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Is College Football More Popular Than the NFL?
Photo: Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson (15) looks up in the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Is College Football More Popular Than the NFL?

It's no secret that college sports are very popular across the nation these days. Whether it's college basketball, football, baseball or any other sport, the fact that multiple colleges and their top-notch athletes have their own leagues is undeniably a great source of both entertainment and inspiration for Americans.

This is especially true for football. Even though basketball is the American national sport, since they are the ones who invented it, in the first place, football does take precedence in the hearts and minds of the American people. 

The popularity of football goes above and beyond, and people will often opt for football-themed games they will play at online casinos, for example. But whether college football is more popular than the NFL is difficult to say but let's explore the concept a bit further and see what we can find out.

Media coverage

The NFL is one of the most viewed sports events in the US and the reason behind it is media coverage, of course. The top teams and top athletes get the most attention on both national television and social media alike. This comes as no surprise, especially since the NFL is very profitable and a whole lot of brands and other sponsors are heavily invested in it. So it's only logical that media outlets will be there to keep an eye on the situation at all times. 

On the other hand, college football has a more passionate fan base and larger attendance for football games than the NFL. One could argue that the ticket price for NFL matches is far more expensive than for college football matches but that's not entirely the case. People would rather support local athletes than NFL teams that have players from all over the country.

A road to success

College football is a unique setting that is more interesting to the general populace than the NFL. While NFL superstars play for glory, they are getting paid to do their best. On the other hand, college athletes compete for scholarships and a chance to one day carve their name in the history of the sport by becoming NFL superstars themselves. 

So there's much more passion involved in college football than the NFL, as mentioned before. This is simply more appealing to fans, not to mention the fact that there's a lot of local patriotism involved, especially for supporting your hometown's local team or individual athletes.

Who takes the throne then?

Objectively speaking, it's very difficult to compare the NFL with college football as each have their own unique popularity and fan bases. While the NFL takes the spotlight from media coverage perspective, college football gets a plethora of local support. That being said, both leagues have their unique popularity among the American people and that popularity is pretty much intertwined. 

In other words, they cannot be compared, not in the usual sense of the word. Instead, football fans prefer both as one is an integral part of the other. College football, therefore, gives an opportunity to a myriad of kids across the country to showcase their talent and their potential so that they can eventually play in the NFL one day. Football fans prefer to watch athletes grow from college to major leagues as it is inspiring and entertaining at the same time.

Closing Words

College football and the NFL are the two sides of the same coin.  Their popularity is through the roof and fans don't usually pick one over the other. Therefore, it's safe to say that both are equally popular, as far as football fans in the US are concerned.