Football has dominated the American sports landscape for decades. As per a recent Gallup review, 41% of American adults cited football as their favorite sport, followed by baseball and basketball at 10% and 9%, respectively. A lot has been written about what makes football so popular in the US. An overarching theme that emerges from several of these works is the strong alignment football has to American culture.
Football is ingrained in the lives of millions of Americans with games every Sunday during the NFL season that make for good conversations on Monday as people return to school or work. Having a game on Thanksgiving or homecoming has made Football a part of American tradition.
So, how did football get here? In the early 1970s, when football displaced baseball as the most followed sport, in his essay “Football Red and Baseball Green,” Murray Ross argued both these games express different myths. While baseball is more of a pastoral sport that creates an atmosphere in which everything exists in harmony, Football is a heroic game: a game of action and power, which more directly aligns to the changing face of America. He stated “the game, like our society, can be thought of as a cluster of people living under great tension in a state of perpetual flux.”
The NFL Foundation, through grants and partnerships, has invested significantly into the community, enhancing engagement with athletes and fans. Their involvement has not just been limited to building more fields or promoting the game at the youth level, but rather it extends more broadly to promote health and wellness initiatives, generating funding for medical research amongst others. The NFL has made charitable contributions in excess of $1 billion as well as $275 million in social justice contributions.
Another driver that has helped football are avenues available for betting. Variety Intelligence Platform recently published a report on sports gambling which found that betting on a sport increases the consumer engagement with that sport. The NFL tops the list of sports to bet on. CRG Global in their survey found that there is a direct and positive correlation between placing a bet on and watching the game. Their results show that two-thirds of sports gamblers watch the NFL more often when they bet on a game.
Looking at the demographics, as popular as football is, the number of American adults in the age group of 18-29 years that list football as their most favorite sport is only 28%, compared to the national average of 41%. A study done by Sports Innovation Lab, a company that measures sports fan data, shows that 55% of U.S. soccer fans are from the ages of 18 to 34. This could be attributed to the fact that this age group grew up playing and watching soccer.
Soccer has displaced ice hockey in recent years to become the 4th most popular sport overall and 3rd most in this age group behind football and basketball. It is also interesting to note that among this age group, 41% stated that they don’t have a favorite sport or their favorite sport is none of the mainstream sports in the US, which could mean that there is room for another sport to grow.
So, what has soccer done to break into the top 4 nation-wide sports and 3rd in the younger generation?
Similar to football, soccer aligns with culture - it’s a power sport: a fast paced sport where speed and skill are paramount for winning. As per a survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations, the youth enrollment in soccer increased from approximately 650,000 in 2003-04 to 850,000 in 2023-24. The figures for football remain consistent between $1.05 million.
Soccer, the world’s most popular sport, has grown significantly since the 1994 FIFA World Cup was held in the US and the establishment of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996. There has also been a consistent improvement in the quality of play. Popular international players are playing in MLS. For instance, Lionel Messi recently signed with Inter Miami FC. It is expected to continue to gain popularity in the US with the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026 in North America.
A recent survey conducted by Morning Consult portrayed that soccer fans are also more diverse than general sports fans in the US, with 40% of fans identifying as people of color. Along the same lines, MLS has noted that approximately 30% of their fans are Hispanic or Latino. The increase in Hispanic population is expected to result in an increase in popularity of soccer in the US.
Continuing to look at demographics, a study conducted by Sports Innovation Lab found that 51% of US soccer fans are women. According to Statista, girls make up more than 45% of participants in high school soccer. The US women’s national team has had a successful run. Since the first Women’s World Cup in 1991, they have won the trophy a record four times. This has also led to the growing popularity of soccer in the US.
Similar to the NFL, the US Soccer Foundation has been very active in building more grounds and mini-pitches as well as taking their programs to underserved communities with the goal of creating safe playing spaces for them.
So, what can cricket learn from the rise of football and soccer that can help accelerate its growth in the US?
Americans generally like action-packed, fast-paced games with no ties. A football match lasts a little over 3 hours. Soccer takes less time from start to finish. When it comes to cricket, only the T20 format comes close, which ends in about 4 hours. The other formats are much longer. This makes T20 the format that aligns with American culture the most. High scoring games with a potential to change the odds of winning in a very short timeframe is exactly what the American audience is looking for. The cricket community should focus on promoting T20 and also consider newer shorter formats. Along these lines, the country recently hosted the T20 world cup. The International Cricket Council noted that there was a significant increase in the number of people who attended the matches or tuned in online from the US.
Additionally, cricket organizers need to recognize the importance of social media for fan engagement. As per a recent study by Greenfly, social media is the preferred method for fans to follow sports. The teams and leagues who can deliver more content through digital channels will be the new media rights winners. 32% of sports fans — and more specifically 43% of Gen Z fans — use social media platforms while watching live sports. 58% of 16- to 24-year-olds and 49% of 25- to 34-year-olds report following athletes on social media; 43% in each age group follow leagues online.
We have also seen that soccer became popular organically with the changing demographic and introducing the sport at the school level. Further, both football and soccer have non-profits that are actively working to increase community involvement and building the necessary infrastructure. The challenge for cricket is that currently it is popular only amongst the population that comes from cricket playing nations. Further, the fastest growing demographic in the US is Hispanics and they do not follow cricket. That is why it is very important to introduce it in schools so that kids across all cultural backgrounds can become familiar with the game, creating organic demand. It is also important to ensure that there is free viewing of high quality tournaments available. This will increase the likelihood of newer fans tuning in to learn more.
Further, as cricket gains more popularity at the professional level, additional betting opportunities for fans could further engage them and help promote the game in the US.
Even though cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, it is in early stages in the US and still has a long way to go. The sport certainly has potential especially with the shorter formats which do align with American culture and learning from the experiences that made football and soccer more popular could help cricket follow their trajectory and become mainstream in the US.
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