The college football season (yes, we are talking about American football, not European football or soccer) is about to start here in the US this coming weekend and it has people all over the country very excited. But why is college football such a huge deal on this side of the Atlantic, when it is virtually unknown in other parts of the world? There are several reasons for that and this blog post will explain the main factors for the popularity and importance of college football.
The first reason, as it is very often the case in every part of society, is money! College football is by far the sport that generates the most income. Top college football programs make millions of dollars each year, which not only helps the football program, but it benefits the entire university. To give an example, last year’s college football national champions, the Georgia Bulldogs generated a revenue of over 200 million dollars throughout their championship season. These are amounts that are very comparable to some of Europe’s top soccer clubs. Now, what is very important to understand is that a strong football team (such as the Georgia Bulldogs, the Alabama Crimson Tide, or the Clemson Tigers) also helps the rest of the university, especially the athletic department in a tremendous way. The money that those football teams make actually is used in parts to fund other athletic teams such as golf, tennis or soccer. So if the football team is doing great, everyone wins!
Now, the second big reason why college football is so important in the US, is tradition. College football has been around for a long time and there are numerous rivalries that go back many years. Yale against Princeton is known to be the oldest college football rivalry, going back all the way to 1873. Other important rivalries are Alabama vs Auburn, Michigan vs Ohio State, Oklahoma vs Texas, or Harvard vs Yale, just to name a few. These games create tremendous media interest every year and fill up entire stadiums with up to 100,000 people in some cases.
And lastly, another important factor why college football is so popular is that the games are a ton of fun. From the tailgate parties before the games, to the national anthem and player entrances, to the atmosphere during the game itself, it is just great entertainment from start to finish. So if you ever have the chance to go to a college football game over here in America, take advantage of it and do it! Because we can guarantee you that you won’t regret it and that it will be a very special experience!