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Sports

5 Transatlantic Differences Between European And American Sports

Soccer? Or football?

Eleanor Crabill
Jun 10, 2019
Miami University
1673
5 Transatlantic Differences Between European And American Sports
Liverpool Football Club / Instagram

In This Article:

While there are sports fans worldwide, no two countries have the same athletic culture. It's a wide and complicated world of sports, and there are some notable differences in European sporting culture versus the United States.

Football means something completely different.

Football in the United States means something completely different in Europe. European football is the same thing as American soccer, and it is one of the most popular sports with a huge fan base.

Soccer is not a word.

Even though soccer is an extremely popular sport in Europe, the word "soccer" is not a thing. American football is not very present in Europe, and football is the go-to word in reference to what Americans call soccer.

Rugby is popular.

Yes, rugby is present in the US, but European rugby teams are way more popular and super competitive.

The English Premier League fan base is HUGE.

Ever heard of Liverpool, Manchester United, or Arsenal? They're all part of the EPL, and the fans are die-hard. EPL fans have even spread to the US!

Franchising teams do not happen.

Remember the Seattle Supersonics moving to Oklahoma City to become the Thunder? Or the Hartford Whalers becoming the Carolina Hurricanes? That is called franchising, moving a team from one city to another due to success or market size. It's mostly business, but franchising teams are not popular and are frowned upon in Europe.

European sports and American sports have their differences, but both cultures are amazing and love their sports, no matter what they call them.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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