Football has always been one of the most popular sports in the USA. But a fact that you might surprised to find out is that college football is actually older than the professional version. College football has been around for over a century and has held a vice like grip on the country ever since.
College football used to only have any kind of popularity inside of the country. However, it’s now extending its reach across the globe. With this new influx of popularity has come a wave of people now wanting to place bets on college football lines to increase their involvement in the game.
But what has caused this new interest in the formally national sport? There are a multitude of factors at work here that we’ll be diving into along with some statistics to show just how the sport has grown recently.
Why has college football become so popular?
One of the main reasons for the rise in college popularity is the rivalries between teams. Of course, there are rivalries within the NFL. However, the severity of the rivalries between college football teams has decades of strength behind them.
Anyone who went to college or even visited a college football game will understand the burning passion that creates the rivalries between colleges. And that passion is what fuels the intensity of the competition between them all.
One of the main draws of any sporting event is the fierce competition between teams. People tend to feel more involved in a game if there is palpable competition between teams. The celebrations and commiserations feel ten times more important making those wins all the sweeter. And in turn, the losses feel even more heart-breaking.
The atmosphere that the college football games bring is second to none. An element that adds to this impeccable vibe is the fight songs. Of course, the NFL has cheers and such but there’s nothing that gets you in the competitive spirit like a fight song does.
These aren’t just minute long songs with half-hearted cheering. These fight songs inform the audience of just how serious these games are. They are made up of decades of rivalries and passion and nothing gets an audience pumped up like a college football fight song.
These fight songs aren’t just blasted out over the speakers either. College football games have the added benefit of having full blown marching bands playing at them. Nothing screams patriotism like a marching band in full costume playing across the field.
Live music is always going to be better than anything being played over a speaker. This makes college football games the winning combination of live music, sports and all your favorite snacks rolled into one. This is a day out you’re certain to never forget.
And if you can’t make it to the real thing, you can join the millions of people who watch college football games online or on TV. The 392 regular season telecasts averaged out at over 1.8 million viewers per game. This is a 2% increase on the numbers from 2018 and it is set to increase further as the popularity grows. These games reached an incredible 145 million unique fans and as word spreads, this can only be set to reach higher numbers in the coming years.
Another impressive statistic is that the 38 postseason bowl games at the end of the season in 2019-20 managed to average just over 5 million viewers per game. This is a 1% increase on the previous season. While these numbers might not sound huge, in terms of televised sporting events, these increases are very impressive.
The television broadcasters who are getting the deals for these games are making big money but there is some controversy around the money or lack thereof that is going to the players. There’s always big money to made in any sporting events so let’s hope that the players end up getting the monetary recognition that they deserve.
We all know that timing is everything and the same can be said for college football games. One downside to the NFL is that it’s played on a Sunday which can be a bit difficult when you have work on Monday morning. You’re less likely to relax with a beer during the game if you’ve got a bout of the Sunday scaries coming at you.
However, college football games occur on a Saturday meaning that there’s a lot more time to relax and enjoy the game and treat yourself to a drink or two while you do so. There’s no need to rush back home if you’re at the game itself either.
So, if you’re yet to experience the thrill of college football, take this as the sign you needed! And why not place a bet on college football lines to add to the thrill.
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