There is no doubt about the fact that when it comes to sports, the NFL has a fanbase as big as any other top league in the world. However, what really puts American football in a different arena altogether is the amount of dollars it brings in. This is evident from the fact that the NFL is all set to make $20,000,000,000 from the upcoming season, more than what the top soccer leagues will bring even if their revenues are combined.
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Europe is considered as one of the leading markets for the most popular sport on the planet, soccer. The different soccer leagues organized in the continent do attract a lot of fan and sponsor attention. However, despite that, the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 combined won’t be able to generate enough money to trump the NFL.
NFL Rakes in More Revenue Than 5 European Soccer Leagues Combined
The NFL touched a figure of $19 billion in revenue last season, thereby making it the highest-earning sports league in the world. Not only that, the NFL’s revenue is more than that of the combined revenue of the top five soccer leagues in Europe. This statistic is an eye-opener, considering the fact that soccer is the world’s most popular sport.
Comparisons between the NFL and the other American sporting leagues also depict a stark contrast in revenues earned. Major League Baseball comes in at the second spot with a revenue of $10.8 billion earned in 2022/23, while the NBA and NHL rank third and fourth respectively with revenues of $10 billion and $5.7 billion. The huge difference in revenues across the various sports shows that the NFL has become the most lucrative and loved sport in the United States.
This is a crazy stat…
The NFL will bring in $20 billion in revenue this year, more than the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 combined.
Learn more about the NFL’s business in today’s pod.
Apple: https://t.co/uOdtz6MMvM
Spotify: https://t.co/R1hSq8dKRQ pic.twitter.com/cAy0fSylM5— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) September 6, 2023
A major chunk of NFL’s revenue comes in from the contracts made with various broadcasting networks to telecast the games live on their channel. According to Joe Pompliano, the NFL used to earn about $8 billion annually in the past seasons through broadcasting rights, and the figure will skyrocket to $10 billion from the new season. This is due to a recently signed media rights deal worth a whopping $110 billion over the next 11 years.
The record-breaking media rights contract signed by the NFL becomes even more significant, given the fact that the market of cable television has declined considerably over the past few years. Thus, the NFL has not only managed to maintain its stature but is also en route to making groundbreaking progress on all fronts.
Roger Goodell Has Had a Massive Impact on NFL’s Increasing Revenues After Taking over as Commissioner
The NFL’s stocks have risen rapidly over the last decade, and current league commissioner, Roger Goodell is a big reason for this dramatic change. Goodell took over the role of the league commissioner back in 2006 and has changed the whole complexion of the league’s economic condition during his tenure.
Since 2006, the NFL has increased its revenue by a massive 190 per cent. Its last season’s earnings stood at a reported $19 billion as compared to the $6.54 billion generated in 2006. The increase in revenue has had a domino effect on a number of things associated with the NFL, such as the development of new stadiums and a growth in the value of all 32 franchises in the league. Roger Goodell’s reign has therefore seen the NFL prosper like never before and this phase seems all set to continue in the coming seasons.
