there, but it's just not the same.

(Just thank GOD that the "glowing puck" fiasco that FOX conceptualized didn't last long.)

Of course, in the major hockey havens, people will still come out in droves to see their teams, especially if they're doing well. But for all of the fairweather markets out there - most of which being in the US sun-belt - the casual fans won't find the game to be as awesome as it can be. When you get two high-powered, explosive, entertaining teams that play smart offense first and defense second, then you're watching something good. For the best well-known recent example, look at the Men's Gold Medal Canada/US hockey game at the Salt Lake City Olympics. That was a very entertaining game for both countries involved.

How do you fix this? Easy:

1) Make the ice surfaces bigger. The Olympic size is perfect - it's just as long but a few feet wider on each side. That means the teams that play the trap won't be able to play so defensively *COUGHMinnesotaNewJerseyCOUGH* - it may be an effective style, but damn, it's not entertaining in the least.

2) Make the goaltender's equipment smaller. It doesn't NEED to be this big any more. At first, the goaltender's equipment was only used to protect the players from getting nailed with pucks. Now it's all about keeping pucks from going into the net - that should be up to the goaltender's abilities, not to his huge padding. For an easy example, just look at Patrick Roy. Back in 1986 when he was a rookie goalie and won the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens, he was a scrawny little guy in very minimal (but still very protective) padding - but he did just fine. Again in 1993 when he won the Cup, he was still in rather minimal padding. Then in 1996, after he moved to Colorado, he was freakin' HUGE - sure, guys beef up a little with age, but this is ridiculous. In 2001 he was even bigger. It's obvious that goaltender's equipment is getting out of control.

3) Better referreeing. Get rid of that instigator rule - let people fight out their problems on the ice. Fights are vital to hockey's survival, really - it's a lot easier to police your actions with the bruisers on your team instilling fear into the other team, instead of relying on the refs to do it for you. That, and call all of the obstruction, clutching, and grabbing rules.

Oh yeah, and only one referee. Two linesmen, fine, but only one ref per game.

4) Make the power plays last the full two minutes, even if it means that the team is scored on four or five times. This USED to be the rule up until the Canadiens were just too good and were doing just that in the 70's, but I think it could work again in today's league.

5) Lower player salaries. I'd like to see a league were no one earns more than six or seven million a season (excluding bonuses), and teams that don't have payrolls of more than $40-45 Mill. Put everyone on equal footing. Follow the NFL's lead in this case, guys - they're doing it right.

6) Better TV deals. Canada does it right, with three networks doing the duties - TSN, Sportsnet, and of course, the big gun, CBC. The only complaint I have here is that it's so Toronto-centric on CBC - but at least the actual hockey is done right, and it isn't overly commercialized. The American networks, though - god, what a mess. I don't see much of ABC, EPSN, or FOXSPORTS, but when I saw the playoff coverage of ABC over the past few years, I thought it was horribly dry. What made me even more miffed was how the ABC TV schedule dictates when the playoff games will be played - so there were numerous 3-day breaks in a number of the series'. This is NOT how the playoffs are meant to be played. The games should be played every other night, and the only exception should be if the arena in which the games are set to be played have been reserved for another event like a concert or something, WELL in advance. Inconsistancy gets the players off their game, and the public doesn't know when the games are on. It's a big confusing mess.

7) Eliminate/move teams that don't have local support. Virtually every team in the sunbelt should be gone or moved, in my opinion. I'd easily get rid of Washington, Atlanta, Florida, Tampa Bay, Carolina (hell, the whole Southeast division), Nashville, Phoenix, and Anaheim and not miss them; I'd like to see Pittsburgh and Buffalo survive, but I don't know how likely that would be. If the Islanders can be a competent team each year, then I'd like them to stick around, too. And please, return teams to Winnipeg and Quebec City - they had huge fan support. Hell, I wouldn't mind seeing Hartford back in the fray again. :)

Now why Boston and Chicago, two original six teams, don't have support any more...beats me. Their teams are DECENT, and they are in hockey markets. Go figure.

-Tim

[Chris Wood]

Soccer is just too foreign and new. .

Not really. It's been around forever and you can find kids playing it all over the US.

There's only room for so many major leagues to thrive, and soccer is squeezed out by the big four.

[EightOh]

1) Make the ice surfaces bigger. The Olympic size is perfect - it's just as long but a few feet wider on each side. That means the teams that play the trap won't be able to play so defensively *COUGHMinnesotaNewJerseyCOUGH* - it may be an effective style, but damn, it's not entertaining in the least.This one is huge, IMHO. Good list.