American football is the most popular sport in the USA, but the rest of the world is not keen on it. Other US sports like baseball and basketball on the other hand are universally watched and played.
Basketball has a huge fan base in China and across Europe whereas baseball is loved in Japan and Cuba. But no other country except the US enjoys playing or watching American Football.
Compared to easily one of the most played sports in the world – soccer, there are many fundamental differences between the two. Firstly, soccer is a continuous game, with two halves of 45 minutes plus injury time. Yet, American Football is a stop-start game where advertising plays a huge part in the show.
It’s estimated that at least a third of the entire match is promotion material, which Americans love but the rest of the world despises.
Another difference between soccer and American football is how simple the game is to play. For an American football match, the field must have individual yard markings, whilst players must wear all the equipment needed to ensure the game is safe. But with soccer, all you need is a ball. You do not even need goalposts, as school children often use jumpers.
Also, it’s difficult to play American football without the full roster, although with soccer there are plenty of games with just two players – you can even play on your own.
Soccer is simple to understand, just put the ball in the net, with only the offside rule being slightly complex. American football though is difficult for many to comprehend. And for many, if they’re unable to understand the rules, they are just not interested.
When it comes to betting, soccer is easy. First goalscorer, correct score, match results, etc., and even strategies are simple to understand like expected goals. However American football is not the same as the rest of the world.
Albeit it’s simple for people in the USA. If you are to bet on American football often bettors prefer handicap or just Moneyline bets, but nowadays there are strategies to implement such as the Wong teasers. Fortunately, comparison sites help explain the strategy in full, as well as other mathematical betting strategies. In addition, the platform reviews all the best American football bookmakers and checks for the most generous welcome bonuses and the best odds.
The most popular US sport is basketball, because of its simplicity to play and end-to-end action. Moreover, fans can see the stars, in contrast to American football, as they are wearing helmets. The cost is cheap, one basket and a ball, and you’re good to go, and the sport is not physical so there will not be many dangerous injuries.
Yet with American football, many ex-players experience brain damage issues, which is no surprise with how the linebackers bash heads in every game. Therefore, in poorer nations, where people may not have access to healthcare as Americans do, it might be off-putting.
The NFL did try to launch a European league but it failed drastically back in 2007. The only nation outside of the US that has embraced the sport is the UK, perhaps because of the country’s close relationship.
Every year one NFL match is played live at a sold-out Wembley in front of 90,000 fans, and more and more American football clubs are being founded across the country. Nonetheless, in the rest of Europe, it’s not the case. Europeans are fascinated with soccer and in the near future that doesn’t look like it will change.
The only time an average European will watch an American football match is the Superbowl, mainly because of US and celebrity influence around the globe. Often people will throw Superbowl parties as an excuse to invite friends over and drink beer. However, very few watch the game seriously like they would with a soccer match.
People from the US also do not seem to care if anyone likes American football, as the USA is the same size as Europe anyway, so there are plenty of fans to fill the stadiums.
Going forward, the future for American football outside the US looks bleak, but the popularity inside the nation has never been so high!
