Does the NFL Still Hold Dominance Over American Sports?

Read Time:3 Minute, 3 Second

The National Football League is one of the biggest sports competitions in the United States. However, with the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball also available to play and watch, does the NFL still hold dominance over other American sports?

NFL Gambling

Sports gambling is a huge business, and with more states beginning to legalize online sports betting, the number of gamblers is only going to increase in the US. In terms of the most popular sports for betting, the NFL leads the way with 51% of those who had a wager on a sporting event in 2024 choosing to bet on American Football. That figure could include betting on college football in addition to the NFL, but the majority of bets are likely to be on the NFL. The second biggest sport for betting in America is basketball, with 38% of sports gamblers in the US choosing to bet on the sport. Baseball and soccer both came in at 25%, with boxing on 18% and ice hockey, perhaps surprisingly, down to 11%. When gambling on the NFL, which over half of the sports betting public does in the United States, you want to use one of the best sportsbooks to ensure you have access to the most competitive odds and leading NFL betting markets.

NFL Fans

Perhaps the best metric to assess if the NFL is the dominant sport in the US is the number of fans. As highlighted above, there are several top sports leagues in the United States, but the NFL leads the way in terms of fan numbers. Avid fans are those who have a deep interest in the sport, which means attending games in person, watching games live on television, and purchasing merchandise. As of 2025, the NFL has 34% of avid fans, which is over one-third of the sports-watching public in America. The NBA comes in second place, but with 21%, meaning the top basketball league is lagging behind the NFL. The NFL also has 28% casual fans, with only the MLB having more at 30%. It is clear that the NFL is dominating in terms of the avid sporting fan, but what are some of the other metrics we can use to determine if the NFL is the dominant sport in the United States?

NFL Viewership

Claiming to be an NFL fan is one thing, but how many people are choosing to watch live NFL games? A study by S&P Global showed nearly three-quarters of U.S.-based internet adults surveyed watched sports. Interestingly, 43% of those surveyed said they watched NFL games. If we dig deeper, the study showed that 87% of football fans watch the NFL and 55% watch college football games. In comparison to the 43% of NFL watching sport fans, 29% watched MLB, 24% NBA, and 17% NHL. That means the NFL has the same number of US-based internet adults watching NFL games as watching NBA and NHL games combined. So, the viewing figures certainly suggest the NFL is holding dominance over other American sports.

If we look more closely at the most-watched sporting events of all time in the USA, Super Bowl 58 leads the way with 123.4 million tuning in to watch the action live. The second most-watched sporting event of all time is Super Bowl 57 with 115.1 million viewers. In fact, the top 10 most-watched sporting events of all time in the United States are NFL Super Bowl games.

The facts speak for themselves; the NFL still holds dominance over American sports, and that is likely to continue for many years.