Everyone who visits this website is a big fan of sport, whether it’s our love for the high-flying athletes of the NBA, our passion for the hard-hitting antics in the NFL, or just our excitement when a slugger smashes out a home-run in MLB. Yet, here in the US, the most favored sports for spectators to watch has changed and developed over time. So, you might be wondering, exactly which sport is most popular among viewers in the modern day? Well here, then, is a quick look at answering exactly that question. 

3 – Basketball

Basketball, rather surprisingly, comes in at number three on the list. Basketball’s top league, the NBA, was one of the most watched sports leagues worldwide in the 90’s, back when Michael Jordan was flying through the air, and it seemed like every kid’s favorite film was Space Jam. Fast forward to today, and sports pundits love nothing more than continuing to predict on the withering popularity of the NBA. It’s not like the sky is truly falling in on the sport, but interest in the NBA is waning.

It might seem crazy to pin the entirety of the downfall of a sport’s popularity with viewers just on one person, but with basketball it might actually be true. When Jordan retired from his Chicago Bulls heyday in 1998, viewership was down substantially the next year, and has since never recovered back to those heights. 

2 – Baseball

Ah, baseball, as American as apple pie. Except for lots of people nowadays, they’d rather have the apple pie and not the baseball. If we were basing our argument for the most popular sport on its impact on the history of American culture, then baseball would be, without a shadow of a doubt, straight in at number one. Unfortunately for baseball, we’re going by modern day viewership, and that puts it just behind, in the silver spot. 

Baseball’s top league (MLB) is now slightly less watched on TV than the NBA, but it makes up for it, by having more fans actually go to the stadiums to watch a ball game. Plus, in contrast to basketball, MLB viewership is actually rising, with it averaging 198,000 viewers in 2019, which was up 1%. The World Series is always baseball’s most watched TV event and this year it will be no different. The favorites for the 2021 trophy are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are priced at +350 over at the best US betting sites

If you wanted to take a punt on MLB or any other sport, then SBO.net have got you covered. They’ve employed a team of experts to find you the most trusted US sportsbooks to choose from, and they also track the latest news on legal sports betting in the USA, so you’ll always know where things stand in your State. All you need to do is make your choice, and then sit back and enjoy the game. 

NFL is easily the most watched league

1 – Football

Football is easily the most popular and most watched sport in the US in 2021. Its most popular league is the NFL and it continues to get the biggest TV numbers. It has a lot of money swirling round it and superstars like Dak Prescott, who plays as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, are paid insane sums to play the game. Though, when Cowboys signed Prescott to a new contract earlier this year, lots of fans were saying what good value the $160 million contract is. 

The NFL’s showpiece game is the Super Bowl, which is not just eagerly anticipated and watched by football fans every year, but is also a cultural centerpiece of US culture viewed by tens of millions. This is because the game features halftime performances by superstar musicians, such as Beyonce and Prince, which get discussed the next day probably more than the sport on show. Plus, companies and brands will pay extortionate amounts just to have one of their commercials run during the game, as good Super Bowl ads become legendary. 

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