What Sets the NFL Apart from Other Popular Sports in Canada?
Canada is a nation that adores different sports. Both individual and team sports are extremely popular, watched, and played. Among them, we can find some expected ones, such as hockey, but some would not appear as your top picks for this country.
The neighboring country USA offers the world some amazing sports, and the NFL is one of them. It represents one of the most popular sports all around the world with athletes in perfect conditions ready to battle in some of the most intense clashes. The NFL represents a competition like no other, and its popularity is growing in various countries. Therefore, we wanted to analyze its acceptance in Canada.
Canadians Love Different Sports Disciplines
As we mentioned above, Canadians love sports in general. Sure, some disciplines are more or less appealing, but in general, they love to participate, watch, and even gamble on these events. As a country with great infrastructure, around 40 million residents, and a high standard of living, Canada offers grand venues for sports spectacles. Among them, certain ones are considered national treasures, like ice hockey, or soccer. With great coverage, these events have tens of thousands of spectators, TV audiences, fans, and supporters.
People love to partake in them on an amateur level, watch them in pubs or at their homes, and even predict the outcomes to display their knowledge of the sport. Gambling is a huge thing in this country, as it represents a favorite pastime or a hobby. When you explore Canada’s sports betting choices, you realize why that is so. Sports betting choices in Canada are excellent and excel in both quality and variety. There are so many types of bets, and different disciplines, supporting the statement that there is truly something for everyone. All this is making Canadian sports bettors very excited when it comes to wagering on their favorite sports.
The NFL Popularity
The NFL is one of the world’s most recognized sports. Even though it is played in the United States, having the same name as the traditional, globally more popular football, and representing a version of rugby, it is still extremely watched all over the world. The fan base is growing, and supporters from every continent love the game. All these factors contribute to a multi-billion USD revenue gathered on an annual level. In 2020 financial reports stated that annual revenue was a staggering 12 billion USD. Nearly 20 million people are watching each game, leading to a 10-year broadcasting contract for the NFL, in the period of 2023 to 2033 being worth around 100 billion USD.
The number of supporters for the sport is soaring, as the league is heavily active on social media, gathering more than 20 million followers on Instagram. The New England Patriots have the most followers, around 4.5 million of them. All that is leading to a massive increase in the value of the franchises, of which the most valuable team is the Dallas Cowboys, with an estimated value of 7 billion USD. All this is making the players become superstars, and even prospects, such as JJ McCarthy, interesting to the supporters. In the previous year, out of the 100 most-watched television programs, 93 of them were NFL matches. And the cherry on top of the cake is the season finale, known as the Super Bowl.
The Importance of the Super Bowl
One of the most recognizable global events is the Super Bowl, gathering fans of the sport, celebrities, and huge companies to this spectacle. The Super Bowl is an event that represents a prime advertising space, has a highly anticipated halftime show, and is a culmination of a season for its winner. The first one was held in 1967, and it has come a long way since then. According to some records, the 30 seconds of airtime on the latest Super Bowl 2024 was worth 7 million USD, making commercials a big thing. It was watched by 115.1 million viewers. These are just some of the things that make the Super Bowl a globally renowned event.
Popular Sports in Canada and the Role of the NFL
Canada has some sports disciplines that are considered a national sport. Such is the case with hockey, which is by far the most popular sport in the country. In the second place, we can find soccer. Even though it is hugely popular on a global scale, its popularity has soared in this country in recent times. Great displays by the national team made the fan base for soccer expand greatly. After these two, we can see basketball as the next one. Once again, a great display by the national team assured its place on the popularity leaderboard, but a team in the NBA contributed greatly. The Toronto Raptors were founded in 1995, and even won the championship a couple of years ago, in 2019.
After these sports disciplines, we have tennis, golf, curling, and so on. The NFL is not placed high on this list as we can see. This can be due to numerous factors. For starters, unlike in the NHL and NBA, Canada doesn’t own a team in the competition. This is affecting the fan base and reducing interest. Not owning a team reduces the connection that fans establish with a certain sport. Furthermore, Canada will host the FIFA World Cup in soccer in 2026. The event of this magnitude that is being played in the country is always elevating its popularity in comparison to other sports. However, we can’t ignore the fact that the global popularity of the NFL is sparking interest from Canadians.
Conclusion
As a globally recognizable sport, NFL is popular in different parts of the world. Canada hasn’t escaped the craze for this sport, as its fan base is growing here. The organization lacks a franchise in this country, which could affect its popularity in the bigger picture. Some sports, such as hockey, soccer, and basketball, have established themselves as giants when it comes to this industry. But the appeal of the NFL is very difficult to resist, so it is not easy to say it will be overlooked by Canadians.