What is more popular in America NCAA Football or NFL

[311Hog]

Bad math strikes again.  More games does not = more viewers.

NCAA football draws a relatively strong market share in the South, and in isolated college metropolitan areas in the Upper Midwest, but the NFL draws far more.      The BCS vs. the Super Bowl is just a case in point;  the five biggest, most watched games on the college slate drew a combined 48 million viewers; the Super Bowl alone generated over 89 million.   

again you are comparing apples to oranges. 

You are comparing amateurs to professionals. The NFL has been marketed within an inch of it's life, the same is not true of NCAA sports mainly because they cant go to the lengths the NFL can.  A large portion of the gap in viewership is international a place where the NCAA cannot go.

[311Hog]

Basically what i am saying is that NCAA football is popular based on it's own merits and for it's own natural reasons.

The popularity of the NFL is "generated" and is sustained via low life scum known as marketers.

[NuttinItUp]

Basically what i am saying is that NCAA football is popular based on it's own merits and for it's own natural reasons.

The popularity of the NFL is "generated" and is sustained via low life scum known as marketers.

I kinda agree with this. If I have the option of watching a "random" NFL game vs a "random" NCAA game, I would rather watch the NFL game, but if I have the choice of watching the Razorbacks vs anything else on tv (NFL or otherwise), I would rather watch the Razorbacks. I think most people are the same about the college team they follow vs any NFL team they could watch.

[ErieHog]

again you are comparing apples to oranges. 

You are comparing amateurs to professionals. The NFL has been marketed within an inch of it's life, the same is not true of NCAA sports mainly because they cant go to the lengths the NFL can.  A large portion of the gap in viewership is international a place where the NCAA cannot go.

No, the gap is domestic;  if you want to bring foreign viewers in, the conversation would be even more laughable than it already is.    There isn't a comparison, and I will detail the TV numbers momentarily, after I have all of the data in one location.

[Hog in MO]

You asked the question what is more popular in America.  The correct answer is the NFL - by a mile.  If you had asked what is more popular in Arkansas or Oklahoma or any other state with a big time college team and no NFL franchise, then the answer would probably be NCAA.     

[ErieHog]

Again, I am not talking about individual games, but cumulatively. I totally agree that the NFL wins out in the Super Bowl vs regular bowls, or whatever single comparison you want to make.

The problem being what you say simply isn't true.

In the 2007-2008 season, 397 college football games were televised by national or regional television networks with a total of between 240-280 million viewers.

In the 2007-2008 regular season,  the NFL broadcast 256 football games, with an estimated domestic viewership of between 693 million  and 729 million. (39 million viewers was the NFL's low week, 43 million the high week).

That means the NFL not only enjoys a higher per-contest viewing, but a raw numbers victory as well.    When you calculate in the playoffs vs. bowl games, the disparity widens further.

[NuttinItUp]

You asked the question what is more popular in America.  The correct answer is the NFL - by a mile.  If you had asked what is more popular in Arkansas or Oklahoma or any other state with a big time college team and no NFL franchise, then the answer would probably be NCAA.     

I live in Atlanta and see a whole lot more University of Georgia and Georgia Tech stuff on people, cars, etc than Falcons stuff. (I would venture to say even more University of Florida stuff than Falcons even)

[Hog in MO]

I live in Atlanta and see a whole lot more University of Georgia and Georgia Tech stuff on people, cars, etc than Falcons stuff. (I would venture to say even more University of Florida stuff than Falcons even)

I can see that - who would want to be known as a Falcons Fan these days?  I bet you see more Alpharetta HS girls lacrosse t-shirts too   I'm sure there are exceptions with certain franchises in certain areas - but again, the general question is what is more popular in America, and its the NFL. 

[drivetimeporks]

always have looved college football..but as of last year, im done with it,, i hate the bcs..its horseshit..settle it on the field!

[ErieHog]

So the average NCAA game has between 604,000 to 705,000 viewers, compared to 2.7 million to 2.8 million for an average NFL game?

Something like that.  I don't have the per game breakdowns, mainly because of the NCAA regional broadcasting arrangements not having firm Nelson numbers beyond the metropolitan markets in which the college teams are based.  The NFL's numbers are much firmer, as they have a much more refined matrix of determining viewership.

[NuttinItUp]

The problem being what you say simply isn't true.

In the 2007-2008 season, 397 college football games were televised by national or regional television networks with a total of between 240-280 million viewers.

In the 2007-2008 regular season,  the NFL broadcast 256 football games, with an estimated domestic viewership of between 693 million  and 729 million. (39 million viewers was the NFL's low week, 43 million the high week).

That means the NFL not only enjoys a higher per-contest viewing, but a raw numbers victory as well.    When you calculate in the playoffs vs. bowl games, the disparity widens further.

Source? I am Googling all over the place and can't find the numbers. I find it very surprising that there would only be about 1.55 NCAA games on tv for every NFL game. (locally, regionally, and nationally) There seem to be a ton more games on than that, but if that is the case, then I will stand corrected. I still say NCAA is more popular than NFL, though. (based on attendance, fans who are not casual fans just tuning in, etc.) Perhaps it is just because I have always lived in the south, though.

[NuttinItUp]

I can see that - who would want to be known as a Falcons Fan these days?  I bet you see more Alpharetta HS girls lacrosse t-shirts too   I'm sure there are exceptions with certain franchises in certain areas - but again, the general question is what is more popular in America, and its the NFL. 

Perhaps. Visiting various parts of Texas regularly (family) I see more University of Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, etc. combined than I do Cowboys or Texans. Admittedly, in the actual city of Dallas, it is probably even or slightly more for the Cowboys, but across the state (at least in the places I have been) it is the case.

[drivetimeporks]

fyi here in colorado, no one gives a rats ass about college football..its broncos or nothing..

[ErieHog]

Source? I am Googling all over the place and can't find the numbers. I find it very surprising that there would only be about 1.55 NCAA games on tv for every NFL game. (locally, regionally, and nationally) There seem to be a ton more games on than that, but if that is the case, then I will stand corrected. I still say NCAA is more popular than NFL, though. (based on attendance, fans who are not casual fans just tuning in, etc.) Perhaps it is just because I have always lived in the south, though.

Sources: the NFL keeps very good track of it's viewership;  I recommend contacting the league directly [as I did for a piece on the Super Bowl for the Irish Independent].   They sent me a media relations packet that details the NFL's weekly broadcast numbers -- they can be reached at  National Football League: Department of Media Relations 280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017

TV numbers from college football come from a number of sources, including ESPN, Versus, and CSS'  end-of-year reports. 

The numbers I really want, though, would be the radio numbers;  NFL radio has very low exposure, IMHO, compared to college football radio networks.   That could make up a huge amount of the discrepancy.

Keep in mind that *every* NFL game is televised, and the NFL has a longer season, which makes up a huge amount of the disparity between televised games.    Like it or not, we've all been in the position of wondering why even an elite league like the SEC can't manage to televise all of it's games, let alone the Mountain West or CUSA.

[NuttinItUp]

Sources: the NFL keeps very good track of it's viewership;  I recommend contacting the league directly [as I did for a piece on the Super Bowl for the Irish Independent].   They sent me a media relations packet that details the NFL's weekly broadcast numbers -- they can be reached at  National Football League: Department of Media Relations 280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017

TV numbers from college football come from a number of sources, including ESPN, Versus, and CSS'  end-of-year reports. 

The numbers I really want, though, would be the radio numbers;  NFL radio has very low exposure, IMHO, compared to college football radio networks.   That could make up a huge amount of the discrepancy.

Keep in mind that *every* NFL game is televised, and the NFL has a longer season, which makes up a huge amount of the disparity between televised games.    Like it or not, we've all been in the position of wondering why even an elite league like the SEC can't manage to televise all of it's games, let alone the Mountain West or CUSA.

The NFL numbers I totally believe. Just seemed a bit small on the NCAA side as far as number of games. There seem to be a ton more (on the order of 3 or 4 to 1) than NFL, but perhaps that is just my perception. The NFL is terrific at marketing, though, so perhaps the numbers are correct. I would venture to say that a lot of the viewers of the NFL are "casual" fans, though who just tune in to tune in and don't care that much about the outcome. If you actually drive to go see a game, then you are almost guaranteed to be a real fan of that team. (hence the attendance figures being a better gauge of "popularity", I would think) Again, my southern-ness could be skewing my perception, though, haha. I guess people up north probably don't care as much about college football.

I agree with you that the radio networks might skew the results a bit for tv.

[311Hog]

I just dont really believe the NFL is more popular, i think it is by FAR the most "sold" and "pushed" activity in American history though, but that doesnt IMHO anyway equate to pure popularity.  You shouldnt have to try so hard to sell something worth having.

[ErieHog]

The NFL numbers I totally believe. Just seemed a bit small on the NCAA side as far as number of games. There seem to be a ton more (on the order of 3 or 4 to 1) than NFL, but perhaps that is just my perception. The NFL is terrific at marketing, though, so perhaps the numbers are correct. I would venture to say that a lot of the viewers of the NFL are "casual" fans, though who just tune in to tune in and don't care that much about the outcome. If you actually drive to go see a game, then you are almost guaranteed to be a real fan of that team. (hence the attendance figures being a better gauge of "popularity", I would think) Again, my southern-ness could be skewing my perception, though, haha. I guess people up north probably don't care as much about college football.

I agree with you that the radio networks might skew the results a bit for tv.

At the D-1A level ( admittedly, I don't have numbers for smaller school TV, as none of the reports I have include them),  the 107 teams outnumber the 32 NFL teams by 3.3 to 1;  the problem is one of broadcasting, though.  While every NFL game draws 2.5 million viewers roughly,  a network like ABC will do the same for a time slot, instead of per game; the 4 *regional* features of ABC divide that audience, though with a skew towards Southern teams and a few historical programs.

The 4 extra games each NFL team plays over the standard NCAA 12 game schedule, and the lack of TV exposure for several conferences really hampers NCAA TV exposure in comparison; the PAC-10, for example, averaged 3.4 televised games per week, meaning that in any given week *during the conference season*,  at least 4 teams didn't have any TV coverage whatsoever, even regionally.

[hamsam]

give me the NFL any day. Except for the Hogs, of course.

[Wayne Watson]

NCAA.  More quality games in one day plus the NFL is not bad but unless it's YOUR DALLAS COWBOYS, I can do without it.

[memphishog]

pure excitement....the nfl may have a broader audience, but it can't even touch the passion in the NCAA.

[want2be]

NCAA is still about the passion for the game, NFL is all about money......And with all their money they won't even help those injured before the money was big.

Give me college ball any day

[PorkSoda]

NCAA all the way.  They play harder because they are trying to get to the big time.  Plus you don't have to worry about your star recruit holding out for a better contract.

[Newport Hog]

NFL players play for money/ NCAA football players play for the love of the game to beat the hated team from there conference or location.

[blacksuit]

Basically what i am saying is that NCAA football is popular based on it's own merits and for it's own natural reasons.

The popularity of the NFL is "generated" and is sustained via low life scum known as marketers.

So I actually don't enjoy football games? I've been tricked by marketing people? Sorta makes me question everything.

[Special Delivery Jones]

 

NCAA all the way.  They play harder because they are trying to get to the big time.  Plus you don't have to worry about your star recruit holding out for a better contract.

But you do have to worry about your star holding out of a bowl so he does not get injured. 

[311Hog]

CBS pushes The Masters for months and months leading up to it. The Masters receives more of a push than the Shell Houston Open. So, by your logic, does that mean the Shell Houston Open is more worthy of viewing than The Masters?

Budweiser is advertised during every sporting event on TV. Natural Light is not. Does that mean Natty Light is a better beer than Budweiser?

no it doesnt, but what it does mean is that the possibilty of a LARGE % of the people who tune in to watch The Masters wont know a damn thing about golf, and are just doing it to "fit in" or because the message to watch it has been drilled into their head from the idiot box.

That is my point about the super bowl, you all point to it, and the large number of people who tune in, i would bet you that half of those people cant even spell football must less like it, they are just tuning in because it is the "cool" thing to do or to watch the commercials.

When i think of popularity or this question it says to me "which do i think people actually and genuinely like NFL or NCAA football".

[rcowen]

IMO College football is WAY better than the NFL, but in overall popularity in the USA, the NFL has CFB beat.

Pro football is not nearly as interesting to me as it used to be, but I'll still watch it on Sundays. . it gives me an excuse to drink.

[Theolesnort]

As a business the NFL, as a passion many many more fans really involved with the college and high school games.

[drivetimeporks]

in the south, i have no doubt the ncaa game is more popular.. the nation as a whole, its the nfl...

[hogsanity]

A college game is a much bigger event, for the community, than a nfl game is.  Most NFL games are in large cities.  Many College games are in smaller cities, where it is THE EVENT of the weekend. 

I was in Dallas one weekend when the boys were playing the Sunday Night game.  It was like it was no big thing.  Now, think about what a college town is like, starting on Thursday night, before a Saturday game.  It is all people can talk about ( places like USC, in a big city may be different ). 

[Fisticuffs]

NFL is king until college football (fbs) has a playoff. Watch out.

[hogfan064]

College football has something that the NFL doesn't and that's local level interest in every state.  In places like Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, and Florida where NFL teams are located there is far more interest in CFB. 

The only reason the NFL draws in more money is because it is more appealing to the largest U.S. markets(LA, Chicago, NY, Boston, Detroit,  Dallas)  None of those cities have a major CFB program.

[Beaverfever]

The reasoning that the super bowl being more watched than the bcs is a bad argument.  Everyone knows that 60 percent of the people that "watch" the super bowl don't give a damn about the game.  They watch because of the media hype and commercialization of the event.  It is pretty much expected in our culture that you watch it.  Nobody is going to miss out on the day after water cooler discussions and jokes about their favorite commercials.  All of this has very little to do with the actual football being played. 

[hogsanity]

You're comparing a major metropolitan area to smaller college towns. In a city that big, the Arkansas-Texas A&M game will be a minor blip on the radar.

Everybody's individual preferences are showing on this thread. But the facts show the NFL dominates. My gosh, nationwide polling data shows college football isn't even as popular as the MLB.

I have to wonder, how many people attend/watch NFl games in a week, and how many people attend/watch college games?  I know there are a ton more college games, especially when you throw in d1a, d11 etc.  I guess there is no way to really compare because of the discrepancy in the # of games. 

And, sure, personal preferences show.  I am much more likely to sit down and watch a college game than I am the NFL.

[trashcan maN]

more money is generated by the NCAA in total vs the NFL

1. The poll says NCAA football, not NCAA in general

2.  Are you adding all of the apparal sales?  I would think that the NFL would blow the NCAA away in anything that had to do with money, except ticket sales, considering there are so many more NCAA tickets on the market than NFL tickets.

[phead903]

College football has something that the NFL doesn't and that's local level interest in every state.  In places like Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, and Florida where NFL teams are located there is far more interest in CFB. 

The only reason the NFL draws in more money is because it is more appealing to the largest U.S. markets(LA, Chicago, NY, Boston, Detroit,  Dallas)  None of those cities have a major CFB program.

I would say that LA has a couple of major CFB programs - UCLA and USC.  I would also say that Boston College in Boston is major CFB as well.  Just because a college isn't south of the Mason Dixon line doesn't mean it's not a major college football program.

[ErieHog]

College football has something that the NFL doesn't and that's local level interest in every state.  In places like Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, and Florida where NFL teams are located there is far more interest in CFB. 

The only reason the NFL draws in more money is because it is more appealing to the largest U.S. markets(LA, Chicago, NY, Boston, Detroit,  Dallas)  None of those cities have a major CFB program.

Simply untrue.

Name the big college programs in any of the following states that can actually draw people:  Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Deleware,  New York?

The College football line is pretty well drawn across the country, excluding most of the Mountain West geography (though there is a strong Utah bias with 3 viable programs),  and New England;  BC/Penn State/Rutgers pretty much serve as the last line of NCAA interest, as Syracuse has fallen on abysmally hard times.   

Of the 4 largest media markets in the United States,   only Los Angeles is well-served by college football;  there is still a tepid interest in Rutgers football in Metropolitan NYC;  Houston has an uninspired following of the Cougars and a few other Texas programs; lastly, Chicago has a mixture of Northwestern fans and Illinois backers.

The numbers, especially the urban and northern numbers, skew so heavily to the NFL that it's not even a real point of debate.

[hogsanity]

Simply untrue.

Name the big college programs in any of the following states that can actually draw people:  Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Deleware,  New York?

The College football line is pretty well drawn across the country, excluding most of the Mountain West geography (though there is a strong Utah bias with 3 viable programs),  and New England;  BC/Penn State/Rutgers pretty much serve as the last line of NCAA interest, as Syracuse has fallen on abysmally hard times.   

Of the 4 largest media markets in the United States,   only Los Angeles is well-served by college football;  there is still a tepid interest in Rutgers football in Metropolitan NYC;  Houston has an uninspired following of the Cougars and a few other Texas programs; lastly, Chicago has a mixture of Northwestern fans and Illinois backers.

The numbers, especially the urban and northern numbers, skew so heavily to the NFL that it's not even a real point of debate.

Are we talking TV viewers?  People attending games?  Money?

While there are few "big time" teams in the Northeast, small college interest is still there.  Some of the small schools, like Lafayette or Lehigh, even have GASP, all their games on TV.

[Special Delivery Jones]

Heck the NFL has it's own network. 

[ErieHog]

Are we talking TV viewers?  People attending games?  Money?

While there are few "big time" teams in the Northeast, small college interest is still there.  Some of the small schools, like Lafayette or Lehigh, even have GASP, all their games on TV.

All of the above;  there is a scant tradition, especially at DII in some of those locations, but seriously-- they aren't a pimple on the NFL's butt, when it comes to consumer appeal.

[hogsanity]

All of the above;  there is a scant tradition, especially at DII in some of those locations, but seriously-- they aren't a pimple on the NFL's butt, when it comes to consumer appeal.

I know, but, if you combine all college games, and all college tv viewers, how does that compare to NFL numbers?

[hogfan064]

Simply untrue.

Name the big college programs in any of the following states that can actually draw people:  Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Deleware,  New York?

 

Idaho has Boise State which gets about 35,000 a game.  Not large, but more people than in actual attendance at some NFL games.  Idaho has a 1-A team and averages around 20,000.  So that's 55,000 CFB fans in that state.  Not bad at all.

Montana has probably the highest 1-AA attendance #s, add in Montana State and you get about 40,000 fans watching CFB every week in that state.

My point is that CFB gives each state a sense of belonging and something to take pride within the sports world.

[Special Delivery Jones]

The smallest for attendance in the NFL was 57K.  Ironcially it is the Colts that hold that distinction. 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/attendance

[hogfan064]

Heck the NFL has it's own network. 

The NCAA kind of does  YOu got ESPNU, CSTV, The Big 10 network, and the SEC Network coming.

[hogfan064]

The smallest for attendance in the NFL was 57K.  Ironcially it is the Colts that hold that distinction. 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/attendance

Far more people will attend CFB games on Saturdays than NFL games on Sundays.  Actually, it's not even close due to the number of colleges out there. 

I'm not sure how the TV ratings would look since you have so many regional and state telecasts in CFB

[Special Delivery Jones]

ESPNU is sort of owned by ABC.  The point is when you turn on those networks you see everything from equestrian events to water polo.  You turn on the NFL network and you get NFL news.  Heck the NFL gets 2 entire days devoted just to it's draft.  It dominates sports talk.  Take a stop watch and time a few days this fall on the national shows and see what gets talked about the most. 

[Special Delivery Jones]

Far more people will attend CFB games on Saturdays than NFL games on Sundays.  Actually, it's not even close due to the number of colleges out there. 

I'm not sure how the TV ratings would look since you have so many regional and state telecasts in CFB

Well yeah because there are 100s more.  That kind of goes without saying.  Like I said more people go to games on Friday nights than Sundays also but that does not make high school football more popular.  Just more accessible. 

[hogfan064]

ESPNU is sort of owned by ABC.  The point is when you turn on those networks you see everything from equestrian events to water polo.  You turn on the NFL network and you get NFL news.  Heck the NFL gets 2 entire days devoted just to it's draft.  It dominates sports talk.  Take a stop watch and time a few days this fall on the national shows and see what gets talked about the most. 

That's because national talk shows are based out of California and the Northeast.  Most of the hosts are from the north or Cali   

[Special Delivery Jones]

And if the callers did not want to listen to it and they could not find sponsorship due to that fact then they would forgo covering the NFL for college ball.  They give the MAJORITY what they want.  Fact is there are MORE people in those areas than the others.  Therefore, by MAJORITY decision NFL would be more popular.

[hogfan064]

Well yeah because there are 100s more.  That kind of goes without saying.  Like I said more people go to games on Friday nights than Sundays also but that does not make high school football more popular.  Just more accessible. 

More accessible to attend, but not view.  This could have something to do with CFB ratings.  Everyone can view any NFL game now days, but there are many CFB games not accessible via TV.