Blog Why College Sports is Only Popular in the USA
Why College Sports is Only Popular in the USA
Have you ever wondered why college sports are so popular in the US but nowhere else? The reason is college sports provide something that US pro sports lack but pro sports in other countries have.
MLB, the NBA and the NFL are leagues with franchises instead of clubs. Franchises that are privately owned for profit. That move cities when they can make more money somewhere else. Where players come and go between franchises mid-season and there are no incentives for playing local athletes.
As a result these are franchises without souls or loyalty who exist only to make money for the owner. They lack roots in their local community and do little for society as a whole. Because of this some of their own local fans do not feel as passionate about them.
Enter college sports. The local college/university has been in the city for generations and it’s not going to move interstate. It’s not privately owned and run for profit, its run to help the community and society as a whole.
The college/university is tied into the local community in many ways, everyone in the city either went there or knows people who went there and so it represents them and their community and actually cares about them. Also many of the players are locally grown.
All of this makes many fans more passionate about their collage team than their pro team.
The rest of the world does not need the college alternative because our pro sports do not lack the community roots, representation and soul that US pro sports lack. In the rare case that they do lack it, local fans can turn to quality 2nd division or state league teams to provide it. Which brings us to our next point.
US pro sports has no 2nd division
Another reason the US needs college sports is that US pro sports don’t have good 2nd division or state leagues.
In Australia and Europe these leagues give athletes out of high school a level to grow, learn, and mature in, before they are ready for the pro leagues. In the US this role is filled by college sports.
They also provide authenticity in the rare case when that is lacking in pro sports outside the US. For example English soccer fans care more about their local Championship (2nd division of English soccer) team than they do about the Premier League.
If you wonder why US pro sports don’t have good 2nd division and state leagues we go into that and offer solutions to the problems with US pro sports in the empty soul of US sports and how to fix it.
Authentic and unique
The amateur nature and 170 years of tradition of college sports has given rise to charming idiosyncrasies like unique and endearing game day traditions, stadiums and mascots.
Here are some examples of the collage sports oddities. these have no place in the US pro sports world of business efficiency, slick marketing departments and stadiums made for corporate boxes.
Stanford University’s mascot is a tree named Cardinal…