Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada facts for kids
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The major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada are super popular. They include four main leagues, often called the "Big Four." These are Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Other important leagues are Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Canadian Football League (CFL).
The "Big Four" leagues are the richest in their sports worldwide. They are among the top five sports leagues globally based on how much money they make.
All these leagues, including MLS and CFL, have huge crowds. In 2023, at least 15,000 fans attended each game. NFL stadiums are the biggest, holding up to 100,000 people. MLB stadiums usually fit 30,000 to 50,000 fans. MLS and CFL stadiums vary, holding 20,000 to 60,000. Indoor leagues like the NHL and NBA play in arenas with 18,000 to 20,000 seats.
Unlike many sports leagues around the world, North American leagues are "closed." This means the same teams play each season. New teams join by expanding the league, not by teams moving up or down.
Baseball, American football, and ice hockey have had professional leagues for over 100 years. Basketball's first pro league started in the 1920s. Soccer became professional in the U.S. in 1894. MLS was created in 1996.
What are the Big Sports Leagues?
The "Big Four" leagues are the most famous and successful. Let's learn more about them.
Major League Baseball (MLB)
Major League Baseball is the top level of baseball in the world. It is the oldest major American sports league. It started in 1903 when the National League (from 1876) and American League (from 1901) joined forces.
Since 1903, the champions of these two leagues play each other in the World Series. This is a very famous championship. There are 30 teams in MLB. Twenty-nine are in the U.S. and one is in Canada. MLB gets the most fans attending games of any sports league globally.
National Basketball Association (NBA)
The National Basketball Association is known as the best basketball league in the world. It is the youngest of the major American leagues. It began in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America. It changed to the NBA in 1949 after merging with another league.
The NBA has 30 teams. Twenty-nine are in the U.S. and one is in Canada. Many people watch the NBA all over the world. In 2023, the NBA started a new tournament during the regular season called the NBA In-Season Tournament.
National Football League (NFL)
The National Football League is a professional American football league. It started in 1920. It was first called the "American Professional Football Association." It changed its name to the NFL in 1922.
The NFL has 32 teams, all in the United States. NFL games have the biggest crowds per game among professional leagues worldwide. It is also the most popular league in the U.S. for TV viewers and merchandise. Its championship game, the Super Bowl, is the most watched yearly event on U.S. television. The NFL does not have any teams in Canada.
National Hockey League (NHL)
The National Hockey League is the world's top professional ice hockey league. It is the only "Big Four" league that started in Canada in 1917. It has 32 teams. Twenty-five are in the U.S. and seven are in Canada.
The NHL is the most popular sports league in Canada. It is also very popular in the northern U.S. The league has grown into more U.S. cities recently. The NHL has more Canadian teams than MLB, the NBA, and MLS combined.
Other Cool Leagues
Besides the "Big Four," two other leagues are very important in North American sports.
Major League Soccer (MLS)
Major League Soccer (MLS) is the top men's professional soccer league in the U.S. and Canada. As of 2024, MLS has 29 teams. Twenty-six are in the U.S. and three are in Canada. A new U.S. team, San Diego FC, will join in 2025.
MLS started in 1996. Its creation was needed for the U.S. to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. MLS has become much more popular. This is partly because of the "Designated Player Rule" from 2007. This rule allowed MLS to sign famous stars like David Beckham and Lionel Messi.
MLS has the fifth-largest total attendance and third-largest average attendance among sports leagues in the U.S. and Canada. MLS teams also play in other tournaments. These include the U.S. Open Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Canadian Football League (CFL)
The Canadian Football League is the highest level of Canadian football. The league started in 1956. It has nine teams, all based in Canada. The Grey Cup is the championship trophy. It is awarded every November and is Canada's most attended sports event.
The oldest teams, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts, started in the late 1860s. This makes them some of the oldest pro sports teams in North America. The CFL has the third-highest average attendance in the U.S. and Canada. This is behind the NFL and MLB. In 2022, the CFL's average attendance was 21,746 fans per game.
How These Leagues Work
Major professional sports leagues are different from other leagues. They are known for their business, popularity, and quality of play.
Big Crowds and TV Shows
These major leagues have huge numbers of fans who attend games. They also have very popular TV shows.
| League | Teams | Total attendance | Total games | Average attendance |
Games per team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major League Baseball | 30 | 70,747,365 | 2,430 | 29,295 (2023) | 162 |
| National Hockey League | 32 | 22,436,532 | 1,312 | 17,101 (2023) | 82 |
| National Basketball Association | 30 | 22,234,502 | 1,230 | 18,077 (2023) | 82 |
| National Football League | 32 | 18,911,116 | 256 | 69,526 (2023) | 17 |
| Major League Soccer | 29 | 10,900,804 | 493 | 22,111 (2023) | 34 |
| Canadian Football League | 9 | 1,813,837 | 81 | 22,393 (2023) | 18 |
Games from the "Big Four" leagues are shown on the biggest U.S. TV networks. These include ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. They get high TV ratings and earn a lot of money from TV deals. All four major leagues also have their own TV networks. These include NBA TV, NFL Network, NHL Network, and MLB Network.
Teams and Where They Play
Each of the "Big Four" leagues has at least 30 teams. Most teams are in the biggest cities in the U.S. and Canada. Major League Soccer has 29 teams. The CFL has nine teams.
Teams in these leagues usually have exclusive rights to their area. This means another team from the same league cannot join their city without permission. This helps teams avoid competing for fans and TV money.
Most major league teams are in cities with over 2 million people. All but seven U.S. cities with over 1 million people have at least one major sports team.
Teams in the United States
Major leagues have teams all across the U.S. They are in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Most teams are in big cities. For example, New York and Los Angeles each have several teams.
The Green Bay Packers are a special case. They are an NFL team in a very small city (300,000 people). They survive because of their unique ownership and loyal fans.
Teams in Canada
The NHL is the most popular professional sports league in Canada. It started there in 1917. Seven Canadian cities have NHL teams.
The Canadian Football League has teams in all seven NHL cities in Canada. It also has teams in Hamilton and Regina. These cities have had CFL teams since the league started in 1958.
Canada's first MLB team was the Montreal Expos in 1969. They moved to Washington, D.C., in 2005. The Toronto Blue Jays started in 1977. They were the first team outside the U.S. to win the World Series.
The NBA came to Canada in 1995 with the Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors. The Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001. MLS has teams in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. The NFL is the only major league without a team based in Canada.
How Teams Stay Strong
Teams in the "Big Four" leagues are very stable. No team from these leagues has completely shut down since the 1970s. This is different from leagues that use "promotion and relegation." In those leagues, teams can move to a lower division if they perform poorly.
Teams sometimes move to new cities. But this is not very common compared to smaller leagues. The NFL has had the most team moves recently. The NHL is the most recent "Big Four" league to add new teams. They added the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and the Seattle Kraken in 2021.
MLS has grown a lot since 2005. It has added new teams almost every year. It has nearly tripled in size, now with 29 teams. MLS has had three teams shut down in its history.
How Players Join Teams
All major North American sports leagues use a "draft" system. This is how new players are assigned to teams. Teams with losing records usually pick earlier in the draft. This helps keep the league competitive.
Most MLB players start in the minor league baseball system. NBA players often come from college or high school basketball. The NBA also has a "G League" for player development. The NFL gets almost all its players from college football. NHL players often come from junior hockey or college hockey. MLS teams sign players from their youth academies, college draft, and overseas.
Player Paychecks
Players in the major leagues earn very high salaries. The average yearly salary for players in the "Big Four" leagues is millions of dollars. Star players can earn much more.
| League | Average salary | Team salary cap |
|---|---|---|
| MLB | $4.36 mil | $210 mil* |
| NFL | $2.7 mil | $198.2 mil + $40 million per team in player benefits |
| NBA | $7.7 mil | $109.14 mil |
| NHL | $2.78 mil | $81.5 mil |
| MLS | $0.423 mil | $13.38 mil |
| CFL | $0.113 mil | $5.70 mil |
NBA players have the highest average salaries. But their teams have smaller rosters. NFL teams have the highest total payroll. But their rosters are much larger, so individual players might earn less on average.
MLB is the only major league without a "salary cap." This means teams can spend as much as they want on player salaries. This leads to big differences in how much teams spend.
MLS and CFL have lower average salaries and smaller payrolls than the "Big Four." However, MLS introduced the "Designated Player Rule" in 2007. This allows teams to pay more for star players.
Images for kids
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Major League Baseball (MLB)
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National Football League (NFL)
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National Hockey League (NHL)
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Major League Soccer (MLS)
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Canadian Football League (CFL)
