The NFL’s mission is to reach as many fans as possible. In the early 1960s, league commissioner Pete Rozelle and NFL team owners began a strategy to make the league accessible in every home in America. This became possible for the first time through television. At the time, television was the best way to market the sport to the country, and fans loved what they were shown.
Since then, this idea has served the game’s existing fans in many ways, with fans interacting with league activity in more dynamic ways such as texting, reading, posting, and betting. The things that fans can do in the world of NFL football were unimaginable at the time. While the goal of reaching as many fans as possible remains the same, the way the game grows today is much different than it was 60 years ago.
What makes the NFL number one?
Various factors can help any sport gain popularity. The NFL’s biggest advantage is how competitive the league is. No matter what market a team is in, it has an equal chance of winning the Super Bowl.
This parity of the league helps to present a more exciting product to the audience, which makes it more popular. This is due to the NFL’s salary cap and team revenue sharing. Most of the NFL’s revenue comes from television contracts, with the money distributed evenly among all 32 teams.
Scheduling is another reason for the NFL’s popularity. The league uses more than 5,000 cloud computers to generate over 50,000 potential schedules each season to give the league a better chance of finding the optimal schedule.
Additionally, this computing power should help the league sort out any venue scheduling conflicts over the course of the season and focus on divisional tie-ups as the season approaches the playoffs.
The NFL’s 17-game season is a huge reason the league has been so successful. Playing games once a week is not only to help the players recover but to increase the fans’ interest in the game. It also gives bookmakers time to calculate before the next match.
With fewer matches to come, the need for it among fans increases as the six-day suspense builds until the next match. Also, fans want to attend or watch every season game, unlike other major sports.
Sundays during the NFL season are all-day events, with fans arriving early to the stadium for the tailgate. Even fans who don’t make it to the stadium can spend an entire day in it, with several games from early afternoon through Sunday night’s game into the evening.
Bettors can also bet on whether they think there is an opportunity to make money on their favorite team or join a fantasy football league, immersing fans in the game like never before in any other NFL activity.
NFL Global Access
The NFL is rapidly growing in popularity across Europe, as the league schedules several games outside of the United States each season. Although the conversation has become muted on the proposal to take an NFL franchise out of the country, London is the European hub for the NFL as it continues to reach out all over the world.
In 2007, the NFL held its first regular season game in London and has now played 33 games there. The relationship with London has now become so successful that the NFL has helped fund the 62,850-seat Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which boasts a retractable stadium and massive locker room facilities for players.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have built a bond with fans at Wembley Stadium and have extended their deal to play there until 2024. The Jaguars have played in London a total of eight times since they first traveled there in 2013 and have played more games in England than any other franchise.
The NFL is also in great demand in Germany, where the league already has the infrastructure after the NFL participated in Europe with five teams from 1991-2007. In addition, Germany will host four matches in Munich and Frankfurt in the next four seasons.
