111.32 million people tuned in to watch the Atlanta Falcons get their hearts ripped out by Tom Brady and the Patriots. Super Bowl LI topped the list as the most-watched sporting event of 2017 through July 12, according to Sports Media Watch. The next most watched game was the Packers-Cowboys NFC Divisional game, reeling in 48.52 million viewers.
The NFL dominated the top 20 with 13 of the most-watched events so far this year, including the first 10.
Top 20 most watched sporting events in the US for the first half of 2017 (compiled by @paulsen_smw) pic.twitter.com/vVVNM69tb1
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 13, 2017
Football remains king in the states, whereas if you go outside these borders, the term football takes on a whole new meaning. 3.2 billion people worldwide watched the 2010 World Cup – 46.4 percent of the world. 24.7 million US viewers watched the United States face Portugal in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup, according to CNN. Weird, I can count how many United States soccer players I know on one hand. Landon Donovan doesn’t still play does he? Alexi Lalas? No clue.
[h/t AJC]