Football became the most popular sport in America in 1972. It became popular due to ABC’s Monday night football, people telling stories, and the overall accessibility of the game itself. People may ask, what keeps football alive now? Social media has a big impact on the game with keeping it alive, and there are even more teams now that football has grown, especially with college football. In the late 1950s, football became nationally popular, as did college football, and 37% of Americans declared that football was their favorite sport to watch. However, it didn’t become the number 1 sport in America till the 1970s. Football has 188.4 million fans, making it incredibly popular. Football is America’s favorite sport to watch because it provides entertainment and national pride.
So many people who watch football feel that it isn’t just a sport, but also a way to connect with other people and show love for their favorite team. Since so many people watch football nowadays in their free time, it has become part of American culture. Whenever football seasons start, and even preseason, so many people get to watch it due to their excitement. Many people watch football on Sundays regardless of the teams playing. NFL football always gets the highest TV ratings, more than any other sport. The NFL has the highest attendance overall – coming out at 67,591 people.
The most popular day to watch football is a day called the Super Bowl. Almost everyone celebrates Super Bowl Sundays; whether they are interested in football or not. People watch football even if they aren’t interested as it is a combination of entertainment, sports, and just the experience with other people. The Super Bowl isn’t just the biggest game of the year, but it’s also one of the most watched events with millions of people watching and attending. In 2014, 67 million people watched the Super Bowl, and that’s not even the highest number of people that have watched it. The highest number of people that have watched the annual Super Bowl was this year, 2025. This year, over 127.7 million people watched the Super Bowl. There are so many different times and ways to watch football. For example, there is preseason football, NFL, college football, and even high school football on Friday nights. All of which brings together family and friends to cheer for their local teams. College football attracts huge audiences with its big events. Sometimes college football has more fans than NFL games.
People love football so much because it teaches a life lesson. The lessons it teaches are teamwork, perseverance, leadership, resilience, and discipline. These lessons could be good for you, whether you’re playing football or watching it. It shows that no matter your background or culture, it brings people together to do what they love most. The NFL has become part of American tradition, people love it so much because they like watching talented athletes and the league parity keeps the game fair and interesting so people don’t get bored. Football will remain a beloved American institution for years to come due to all the entertainment and economic impact.
