European sports are catching on better in the U.S. than American sports are in Europe. Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and the English Premier League are each popular with about 20% of American sports fans.
No U.S.-based league cracked the top 25 favorite sports leagues or tournaments in any European market surveyed by Altman Solon. That is despite the fact that several leagues, including the NFL, MLB and the NHL, have played games in Europe in recent years.
There is a silver lining though: European fans of U.S. leagues are on average younger than fans of those leagues in the U.S., indicating there could be growth in the future.
U.S. League Fans Are Most Interested In:
France — NBA, 16% of sports fans
Germany — NFL, 15%
Italy — NBA, 18%
Poland — NBA, 17%
U.K. — NFL, 10%