What are the top 10 most culturally significant sporting events in the US?
Posted by cartiersage@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 281 comments
I would guess:
- Super Bowl
- March Madness/Final Four
- World Series
- College football playoffs
- NBA Finals
- Any big boxing/ufc fight
- Kentucky Derby
- Indy 500
- The Masters
- Daytona 500
VaeVictis_Game@reddit
Literally the Stanley Cup come on GOLF before that??
DolphinRodeo@reddit
Golf is way more popular than hockey in the US as a whole
___daddy69___@reddit
Blatantly not true lmao
dgputnam@reddit
I’m a huge hockey fan, but it’s definitely true.
Hockey’s weird because the Stanley Cup (the trophy) is more popular and iconic than the event and sport itself. The NHL also feels less culturally relevant than it was in the 80s and 90s. I feel like back then it was much more mainstream, riding the popularity of Miracle on Ice, Gretzky, and Mighty Ducks. People aren’t really thinking about puck these days.
It doesn’t help that hockey is very inaccessible to play (both in cost and ice availability) and to watch. Also, hockey fans tend to be insular—I feel it’s very common for hockey people to only follow hockey and no other sports.
Covin0il@reddit
The ‘05 lockout did permanent damage to the NHL, “Outdoor Life Network” what the fuck was that???
DolphinRodeo@reddit
Yeah I think they’re pretty obviously confusing themselves personally liking hockey more with it actually being more popular
St0rmborn@reddit
The Masters is objectively way more popular than the Stanley cup. And I like hockey and think it’s super underrated. But The Masters is the only thing on this list that even approaches the Super Bowl in terms of iconic status and exclusivity. Honestly, if I had the choice between free tickets to the masters or the Super Bowl I think I’d probably take the former. Like you can’t even just buy tickets to it, unless you’re in the media or have serious connections you have to enter a lottery which I’ve been doing for 15 years and can’t even get a ticket to a freaking practice round.
DolphinRodeo@reddit
This is not true. Hockey is one of the big 4 sports. Maybe more people play golf (because even unathletic old corporate types can still play it) but way more people watch hockey
Stanley cup final the last three years has averaged between 1.3 and 2.3 million viewers per game in the US. The high water mark this century is 3.7 million. The Masters averages over 12 million. Did you just make up that that’s not true?
Wallawalla1522@reddit
Wouldn't the FedEx cup playoffs be a better comparison? The Stanley cup finals was 6 games this year.
The Masters (or any of the majors) would be closer to the 4 Nations or Olympics.
Is your 12 million figure for Sunday viewership?
CoruthersWigglesby@reddit
No, no one cares about the FedEx cup. The Majors are a much bigger deal.
Source: golf is my third favorite sport after college football and MLB
Wallawalla1522@reddit
I think it's an apt comparison, I agree the Majors are much more popular, but to say 4 events a year equate to a sport being more popular is disingenuous because the viewership for the rest of the PGA is dwarfed by the NHL.
Let's look at Ryder Cup viewership vs the 4 Nations tournament (Olympics lite), both of these are 'national pride' events that take place only a handful of years so they hold the same degree of importance. Ryder cup averaged 1.35mm US viewers Saturday and Sunday. The single Thursday night USA v Canada game had 9.2mm US viewers.
Hockey is still more popular than golf, I say this as a golf fan.
DolphinRodeo@reddit
The Masters is golf’s biggest event, and the finals are hockey’s biggest event. Why would you not compare like with like?
What are you basing this on? Any sort of source for that information? If you’re talking about total volume of viewership, obviously the NHL, with 32 teams playing 82 games each, plus nearly three months of playoffs, has a way higher volume of events to watch. But that would be an incredibly disingenuous way to measure that obviously. If you have some sort of evidence for what you’re claiming to be true beyond “because I said so,” I’m certainly all ears
Wallawalla1522@reddit
Hilarious that you don't provide sources for your claims but all of a sudden if someone else provides metrics it's a huge deal.
Ryder Cup
4 Nations
I don't think I'd be able to convince you that more people watching the hockey would make it more popular, let's keep it to the two main leagues.
39 tour events, 4 majors, 3-4 days of golf per event. How about we look at revenue. If there are less events, that means the scarcity should drive up prices and people will be more willing to pay more to attend less events if its as popular. Supply and demand is the best way to determine popularity, people vote with their wallets.
NHL Revenue - $6.8 Billion
PGA Revenue - $1.9 Billion
DolphinRodeo@reddit
You’ve changed the subject from popularity to revenue, which is a different thing. Yes, the NHL may have more total revenue. That is because they have over 1,300 events per season to make money from and golf has 39. “Scarcity driving up the prices” doesn’t make up for a 500% discrepancy. Nobody is paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to attend golf events. You understand that total revenue largely depends on how many events there are to make that man who from, especially when the difference is so many, right?
I pick the metric of viewership. Bringing up the Ryder Cup out of nowhere has nothing to do with anything. If you check the list that this conversation is about, the Masters is the event in question. Of course a much less popular event has fewer viewers. I could just as easily point to a random first round NHL series with low viewership. I see you conveniently left out that the Ryder Cup was in Italy, a terrible timezone for American viewers. More to the point, that is not a marquee event. If you aren’t comparing like with like, you aren’t operating in reality.
The very four nations cup link you posted still shows that it had about 25% fewer viewers than the Masters, so not sure how that helps your case.
Anyway, you already made up your made without any factual basis, so I don’t expect that facts are going to change your position. Just as a recap:
My claim: Golf is more popular than hockey in America.
Evidence: Way more people watch golf than hockey
Your claim: hockey is more popular than golf in America
Your evidence: Thousands of hockey games make more money total than a few dozen golf tournaments, and less important golf events sometimes have fewer viewers than the most viewed hockey events
Wallawalla1522@reddit
Is what people are willing to pay for not a metric of popularity?
Isn't the fact that NHL broadcast rights and advertisement revenue is higher than golfs an indication that more people view golf?
Picking a single event and saying "more people view this therefore it is more popular than this single event" is silly.
The NHL has more viewership, more revenue, more attendance, more merchandizing, more recognition than golf.
Your only claim is that a single golf event has higher viewership than a single hockey event, therefore the entirety of the sport is more popular.
If that's the case then the Oscars is more popular than golf and hockey.
DolphinRodeo@reddit
The Stanley Cup Final is hockey’s biggest event, and the Masters is golf’s biggest event. The only reason not to compare like with like is if you were trying to twist the facts to prove a point that’s not true
Wallawalla1522@reddit
In terms of single game viewership - it's not. Olympic hockey (Or 4 Nations) wins that award. The Stanley Cup Final is the culmination of the NHL season, much like the FedEx Cup.
It seems like you're the one trying to twist the facts comparing the marquee major vs a multi-game elimination playoff.
To answer your origional argument
By almost every metric hockey is more popular than golf in the US, the NHL has higher viewership over the course of the season than the cumulative PGA tour viewership.
The best number to look at is revenue. The NHL has 6 times the annual revenue than the PGA from broadcast, to merchandizing, to ticket sales.
DolphinRodeo@reddit
That’s based on 32 teams playing 82 games per year plus three months of playoffs. The question is which is more popular, not which can sell more tickets over the course of dozens or hundreds of times more events. MLB teams sell more tickets than NFL teams because there are way more games. Do you think baseball is more popular than football?
The question was which is more popular in the US. Golf’s marquee event gets 6x more viewers than the NHL’s.
If you think it’s so unfair to compare a multi-game series average (golf has multiple rounds btw), the highest rated Stanley Cup game 7 had 4.9 million viewers, still well less than half of what the Masters gets.
I understand that you may personally like hockey more than golf, and it can sometimes be tricky to wrap your head around a personal preference not being universal. I don’t even watch golf, but if you just look at facts of how many Americans watch these events, there is an obvious answer.
Wallawalla1522@reddit
Considering that the NFL has double the revenue of the MLB I'd say that's a really bad argument. Go ahead, do some research for your argument.
If you'd like I can explain to you what supply and demand economics, but it seems your opinion is based on vibes.
DolphinRodeo@reddit
You keep changing the subject from ticket sales to views to revenue. Constantly changing the subject to try to make yourself a little gotcha moment makes your case less convincing than sticking to the facts
My opinion that golf is more popular than hockey in the US is the fact that many more people watch golf than hockey in the US. That is a fact
mandela__affected@reddit
Very common hockey guy cope lmao
DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit
This is not true. Hockey is one of the big 4 sports. Maybe more people play golf (because even unathletic old corporate types can still play it) but way more people watch hockey
DolphinRodeo@reddit
Stanley cup final the last three years has averaged between 1.3 and 2.3 million viewers in the US. The Masters averages over 12 million. Hockey being referred to as one of the “big four,” which is a term for team sports, so golf isn’t even in the same category, doesn’t change that
thanatos0320@reddit
More people watch golf than the Stanley cup.
TucsonTacos@reddit
They have golf on the TV. People actually watch the Stanley Cup.
thanatos0320@reddit
That's because very few people actually watch hockey - golf is more popular than hockey.
The stanley cup averaged ~3 million viewers this year, and the masters had 12 million on Sunday.
DoinIt989@reddit
The Masters is a one time thing. There's far more hockey fans vs golf fans.
thanatos0320@reddit
How do you figure, given that golf tends to be the more popular sport in the USA?
ToumaKazusa1@reddit
Viewership this year was higher than last year. Hockey just isn't very popular
_pamelab@reddit
The NHL makes it a giant pain to watch games. If they can get a streaming service up and running and stop with the blackouts more people will watch.
Ok_Stop7366@reddit
Hockey sucks to watch on tv.
Golf is better on tv than watching in person
notonrexmanningday@reddit
Hockey's just not very popular in the south.
thatsad_guy@reddit
Reread the comment you responded to.
CFBCoachGuy@reddit
Super Bowl
Sunday Night Football
Monday Night Football
CFB National Championship game
World Series
Indy 500
March Madness
Any major college football rivalry game
NBA Finals
Stanley Cup
Late-Application-47@reddit
The Indy 500 over major NASCAR races like Daytona or Charlotte is a hard sell for me if we are talking about "important to Americans," which accurately describes everything else on your list.
However, I'm from the South, where NASCAR is king. Is the Indy 500 sufficiently popular enough in the North/Midwest to overcome NASCAR in importance?
CFBCoachGuy@reddit
The Indy 500 is the most attended single day sporting event in the world. Roughly 1 in 1,000 Americans watch the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway each year. Even counting tv, over 1million more people watched the Indy 500 than the Daytona 500 this year.
Late-Application-47@reddit
Had no idea. Thanks.
ThePickleConnoisseur@reddit
March madness needs to be 2. It’s so much bigger than everything but the SB
DBHT14@reddit
For pure cultural significance I would swap the CFB title game for the Rose Bowl. May not be the most important anymore but the granddaddy of the all still looms the largest in cultural memory.
Squirrel_Q_Esquire@reddit
The entire East Coast and Southeast doesn’t give a shit about the Rose Bowl
DBHT14@reddit
I mean im in DC and watch it. Especially since its a playoff game.
Squirrel_Q_Esquire@reddit
Because of the teams playing, not because of the Rose Bowl moniker.
HISTRIONICK@reddit
Disagree. There are two conferences where that used to be the case. Those two conferences are essentially one now, and that's where the significance remains. I wouldn't give it much credit beyond that.
DBHT14@reddit
I do think there is risk in it slipping in relevance going forward.
But for this past year as a quarter final it was still the second most watched cfb game. And in 23-24 it was the most watched iirc. Even accounting for good teams and relevancy in the playoff it has a draw and mystique all its own still.
Squirrel_Q_Esquire@reddit
It was 2nd this year because it was #1 Oregon vs #6 Ohio State who has a Top 3 following.
The year before it was #1 Michigan and #4 Alabama, the other 2 of the Top 3 followings. It beat out the championship game because nobody cares about Washington.
And then the year before when it wasn’t a playoff game, it did half the numbers despite being the only game on. 3 regular season SEC games did better than it and a few others were within reach, and that’s during a Saturday slate with 20 other games going on.
Tommy_Wisseau_burner@reddit
March madness is definitely above the World Series. That 1st weekend is pure chaos
MegaAscension@reddit
It’s so much fun. I drove two years ago to see my team and was surrounded by people wearing Wisconsin, Arizona, and Florida gear, and all ended up rooting for my team with me because I was the only fan for my mid major team in that section.
TinCanSon@reddit
I'd argue that if you're only allowed 1 major college rivalry game, it's Army-Navy.
Eubank31@reddit
Not a bad list but The Masters clears a solid few of these
blay12@reddit
Right? 2025 Masters averaged 12+ million viewers across all 4 days of the event and peaked at nearly 20 million for the final round…that’s not insignificant, especially when the NBA finals this year only averaged 9 million viewers across 5 games.
Lotta people sleep on golf despite it being bigger than they want to give it credit for.
_badwithcomputer@reddit
NBA Finals still too high.
Cebuanolearner@reddit
Hockey exists
securityburger@reddit
Not to popular outside the mid-west to be fair
Cebuanolearner@reddit
Was very popular in SoCal growing up
Covin0il@reddit
Ehh I’m a big hockey fan but it’s always felt niche. Kings are far behind Dodgers, Lakers, and Rams.
Ok_Perspective_6179@reddit
No it wasn’t
Individual_Rest2823@reddit
Still is pretty popular
VirtualBroccoliBoy@reddit
It's growing in the southeast as well. Florida, Tampa Bay, and Carolina have all won Stanley Cups in the relatively recent past and Nashville's run to the finals in 2017 was HUGE in Tennessee. It created a lot of new hockey fans. It's still a very distance 4th out of the Big 4 but it's growing for sure.
Jbergsie@reddit
At least for Massachusetts hockey has more of a fan base and following than college sports due for instance. But also it was/is common here for people to have grown up playing pond hockey and there are ice rinks every few towns.
thatsad_guy@reddit
It is very popular in the northeast
JoeyAaron@reddit
International hockey best vs. best is a big cultural event. I remember sitting in a bar in the Deep South during the 2012 Olympics Gold Medal game and seeing hundreds of people packed in hanging onto every moment. This years 4 Nations Tournament was the talk of the water cooler at work. I had several invites to go watch the US v. Canada game somewhere.
The Stanley Cup Finals is not a big cultural event unless you are in the region of a participating team.
ChemMJW@reddit
Do you mind sharing in which state you live? Is it a northern state where ice hockey is comparatively big?
At my work (Maryland), I would estimate that 90% or greater have/had no idea what the 4 Nations is and no idea that the US team took part.
JoeyAaron@reddit
Upper South. Not a hockey hotbed.
I looked up the ratings. Looks like the US - Canada match is about on par with the NBA Finals. I saw coverage all over the mainstream news and people who definitely weren't sports fans were talking about the fights during the match. At least that was my perspective.
Nitro_the_Wolf_@reddit
So does soccer, Americans just don't care about it as much as these other events
HISTRIONICK@reddit
In a lot of places, that's true. In some places, it definitely is not.
Nitro_the_Wolf_@reddit
Of course, but the original question was asking about the US, not specific regions of the US. As a whole, everything listed is more popular than any hockey or soccer tournament
Wallawalla1522@reddit
Doesn't have to be NHL - Put Olympic hockey up there - USA v Russia, or USA v Canada and there's more cultural significance than 'any big boxing ufc fight' and a handful of these.
cartiersage@reddit (OP)
I know but I never really thought of the Stanley cup finals as that culturally significant for people other than hockey fans. Afaik there are a lot of people that couldn't give 2 shits about NASCAR that will still watch the Daytona 500
Cebuanolearner@reddit
I'd place it above racing, gofl, horse racing, and ufc
cartiersage@reddit (OP)
I mean as a sport entirely 100% hockey is more popular but I don't think the Stanley cup finals are iconic the way the Kentucky Derby is for example
ABobby077@reddit
I think with the NHL (and NBA) Playoffs taking place over many months, the enthusiasm wanes by the time of the Finals for many casual fans.
Cebuanolearner@reddit
Ufc has less viewers for major fights than Stanley cup
Kentucky derby is about even
ToumaKazusa1@reddit
The Stanley Cup gets around 4 million US viewers.
The Indy 500 gets over 7 million. The Daytona 500 got 6.7 million this year. The Kentucky Derby got 17 million average viewers.
Cebuanolearner@reddit
You might wanna check the Stanley cup again, as it's not a single day
MortimerDongle@reddit
The same four million people watching 5 games doesn't mean it has 20 million viewers
ToumaKazusa1@reddit
I'm going with average views for the final game, which was the highest for any game in the cup.
If you're finding a significantly different number you're probably using a source that includes Canadian viewership
Wallawalla1522@reddit
Folks tuning in to watch the marquee race that last two minutes vs a 4-7 game series that each last 2+ hrs is not a good comparison.
I'm not even sure viewership is a good comparison for 'cultural significance'. There's no national drink for the Stanley Cup playoffs or are there as many funny hats.
TheKaptinKirk@reddit
I legit don't know anyone who watches the Stanley cup, or even hockey. Oh, that one cousin, but that's it. This post right here is the most I've thought about hockey in a decade or more.
dgputnam@reddit
very regional. Idk anyone who watches NASCAR here in CT, but there are tons of hockey fans. I literally couldn’t tell you when Indy or Daytona is, or who any of the drivers are, but I know there are regions of the country where it’s a big deal.
I know the reverse is true about hockey. Go to Minnesota, and high school games are selling out 20k capacity arenas. But a lot of the country couldn’t name a single team.
yidsinamerica@reddit
I'd double check that. You might be using a source that includes Canadian viewers. I'm sure they inflate it by a pretty considerable amount.
skateboreder@reddit
More so in Canada, prolly, tbh
AtWorkCurrently@reddit
I think golf is way more popular than hockey in America. And I'm a huge hockey guy.
_edd@reddit
You put Daytona 500 over The Masters?
I'm not saying you're wrong, but that seems off to me.
JoshHuff1332@reddit
This about EVENTS though. NHL is more popular overall, but when it comes to major UFC fights, Kentucky Derby, and the Masters, I would say those events are a bigger deal than the Stanley Club along the general population.
Positive-Avocado-881@reddit
Yep, just did some quick googling. Hockey viewership is way down when you take out the Canadians lol
Positive-Avocado-881@reddit
Tbh if you remove the Canadian viewership, hardly anyone is watching the Stanley Cup finals.
Griegz@reddit
I don't know. I don't care about people turning left for hours, and I won't ever watch it. I don't even know when in the year Daytona occurs. It's popular in and off itself, but it doesn't draw outsiders to it's special events like the major sports do. People who don't watch hockey regularly will still catch the NHL playoffs.
chipmunksocute@reddit
No one outside of nascar fans gives a shit about nascar. Nascar rarely makes major headlines if ever.
symmetreck@reddit
What’s funny is I would’ve said the opposite, that only racing fans watch Daytona/F1 (I’ve never even met a single person who cares about either) and that most people will tune into at least one Stanley Cup Game. Must be where I’m from in the country.
aloofman75@reddit
At least half of the things on your list are non-events to non-fans of that sport.
SuperPomegranate7933@reddit
The superbowl isn't all that significant to people who aren't football fans.
2phresh@reddit
r/sportsball
mrjabrony@reddit
If you remove the outlier years of high Super Bowl viewership it pretty much regresses to around the Kentucky Derby or a big UFC fight.
___daddy69___@reddit
This is blatantly not true, almost half the country watches the super bowl
MattFlynnIsGOAT@reddit
This is not true.
Zip83@reddit
Dude it's watched all over the world.
mrvernon_notmrvernon@reddit
The game’s not but the event 100% is.
Meilingcrusader@reddit
Maybe put it at 6
Ok_Perspective_6179@reddit
Oh shit I forgot
PaddyVein@reddit
Made itself irrelevant with sunbelt teams. Miami doesn't give a shit about winning a Cup and everyone who does hasn't seen it in years except when some local guy wins it and brings it home for a day.
R_Raider86@reddit
Putting AHL teams in Henderson NV and Palm Springs CA when there's 0 AHL or ECHL teams in Houston, San Antonio, Albany, Hamilton, ON, or Quebec City is some nasty work.
martlet1@reddit
Travel distances.
R_Raider86@reddit
I'd be a lot more understanding of that argument if Coachella Valley wasn't Seattle's AHL team(that's a new arena, should've been in the PNW) and there wasn't 6 AHL teams within a 500 mile radius from Los Angeles, when there's only 4 NHL teams there.
mandela__affected@reddit
Tampa bay, Dallas, Florida, Carolina are all in the top 10 for average attendance
Nicholas1227@reddit
Not sure if everyone will agree but I’m gonna make the claim that the big regular season rivalries in college football (The Game, Iron Bowl, etc.) are more culturally relevant than the College Football Playoffs.
hardrock527@reddit
Us open tennis major. Tennis is massive worldwide
ophaus@reddit
Are sporting events culturally significant? They are mild entertainment at best.
urine-monkey@reddit
#1 is definitely the Super Bowl. Everything else is regional.
We're a big country, and we act like it.
notonrexmanningday@reddit
I wouldn't say the NBA Finals, the World Series or March Madness are regional
mandela__affected@reddit
Large portions of the country simply don't care about the NBA.
I'm in Wichita, the thunder are closer to us than the Chiefs are, and I haven't seen a single shirt, flag, commercial, or anything promoting them.
SpearinSupporter@reddit
I grew up in Wichita and there the team sports order was probably: 1. NFL 2. College Football 3. College Basketball 4. MLB (at least in the 90s) 5. NBA 6. HS Football 7. HS Basketball 8. NHL
On the east coast today: 1. NFL 2. NBA 3. MLB 4. College Football 5. European club soccer 6. NHL 7. College basketball High school sports don't rank
It's totally regional after NFL
Positive-Avocado-881@reddit
March Madness isn’t but the NBA Finals and the World Series are based on what teams are in.
velociraptorfarmer@reddit
Yep. The NFL is the only big 4 league that doesn't have the issue of market size driving viewership. The MLB, NHL, and NBA all have issues that they're unable to draw a broad national audience regardless of who's playing.
Positive-Avocado-881@reddit
Exactly!! I only know this bc I’m someone who watches every year no matter what 😂
velociraptorfarmer@reddit
I'm watching the NBA finals this year just because I'm an Iowa State alum and Wolves fan and enjoying every second of Haliburton clowning on the Thunder.
I haven't watched hockey in over a decade other than the Olympics and Four Nations.
I haven't watched the MLB since I left Minnesota and can't get the Twins (not to mention the Pohlads being fucking cheapskates).
DRmonarch@reddit
I was curious when the NBA Finals were going on because of your comment. Right fucking now, apparently.
JoeyAaron@reddit
The Super Bowl, March Madness, and the Olympics are the three events that it's almost impossible to miss even for non-sports fans. Everything else is in a different category as a non-sports fan can easily miss that they're going on.
ToumaKazusa1@reddit
I'd switch March Madness for College Football playoffs, as someone who lives in the South.
velociraptorfarmer@reddit
In the south, yes.
For the rest of the country, March Madness blows it out of the water.
beenoc@reddit
Depends on the part of the South. In NC (legally defined as the center of the college basketball universe, per our governor in 2022), March Madness is omnipresent.
haileyskydiamonds@reddit
Yep. You don’t dare schedule weddings or funerals during SEC games, much less playoffs.
JoeyAaron@reddit
College football is my favorite sport. I put my full list in a different spot. I put the final week of the regular season/rivalry week as the most culturally relevant week for college football. Ohio St. v Michigan is often the most watched college football game of the year, including the playoffs, even though it's competing with a half dozen other games on various channels at the same time. Auburn v. Alabama is also a big deal nationally. And then there are other rivalry games across the country that week. I feel like I hear more water cooler talk about college football that week than during the playoff.
I don't think the BCS or the new playoff was able to replace the old New Years Day bowl schedule from a cultural sense. I'm old enough to remember the old bowl system. College football was the talk of the country that day. Obviously a ton of people watch the college football playoff and championship. It's the most watched sporting event after the NFL. But I also think that if you're not a sports fan you might miss that it's going on. I judge cultural relevance on whether non-sports fans know an event is happening and possibly tune in for a bit just to have something to talk about.
urine-monkey@reddit
I wouldn't have thought so either until I was living in Northeast Wisconsin for a couple years. Mind you this was when the Bucks were making their championship run. I was definitely taken aback by how apathetic so many people were to a team from their own state being in the finals.
That where I also learned people couldn't care less about March Madness unless the Badgers or UWGB is involved. Even the local sports media was more focused on Brewers spring training and who the Packers were gonna draft.
A lot of places just don't have a hoop culture.
notonrexmanningday@reddit
Northeast Wisconsin is one of those single-team regions, like Buffalo or Nebraska. If it's not Packers, they really don't care. But I would say those areas are exceptional.
urine-monkey@reddit
They're more pervasive than you think. NBA fanbases are a lot more localized than the NFL. The guy who has season tickets to the Bears and drives up from Springfield every weekend probably isn't gonna drive into the city to see the Bulls play the Hornets on a Tuesday night.
I do think it's accurate to say the NBA Finals and Final Four are a bigger deal than all the other events listed, but the drop off from the Super Bowl is massive. Even the popularity between those events is regional.
Take Indianapolis for example. The NBA Finals might be more popular this year for obvious reasons. But most years it's the Final Four and not even close. March Madness is life in Indiana, which is why they host the Final Four so regularly.
mcaffrey@reddit
Really they are regional though. Not too many people watch that aren’t personally invested in the participating teams. That’s why advertisers hate it when small markets do well, and one big reason why there is still no salary cap in baseball.
theimmortalgoon@reddit
That regional aspect is accurate.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and, even when the Ducks are doing well, college football is almost like a novelty for the most part.
…at least compared to Georgia. Where it’s not unusual to out your favorite college team on your tombstone. And the NFL is sometimes treated like an afterthought.
Inevitable-Ad-4599@reddit
Surprised to see so many list the World Series so high. I’d recommend using the top 100 most watched TV broadcasts as a barometer. It’s the NFL, College Football and everything else (plus some politics and horse racing occasionally :D).
MagnumForce24@reddit
Superbowl College Football National Championship World Series NBA Finals Stanley Cup March Madness Indy 500 Daytona 500 The Game 10 is a mystery
flyer947TA@reddit
The Super Bowl really is in a class of its own though. Seems like almost everyone you interact with that day after the game, even people who otherwise never watch sports, watched the Super Bowl, went to a party, has a favorite commercial, etc. The same thing is not even close to true for any other sporting event.
RoboModeTrip@reddit
That is very far from the truth.
RoboModeTrip@reddit
I'm a very uncultured American. I don't watch or care about any of these.
Zip83@reddit
Boxing has really dropped, MMA has kind of plateaued as well ... I'd drop them to 10
BuddhaTheHusky@reddit
UFC Noche at the Sphear in Las Vegas and Jake Paul Vs Mike Tyson was 2 of the biggest sporting events of the year. Jake Paul vs Tyson streamed over 60 million world wide on Netflix.
Atlas7-k@reddit
Paul vs Tyson wasn’t a sporting event. Sports require competition and an uncertain outcome. Thats was a poorly done theatrical event similar to a bad pro wrestling match.
BuddhaTheHusky@reddit
There was also 6 other bouts featuring up and coming young talents and 2 great word title fights as the co main events.
Atlas7-k@reddit
You can’t have it both ways, it was either a fight in which case you have to admit the numbers are skewed or you can use the numbers but admit it wasn’t a fight and therefore not a sporting event.
AshleyMyers44@reddit
Why are the numbers skewed if it was a fight?
Atlas7-k@reddit
If we want to use the undercard to justify counting it as a fight then we must admit that the top of the card skewed the number of viewers.
AshleyMyers44@reddit
The main card was a sanctioned and professional fight.
Yes it was very one sided, just as most of the under cards were, but it still was a professional fight.
Atlas7-k@reddit
Sanctioned, yes. Professional, well they both got paid. Fight… one sided matches are a thing but I have yet to see a Paul fight where it didn’t look like a cooperative attempt at creating a realistic simulation of a fight for gambling purposes.
kay14jay@reddit
Right, Wrestlemania should be higher
letsgobrooksy@reddit
You should be rich right now if it was such a certain outcome, you missed a huge opportunity to win free money
Zip83@reddit
Paul vs. Tyson was WWE levels of BS ..... not significant in any way.
letsgobrooksy@reddit
Not significant, yet here you are talking about it still
Citronaught@reddit
Derrr someone brought it up. Potato level critical thinking.
letsgobrooksy@reddit
Now ask yourself why you think someone brought it up?
Citronaught@reddit
Pretty in your feelings about a tv drama
letsgobrooksy@reddit
You did watch it, didn't you?😂
Citronaught@reddit
No im not a moron
letsgobrooksy@reddit
Oh and now you're lying about it, even worse hahahahahaha
Citronaught@reddit
Good luck in life you clearly need it
AshleyMyers44@reddit
So is every sporting event at this point.
BuddhaTheHusky@reddit
It was a great event and had real fights. All the boxing fans got 2 great title fights. The Sorrano vs Taylor 2 fight is one of the greatest female boxing matches of all time and the Barrios vs Ramos fight was an absolute Mexican banger. All the non boxing fans tuned in to see the circus main event and was entertained. Everyone enjoyed that card even though the main event was BS and it is still one of the most successful sporting event of all time. That card proved combat spots is still as big as any other sporting event.
ramblinjd@reddit
Also, the rest are annual events. Certain boxing matches are big but any annual events like UFC xxx are not top 10 material. I'd put the Stanley cup in at #8-10 instead of fighting.
AMB3494@reddit
Yeah boxing essentially killed itself by putting a paywall in front of most decent fights
Far_Reflection8410@reddit
Speaking from outside of the US, the Super Bowl is huge!!! I’ve taken every game off work for the last 6 years because it’s so great! Many others I know I right Into it as well! Definitely becoming a global sport!
Exciting_Bee7020@reddit
I'm an American who loves sports... but I've never watch even a minute of the last 5 on your list hahaha
I think I'd put college football and NBA above the World Series, though.
B_A_Beder@reddit
We've also had a few Olympics
tangs-08@reddit
igwaltney3@reddit
Move the masters to 4 shift everything else down
HotSteak@reddit
Kentucky Derby and UFC should not be on the list. Honestly should have things like NFL Week 1 and NFL Week 2
Bright_Ices@reddit
People who don’t care at all about sports or racing watch the Kentucky Derby. No one who doesn’t care about football tunes in before the Super Bowl.
Argo505@reddit
How many viewers does your average NFL game pull?
HotSteak@reddit
The Kentucky Derby averages 17M views annually (way more than I thought). Each NFL game in week 1 averages 21M views, x16 games.
braines54@reddit
That might be true, but the problem is that so many people care about football. Most of these events have lower viewership than an average SNF game.
The only thing that beats the conference title games in TV ratings is the Super Bowl (unless it's 2024 and people are super stoked to watch presidential debates).
braines54@reddit
While you're correct about the NFL and it's TV dominance, the only thing on that list that had a higher viewership than the Kentucky Derby was the college football playoff title game.
Besides the viewership, I'm not sure there's a sporting event (yes, Super Bowl included) that pulls more elite celebrities than the Kentucky Derby.
CTronix@reddit
For Hockey the Stanley Cup
Golf, the US Open
Probably both of those are bigger than a UFC fight
Dai-The-Flu-@reddit
I’m no NASCAR fan so I wouldn’t know which one is bigger, but I think we can swap one of them out and replace it with the U.S. Open
ShiraPiano@reddit
Leaving the Stanley Cup Playoffs off is wrong.
ssk7882@reddit
The Superbowl, the World Series, and the Kentucky Derby are the only three US sporting events that I can name. If we're allowed to include international events, then I'm also aware of the Olympics. There may be a couple more that most people in the country could bring to mind, but those are the only four I know.
If you're looking for sporting events that are truly "culturally significant" -- by which I mean significant enough that nearly everyone in the country, even people who don't follow sports, would be able to name them -- then I highly doubt that there are actually ten of those.
MalcolmXorcist@reddit
You never heard of the World Series or NBA Finals? Not buying that.
ssk7882@reddit
I have indeed heard of the World Series, which is why I included it in my list of events I knew. It's the second one listed, right after the Superbowl.
I assumed that basketball had some final game that was a big event, but I didn't know what it was called. Is it just called the "Finals?"
MalcolmXorcist@reddit
Oops meant to say US Open.
Ambereggyolks@reddit
Depending on the year, it could be the red river shootout, the game, wlocp, USC/nd.
Actually rivalry weekend in college football is probably one of the most significant sporting events in the US.
Hopsblues@reddit
The World Cup is big, people that don't watch soccer, will watch the WC, bars have it on their TV's.
RassleRanter@reddit
11. Wrestle Mania 12. AEW All In 13. NJPW Windy City Riot
Extension_Camel_3844@reddit
Well for me it goes in this Order:
Stanley Cup Finals
World Series
Super Bowl
Kentucky Derby
Daytona 500
Don't care about any of the others.
seifd@reddit
I'd argue opening day of baseball has more cultural significance than the World Series.
PaddyVein@reddit
Wrestle Mania
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
Quenzayne@reddit
I would bet that UFC is more popular than WWE, but WWE is more accessible. If UFC PPV’s weren’t like $100+ a pop then it would be way more popular than wrestling.
That said though, Wrestlemania only comes once a year, so that one particular event eclipses any UFC event, of course.
PaddyVein@reddit
It's not apples-to-oranges, but UFC PPV buys average something close to a weekly combined WWE audience. I've never seen a UFC fighter t-shirt. They market and price themselves as an elite bloodsport, where WWE is just selling Hyundais and Mountain Dew every week like regular primetime TV.
Quenzayne@reddit
That’s exactly my point. WWE is more accessible as a product but MMA is more popular as a sport.
PaddyVein@reddit
I don't know what popular means then.
Quenzayne@reddit
You’ll find more people that like MMA than like wrestling, but WWE gets bigger viewership than UFC because it’s on 4 times a week via very accessible channels.
martlet1@reddit
Not sports.
Specialist-Solid-987@reddit
huazzy@reddit
Apparently this became a real thing after the movie and it's been a wild success for Catalina Island.
uReallyShouldTrustMe@reddit
Sporting not performance.
PaddyVein@reddit
Dude there's golf on that list.
AtWorkCurrently@reddit
Golf is much more of a sport than professional wrestling is, even if wrestling is more physically demanding.
60sStratLover@reddit
Any random Monday Night Football game has and average of 15 million viewers. That’s more than double the viewers as the Indy 500, Daytona 500, and any boxing match not involving Tyson or Ali.
It’s also more than the average World Series game, NBA Finals game, Kentucky Derby and the Masters.
Football in the USA is far and away the most popular sport in the country.
blipsman@reddit
Not too far off...
Super Bowl
March Madness/Final Four
World Series
College football playoffs
NBA Finals
The Masters
NHL Stanley Cup Finals
Daytona 500
Kentucky Derby
Any big boxing/ufc fight
You forgot hockey's Stanley Cup Finals...
Indy 500 used to be huge in the 80's, but fall off after Indy car racing series split and never recovered, especially with rise of NASCAR soon after. But that's fallen way off from its peak, too. and F1 has risen in popularity in US but is still somewhat niche.
Boxing has fallen WAY off over past 20-30 years, but UFC has become a lot more popular.
LunarVolcano@reddit
Thanksgiving NFL games are up there
Prof01Santa@reddit
National Spelling Bee. You didn't ask about "most profitable."
Humble-Barracuda1967@reddit
NHL goes hard in some cities, early 2010s Chicago was insane.
ABobby077@reddit
St. Louis is a big NHL and Soccer city (along with the obvious MLB Cardinals)
A_brand_new_troll@reddit
New Year's Day with college bowl games.
NBA Finals should be higher, just this year it is two smaller markets.
Opening Day baseball.
Ryan1869@reddit
I would drop UFC for the Stanley Cup. Combat sports have always been a PPV thing, and I think that really limits their significance.
GOTaSMALL1@reddit
In reality… the NFL needs to be on the list several times. Fucking juggernaut.
Conchobair@reddit
This is how it was for 2024 and likely it will be similar for 2025:
1 Super Bowl
2 NFC Champtionship Game
3 AFC Championship Game
4 AFC Divisional Playoff
5 NFC Divisional Playoff
6 NFC Wildcard Game
7 Thanksgiving NFL Game PM
8 NFC Divisional Playoff Game
9 Thanksgiving NFL Game AM
10 NFC Divisional Playoff Game
Evenfisher01@reddit
Also team usa in any sport when hockey did 4 nations cup that was an event same with the WBC
Evenfisher01@reddit
World series and the NBA finals are really only big in the areas of the teams playing. March madness first round is more significant than the final 4 from a viewers perspective
Trick_Photograph9758@reddit
1 Super Bowl
2 March Madness
After that, it really drops off a cliff. People don't pay much attention to the NBA Finals or World Series, unless it is a team in your city. No one cares about boxing. 99% of people can't name an active boxer.
I'd say maybe College football title is #3. The rest is just noise and niche stuff.
Old_Promise2077@reddit
Historically the Dayton 500 gets more viewers than the Indy 500. Though 2025 was slightly more
Rolling_Chicane@reddit
It’s more about attendance I think, and as far as cultural significance I do actually think Indy wins because it’s such a big deal on Memorial Day. More people watch a random NFL game in November than both races, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t more culturally significant.
nickyler@reddit
Because NASCAR fans wanted to see what Larson could do.
Rolling_Chicane@reddit
Super Bowl NFL Conference Championships Michigan v Ohio State March Madness World Series Masters NBA Finals Stanley Cup Rose Bowl Indianapolis 500
WKU-Alum@reddit
Based on what? History or the level of hype around them? If it's hype/interest then I'd say drop Daytona and put one of the F1 races in it's spot. LV or Miami. I'm also ditching boxing/UFC and taking the US Open Tennis. It's kinda the final event of the summer.
pruo95@reddit
If you're saying culturally significant to people in the US and not necessarily events that must take place in the US, then the World Cup HAS to be on here.
Even the most casual sports fan will tine into a world cup final.
AdamOnFirst@reddit
Do the Olympics or World Cup count? Because those still register. The Olympics would probably be #3 and the World Cup would definitely make the list.
JMS1991@reddit
I think you got most of it, but I think boxing isn't very popular any more, and UFC isn't that high, it's probably fringe top-10 at best.
I'd probably rank them...
Super Bowl
CFB Playoffs
World Series
March Madness/Final 4
Kentucky Derby
Stanley Cup (this one is very regional)
NBA Finals
The Masters
Indy 500
Daytona 500
OhThrowed@reddit
Honestly, I think the World Cup is probably on the list. In addition to the millions of immigrants who love it, our women's team usually kicks some ass at it.
braines54@reddit
It's a little different as it's not an annual event. Same with the Olympics which would also be on the list.
PhilosophyBitter7875@reddit
So the Champions League final.
PaBlowEscoBear@reddit
Question doesnt say anything about it being annual, only whats relevant. I'd argue for the World Cup and the Olympics too. Both are massive chltural draws that get loads of people to watch that wouldn't normally watch any sports, unlike a golf tournament or whatever boring shit these clowns are arguing for.
OhThrowed@reddit
I can see that, but how many 'big boxing/ufc fights' are annual>
notonrexmanningday@reddit
There's more than one a year.
Derwin0@reddit
The same women’s team that last to a bunch of high schoolers.
mrjabrony@reddit
If the WC is included, so should the summer Olympics and I think both of those are in the top seven for sure. Possibly to six depending on who’s in the NBA Finals.
GrimSpirit42@reddit
I'd put the order in:
..........
somewhere in the 90's Any big boxing/ufc fight
1 & 2 are interchangeable depending on the teams in each.
Maximum_Pound_5633@reddit
Baseball opening day should replace the boxing. Just something special about opening day
myownfan19@reddit
The bowl used to be
Emotional-Loss-9852@reddit
The masters should be higher. I’d argue the US Open should be on there as well. The World Series is a lot less significant than it used to be, I’d slide it behind the CFP and NBA finals.
Emotional-Loss-9852@reddit
But also if we’re separating out individual nfl games it would be the Super Bowl, nfc/afc championship, divisional round, Thanksgiving games, and wildcard round as the top 5
ToumaKazusa1@reddit
That's underrating college football
Emotional-Loss-9852@reddit
The new years 6 probably comes in after the NFC and AFC championships.
mchris185@reddit
Feels like the world series is considerably less popular than college football and NBA Finals.
Brett33@reddit
I’d put Masters at 6, replace Indy 500 with the Stanley cup playoffs
elqueco14@reddit
1 has to be a smaller market team making a surprise championship run. Imo nothing beats that kind of energy.
hindsight5050@reddit
The Masters should be a lot higher. I’d put it 3rd after the Super Bowl and March Madness
Rundiggity@reddit
The masters is higher and so is the Daytona 500. Just by viewership numbers. Fights are at the bottom
Creepy_Visit_8442@reddit
A top 10 list is hard. I guess when I think of these, I’m thinking about events that can attract massive audiences, even non sports fans that take part in watching.
The other events you listed certainly draw large audiences
Deep_Contribution552@reddit
I live near Indy, the 500 is a huge in-person event but when I lived elsewhere it seemed like an afterthought. I feel like it might not deserve a top 10 slot- we’re missing the Olympics, the Stanley Cup and maybe the World Cup on here (although two of those don’t happen every year). Maybe also the US Open for tennis? Depends on how many Americans are contenders to win.
__blinded@reddit
It’s the largest single day sporting event on the planet.
Roonil-B_Wazlib@reddit
Maybe measured by in person attendance, but certainly not by overall viewership or revenue.
Quenzayne@reddit
IMO:
Super Bowl
Daytona 500
NBA Finals
College Football Bowl Games
March Madness
Boxing/MMA
Masters
World Series
Wrestlemania
Indy 500
HurlingFruit@reddit
"Culturally"? None of them. They are very popular, but I don't find any of them cultural like the arts.
DetectiveBlackCat@reddit
Little League World Series is one of my favorites
Kurt805@reddit
Putting college basketball above America's game is a scandal.
byebybuy@reddit
Both US Opens
JoeyAaron@reddit
I'd think Wimbledon is a bigger event in tennis than the US Open. That said, the lack of male US stars has hurt the cultural relevance of the tennis majors in the US.
The Masters is a bigger cultural event in golf than the US Open. Masters had 13 million and 9.6 million viewers the last two years. The US Open had 5.4 million and 5.9 million the last two years.
awkward_penguin@reddit
Hopefully with Coco Gauff, the women's side could bring more attention than the men's. She's probably not Serena Williams, but she's very young and will go far.
JoeyAaron@reddit
The Williams sisters were cultural phenomena for various reasons. I don't think too many people outside of tennis fans care about Coco Gauff. I don't think she's broken through to even the casual sports fan who doesn't really follow tennis, let alone to non-sports fans.
awkward_penguin@reddit
Agreed, maybe if she can get a few more slams, she'll break through. I think a lot more non tennis fans know of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Back in the 2010s, everyone knew of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, even if they didn't watch tennis. Alcaraz and Sinner can reach that level. Gauff - she has the disadvantage of women's tennis not being as popular, but it's possible. And maybe Ben Shelton if he can win a few slams.
notonrexmanningday@reddit
The Masters is also pretty huge
MoronLaoShi@reddit
Top 10 1 Super Bowl 2-3 AFC and NFC Championships 4-7 NFL Divisional Playoffs 8 College football championship game 9 NFL Wildcard Weekend 10 NFL Draft
CatOfGrey@reddit
To really understand how this works in the USA, the list is more like...
Super Bowl.
College Football Championship.
NFL Conference Championships
College Football Semis.
5-6. World Series or NBA Finals, if Game 7 and featuring teams from large media markets.
8, NCAA Basketball Final Four
Daytona 500
The Master's.
AKA-Pseudonym@reddit
We don't talk enough about the huge cultural divide on college football. Either you're somewhere where it's massive or it barely registers at all.
ChiefKingSosa@reddit
US Open tennis
jrunner02@reddit
I would add the Summer Olympics and World Cup.
1singhnee@reddit
Golf? Really? And I think the Kentucky is more of an historical event than currently culturally significant.
Aren’t Americans into tennis? Or how about Olympic level sports (both seasons), we certainly dominate many of them.
MattFlynnIsGOAT@reddit
Golf is undoubtedly more popular than tennis. The average American cannot name a tennis player nor has ever watched a full match.
1singhnee@reddit
Wow. I did not know that. I’ve met a lot of people who enjoy watching tennis. I guess I’m not really into either one so I don’t know. 🤷🏻♀️ thank you for that.
According to Google, the top five most watched sports in America are American football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer. Personally I also really appreciate women’s soccer, the American team is amazing, and I wish they had more widespread exposure.
I think the fact that people are paying a couple thousand dollars per seat for the FIFA World Cup this year shows that soccer is pretty big in America now.
Not sure why someone’s taste in sports is worthy of downvotes. I think a lot of this is affected by what region you live in, what your parents were into, and/or other demographic differences.
People have different tastes. No reason to be offended by it.
BoseSounddock@reddit
Not a bad list but I’d bump the Masters up to 6. People that don’t follow golf really like to pretend that they do on Masters weekend and people that do follow golf hit the pause button on their lives during Masters weekend.
tacksettle@reddit
The superbowl is culturally significant? Less than 1 in 10 Americans even watches it…
JoeyAaron@reddit
127 million Americans watched the Super Bowl last year. Around 150 million voted for President.
ElysianRepublic@reddit
Top 5 are accurate but I’d re-order them, putting March Madness down in 4th or 5th position.
Stanley Cup finals are definitely next.
Then probably the Kentucky Derby, lots of people who barely follow horse racing watch it and bet on it, it’s sort of an occasion.
I’d say the Daytona 500, Indy 500, and the Formula 1 races in the US are all similarly significant now but kind of niche. Attendance is huge but I never hear them talked about much after the fact.
Combat sports are even more niche, especially UFC. Boxing definitely generated a lot of hype when I was younger but I don’t hear much about it now.
The US Open (Tennis) and the Masters (but not the golf US open) are definitely up there too, probably on par with the big motorsports races.
If we count non-annual events then the Olympics are probably the most significant sporting event besides the Super Bowl, and the World Cup is probably in the top 5.
JoeyAaron@reddit
March Madness is number 2 because of the pools at work. Even if you don't do one, you will run into people talking about their pool. It's inescapable.
JoeyAaron@reddit
In reality it's probably mostly a list of NFL weeks starting with the Super Bowl, then Championship Weekend, then the Divisional Round, then the Wild Card Round, then the opening week of the regular season, etc.
If we are limiting the list to one per sport:
The first three are easy.
Super Bowl
March Madness
Olympics
2 and 3 could be switched.
After that it gets complicated.
College football is the 2nd biggest sport after the NFL. That said, I don't think the BCS or the new playoff has reached the cultural significance level of the old Jan 1 bowl schedule. I actually think the most culturally relevant college football event is probably rivalry week where you have Ohio St. v Michigan, Auburn v. Alabama, etc.
Final week/rivalry week of college football season
World Cup
Women's World Cup
International hockey best vs. best
NBA Finals
World Series
10 Kentucky Derby
Maybe the Masters should replace the Kentucky Derby.
BroCanWeGetLROTNOG@reddit
I only know when the top 3 take place, so this seems fair to me
hello8437@reddit
Super Bowl
NFL playoffs
any NFL game
NFL draft
Hard Knocks
NCAA Football Playoffs
NCAA tournament round 1 and 2
Masters
NBA Finals
Biggest Boxing/UFC fight of year
F1 Las Vegas/ Miami
World Series
Stanley cup Finals
montrevux@reddit
f1 doesn't come close to touching nascar in the states, like what?
SSPeteCarroll@reddit
Swap F1 for the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 and you’re correct.
NASCAR beats F1 in tv ratings.
Emotional-Loss-9852@reddit
Wow not a COTA fan I see. I’d also put big CFB games ahead of the draft or hard knocks but the NFL dominates
hello8437@reddit
Just getting into F1, im sure its great
winteriscoming9099@reddit
I’d replace the fights and maybe the races (esp Indy) with the US Opens and maybe the Stanley cup final. But I’m likely biased.
No_Angle875@reddit
Tennis is ass.
securityburger@reddit
I could be wrong, but I’d bet the Austin GP at COTA would be bigger than some of these
SSPeteCarroll@reddit
Daytona 500
Indy 500.
NASCAR’s 2nd tier series (Xfinity series) is even or beats F1 in TV ratings.
dildozer10@reddit
Not even close, the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 viewership blows away any of the 3 F1 Grand Prix in the states. The Indy 500 alone brings in 350,000 people to the track on race day alone.
YoungKeys@reddit
US Grand Prix only gets ~1 million viewers, which is significantly smaller than anything on OP’s list
RichardRichOSU@reddit
Indy 500 and the Indy 500 will be the two highest rated motor races this year.
CilantroJabon@reddit
You are missing the Stanley Cup Finals, and the MLS Cup
CorrugationDirection@reddit
The MLS cup? Yeah, that is nowhere near the top 10 of culturally significant sporting events........
CilantroJabon@reddit
ChatGPT says it’s not top 10, but it’s close:
Sure! Here’s a clean, Reddit-friendly text version of the top 10 most-watched annual sporting championships in the U.S.:
⸻
Top 10 Most-Watched Annual Sporting Championships in the U.S. (TV Viewership) 1. Super Bowl (NFL) ~110–115 million viewers The most-watched TV event in the U.S. every year. A cultural phenomenon with huge reach due to the game, halftime show, and commercials. 2. College Football Playoff National Championship (NCAA) ~22–28 million viewers Massive regional followings and high stakes make this one of the biggest single-game events in sports. 3. NFL Conference Championship Games (AFC & NFC) ~40–55 million viewers each Though not finals, they’re technically playoff games and draw huge audiences as they decide who makes the Super Bowl. 4. NBA Finals ~10–13 million viewers per game Can peak at 15–20 million during decisive games. Strong viewership, especially with big-market teams or major stars. 5. World Series (MLB) ~9–12 million per game Peaks at 14–17 million for Game 7s or decisive games. Historically significant but has seen a gradual decline. 6. The Masters Final Round (Golf) ~9–10 million viewers Augusta’s tradition and history still make Sunday at The Masters a major viewing event, especially when Tiger Woods plays. 7. Daytona 500 (NASCAR) ~8–9 million viewers NASCAR’s biggest race, often described as its “Super Bowl.” Season opener with high stakes. 8. March Madness Championship Game (NCAA Men’s Basketball) ~14–20 million viewers Not technically a professional league final, but the national championship game is a huge event in the sports calendar. 9. Stanley Cup Final (NHL) ~2–4 million viewers per game Game 7s can get up to ~6–8 million. NHL has a smaller U.S. audience but a passionate one. 10. U.S. Open Men’s Final (Tennis) ~2–4 million viewers Spikes in viewership when American players or major stars are in the final.
Honorable Mentions: • MLS Cup Final: ~1–2 million viewers • Kentucky Derby: ~14–16 million (but not a championship) • WrestleMania (WWE): ~1 million on Peacock/PPV (sports entertainment) • UFC Pay-Per-Views: Highly variable, but can hit 1M+ buys
Cyclonian@reddit
I'd bump boxing and UFC off the list and add Stanley Cup, fact you don't have it already is kind of humorous honestly.
Golf, tennis, skiing, x games, martial fighting (all types), auto racing, horse racing, all sort of occupy the same spots in my mind though. Niche, in that they have smaller or more regional fanbases, but the fans into it absolutely love it.
I'd also say all three triple crown horse race events kinda go together (not just Derby). If you care about the Kentucky Derby, then you care about Preakness and Belmont too.
Finally, every four years The Olympics takes over and we're most all obsessed with counting medals and chanting USA. So what to do with that one?
Captain_A@reddit
I'm not sure I'd put Indy 500 or Daytona 500 on a top 10 list. I don't personally know a single person who watches it and I've lived in three states.
mechanicalcontrols@reddit
I feel like the rivalry between Auburn and Alabama earns them a spot in this conversation even if that game doesn't make the top ten on its own
In terms of live attendance, I doubt anything has as many seats filled as the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, although Miami and Vegas both want it to be their race weekend. Miami wants to be Interlagos so bad lol Obviously, in terms of TV viewers, nothing tops the Superbowl as far as I know. The moon landing that one time but that's about it.
All of that said, I can't speak for anyone else, but if you asked me to list my own personal top ten most anticipated US sport events each year, it would be as follows
United States Grand Prix
Las Vegas Grand Prix
Miami Grand Prix
Cat Griz football (Montana State vs. Montana)
The MLB world series
Duke vs. North Carolina (basketball)
The Indy 500
The Daytona 500
Cat Griz basketball
March madness final 4
baalroo@reddit
I would move the world series way down, but I'm from a city that doesn't really give a shit about MLB.
Curmudgy@reddit
What does it even mean to be culturally significant?
The Super Bowl? Sure. There are lots of parties, people search out good sports bars, it gets talked about even by people who don't follow football that heavily or consistently.
The world series? Yes, sort of. There have been baseball movies and Babe Ruth was a household name. I don't know whether the Series itself still had nationwide following. Being a multi game series makes it harder to be a focused event.
Basketball? I guess so but I don't know any basketball fans, though the Celtics are obviously popular here. Also a multiday event. How much overlap is there between NBA fans and NCAA basketball fans.
I don't know any boxing or ufc fans. It feels niche to me, though I'm sure there are places where it's very popular. People are aware of the Kentucky Derby, and may even party, but it feels similar to Cinco de Mayo in the sense that many people aren't really into the underlying event, just the party. Does that really count?
The Masters see largely for people who actually play golf - making it selective, and largely upper middle class. The auto races? I know there are regions where auto racing is popular but I don't know whether the specific events are cultural events beyond the attendees. How much viewership do they get? A quick search says 7 million for the Indy. I don't know what a good comparison is to TV shows because even broadcast network shows can have streaming service and might get an international audience, but I see Tracker, a scripted show broadcast on CBS but probably streamed on Paramount Plus, with more than twice the viewership.
I guess my point is that it's complicated, it's easy to be unaware of regional differences that color people's beliefs, and we first have to figure out what it means to be culturally significant. Other than the Super Bowl, I don't think any TV, including sports, comes close to the top ranked shows of all time (in terms of percent of viewers) such as the MASH series finale or the birth of little Ricky on I Love Lucy. Is that a reasonable way to look at cultural significance?