Out of all the sports in the world, football and bet with high stake betting sites as the most popular by far. From North America to Europe and Asia, the sport generates billions of dollars each year. Whether it’s local competitions, the World Cup, the Super Bowl, or the Olympics, fans keep track of the happenings of their favourite teams and take it personally when their teams lose.
The funny thing about football is it describes two vastly different yet wildly popular sports. Football means vastly different things depending on whether you’re talking to an American or someone from almost anywhere else in the world. In the United States, football is synonymous with the NFL or American Football. In Europe and the rest of the world, the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and Bundesliga come to mind when people think of football (aka soccer in the United States).
Football fans know their sport, and wagering on games is a big part of the experience. Before participating in football betting, many fans visit sites like Betway to check the odds of their favorite teams. Betway has the odds for the top European leagues, tips on how to bet, and several ways to bet. Keep reading to learn about the main differences between the NFL and the Premier League.
Show Me the Money
England’s Premier League is football’s wealthiest league, generating an astounding $3.31 billion in broadcasting revenue alone during the 2019/2020 season. So, a lot of people watch the league, with some even asking the rather strange question—Would Shakespeare watch the Premier League?
The amount of money the Premier league brings in may sound like a lot of cash until you learn that the NFL generated around $15 billion in 2019 alone. Even when counting commercial and sponsorship deals, the Premier League doesn’t touch the NFL. Considering the NFL is the most profitable sport’s league in the world, it would be exceedingly difficult for the Premier League to come close to its numbers.
Globalization
While the NFL rakes in the big bucks, that money is mainly generated from Americans. While the NFL certainly has international fans, it doesn’t compare to the love people worldwide have for football. However, the NFL is trying to internationalize with the league announcing an international expansion plan in December 2021.
However, the NFL has a long way to go before it can catch up to football’s popularity. It’s safe to say that football will remain the world’s most popular sport for years to come, possibly forever. The Premier League is made up of the top twenty teams in the country who face off week after week during a nine-month season. It’s also arguably the most popular league in the world, taking centre stage when soccer is a topic of conversation.
The top Premier League clubs compete internationally, something foreign to the NFL. Whether they’re battling it out for the Champions League trophy or the best British players are participating in the World Cup, the Premier League has a much larger following than the NFL, thanks to the globalization of football.
The NFL and Sports Socialism
While the NFL generates a lot of revenue, but the best or most popular teams don’t profit more than the worst or least popular teams. The NFL has policies that prevent too much wealth from being concentrated in a single team.
The salary cap is an explicit example of the NFL’s sports socialism at work. It limits how much money a team can spend on a player’s yearly salary. Plus, 61% of the NFL’s total revenue is split equally among teams.
Sports socialism means you don’t see a few teams dominating the NFL year after year or the lopsided competition like you see in the Premier League and other European football leagues. Although there are plenty of local fans of less popular clubs who tune in to local radio stations to hear the latest news on their favourite teams or follow National League teams as closely as the Premier League.
The English Premier league debuted in 1992, and 45 clubs have competed, but only seven clubs have ever won it: Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City, and Liverpool.
However, if you’re a fan of one of these leagues, you don’t experience as much disappointment as the average NFL fan might. It’s all about perspective; one system isn’t necessarily better than the other. They’re just different.