Contents
- Major North American Professional Sports Leagues
- Major European Professional Sports Leagues
- Major Asian Professional Sports Leagues
- Major South American Professional Sports Leagues
- Major African Professional Sports Leagues
- Major Oceanic Professional Sports Leagues
- Major North American College Sports Leagues
- Major European College Sports Leagues
- Major Asian College Sports Leagues
- Major South American College Sports Leagues
The National Football League (NFL) is the largest professional American football league, consisting of 32 teams from across the country.
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Major North American Professional Sports Leagues
Major North American professional sports leagues include the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Hockey League (NHL). Of these, the NFL is the largest, with 30 teams. The NBA comes in second, with 30 teams. MLB has 30 teams, while the NHL has 31.
Major European Professional Sports Leagues
There are many professional sports leagues in Europe, but the largest and most popular is the UEFA Champions League. This league is made up of the top teams from all over Europe, and it is considered the pinnacle of club football. The Champions League is followed closely by the English Premier League, which is also extremely popular. Other major professional sports leagues in Europe include the Spanish La Liga, the German Bundesliga, and the Italian Serie A.
Major Asian Professional Sports Leagues
Major League Soccer (MLS) is the highest level men’s professional soccer league, sanctioned by U.S. Soccer, There are currently 19 clubs in the MLS, and the league has plans to Expand to 28 by 2020. MLS is headquartered in New York City.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football in Asia and Australia. It has 47 member countries, mostly located on the Asian and Australian continent, but excludes the transcontinental countries with territory in both Europe and Asia – Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey – which are instead members of UEFA. Three other states located geographically along the western fringe of Asia – Cyprus, Armenia and Israel – are also UEFA members. On the other hand, Australia – another transcontinental country with a territory in East Asia – has been a member of the OFC since 1966.
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization that is the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in North America. A total of 30 teams play in Major League Baseball: 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.
Major South American Professional Sports Leagues
There are a few major South American professional sports leagues. The largest and most popular is probably the Brazilian Serie A, which is the top football (soccer) league in Brazil. Other major leagues include the Argentine Primera Division (football/soccer) and the Cuban National Series (baseball).
Major African Professional Sports Leagues
Major African Professional Sports Leagues are the continent’s highest level of professional competition in rugby union, rugby league, netball, cricket, field hockey, ice hockey, baseball, basketball, American football, softball and volleyball. Currently, no African country has a team in any of the “big four” North American professional leagues (the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL)), although a number have had players drafted or signed by teams in those leagues.
Major Oceanic Professional Sports Leagues
While there are many different professional sports leagues around the world, the largest in terms of revenue and number of participants is the National Football League (NFL). The NFL is a US-based league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL generates annual revenues of over $10 billion and has over 17 million fans.
Major North American College Sports Leagues
Most people are familiar with the four major professional sports leagues in North America: the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. But what is the largest professional sports league? The answer might surprise you.
The NCAA, or National Collegiate Athletic Association, is actually the largest professional sports league in North America. The NCAA is made up of over 1,200 member schools and conferences, and oversees nearly 30 different sports. In terms of revenue, the NCAA generated over $1 billion in 2016 alone.
So why isn’t the NCAA considered a professional league? The answer has to do with the athletes who compete in NCAA events. Unlike professional leagues, where athletes are paid to play, NCAA athletes are amateur students who receive scholarships to compete in collegiate events.
The line between amateur and professional athletes has always been a blurry one, and the question of whether or not student-athletes should be paid has been a hotly contested issue for many years. But there’s no doubt that the NCAA is one of the most successful and profitable organizations in the world of professional sports.
Major European College Sports Leagues
There are various professional sports leagues around the world, but which is the largest? That title actually goes to a European college sports league. The Inter-University Sports Association (ISU) is a college sports league that comprises over 500 institutions from across Europe. With over 100,000 student athletes competing in over 1,000 different events, the ISU is by far the largest professional sports league in the world.
Major Asian College Sports Leagues
Major Asian college sports leagues are composed of student-athletes who compete against each other in various sports. These leagues typically offer scholarships to their athletes, and many of them also offer professional development and training opportunities. Some of the most popular and well-known Asian college sports leagues include the following:
-The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States is perhaps the most well-known college sports league in the world. It is made up of over 1,200 member institutions and sponsors 23 different sports.
-The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is another popular college sports league in the United States. It is made up of over 250 member institutions and sponsors 22 different sports.
-In Japan, the Japan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (JIIA) is one of the largest college sports leagues. It includes nearly 500 member schools and sponsors 12 different sports.
-The Korea University Sports League (KUSL) is one of the biggest college sports leagues in South Korea. It comprises 13 member universities and offers a variety of different sports for its athletes to compete in.
These are just a few examples of some of the largest professional Asian college sports leagues. There are many others that exist, and new ones are forming all the time. If you’re interested in playing collegiate athletics in Asia, doing your research on which league best suits your needs is a great place to start.
Major South American College Sports Leagues
There are several major college sports leagues in South America, but the largest and most prominent is the South American Football Confederation (SAFC). The SAFC is made up of teams from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, and is the governing body for college football in those countries. Other major college sports leagues in South America include the Brazilian College Sports League (LBCA) and the Argentine College Sports League (ACSL).