The NFL and Why It's KingThe time has come to talk about something we all have known for awhile, the NFL is king. Long surpassing MLB NHL and the NBA the NFL is officially the number one sport in America and making its way into other countries and continents across the globe by way of a wave of marketable international players and by being the ultimate team game.The game of football in itself is exhilarating and unique, there is truly nothing more exciting than a GOOD football game. I say GOOD because many a copycat league has tried to edge out a little piece of America's love for football, hasn't had a great product to put on the field and has failed as a result. This is why the NFL and NCAA have a lock on the football faithful, they are the only product worth watching.But why is every other league so far behind? Let's start with the NHL. This one is pretty easy, hockey is not a very relatable sport in America. Hockey is not easily accessible for many financial reasons particularly for children in less than desirable situations. This is an extremely expensive sport to play, visit any local rink and watch every child's mother after their kid breaks a $150+ stick. For this reason many people do not grow up playing the game and passing along their love for the sport. Also unlike football hockey is not broadcast on national TV only cable channels and streaming services taking eyeballs away from the sport. Football is shown to anyone who wants to watch on basic TV channels that can be picked up with no additional cost beyond a $25 digital antenna. Baseball and the MLB are falling behind for many reasons, some of which merit articles themselves. For starters the MLB has refused to change with the times and allow their highlights to be featured on social media platformslike twitter and facebook keeping eyes off their game up until 2019. Repeated labor strikes and arguments between players and ownership particularly in the last few years. Millionaires and billionaires arguing over money never sells. All of this combined with a slow paced game and an ungodly long season makes for a game slowly going by the wayside in the court of public opinion. The NBA is the closest to the crown and probably America's second favorite league. This goes back to a prior point of kids being able to play the game from a young age. Any kid can play basketball at any local park. There are games to be played. Basketball, though exciting, lacks the physicality that football has and is not as big a team sport. One player can make a bad NBA team a playoff contender and just two star players can make a team a championship contender. Football is a true team sport with 11 players on three separate units all performing separate tasks and depending on each other to accomplish the goal of winning the game.Lastly, why the NFL? Plain and simple they have the ultimate game and are the top league involved in that game. They market their players and allow the game to be shared across all platforms for all people to enjoy. Again we all have known this for a long time and now we know why.

Shawn Campbell - Sunday’s for the Birds/ Olde City Sports Network

Photo creds - nfl.com & Wagerbop Sports