The NFL has officially overtaken the Premier League as the greatest league in the world – and it’s not even close

Taylor Swift flew express across the Pacific Ocean just to watch the Super Bowl in person.

The NFL isn’t dragged down by the athletic abomination that is VAR.

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And unlike the Premier League, American football actually has a brilliant playoff system that results in must-watch TV week after week, and ends with the biggest annual sports event in the world.

The NFL peaked again with Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, which featured a thrilling 25-22 overtime victory for Kansas City as the Chiefs became a modern dynasty and Swift kissed Travis Kelce in front of a worldwide TV audience.

With The Sphere glowing with NFL helmets and Dana White’s UFC crashing the party by riding the NFL’s coattails, the Big Game has more in common with the World Cup final than a late May fixture between Manchester City and West Ham.

There’s also a two-week media build up toward the all-encompassing Super Bowl, which will be bigger than ever this year, thanks to the NFL embracing the financial power of sports betting and enjoying an extended winter holiday in Las Vegas.

Who’s more popular: Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes or Manchester City striker Erling Haaland?

What can’t be debated is that the NFL keeps growing bigger and becoming more international – all 32 teams could eventually play one overseas game per season –while the Premier League keeps being forced to kick away the threat of a dangerous new European Super League.

Throw in hours and hours of surreal pregame coverage across multiple TV channels, a halftime show – this year featuring Usher– that lists Apple as an official sponsor, and too many A-list celeb celebrities to list, and the Super Bowl combines the best of a heavyweight boxing match with a Formula One grid walk — in a truly American way.

Nothing can compare to the NFL in America and no one would think of trying to usurp a sport that keeps setting TV records during a time when viewership, in general, keeps falling and streaming has become an essential fact of modern life.

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The NFL has maximized its power by focusing all its energy on a single championship game[/caption]

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The recent conference championship game between Kansas City and the Baltimore Ravens averaged 55.4 million viewers, becoming the most-watched AFC championship in NFL history.

The NFC Championship between San Francisco and the Detroit Lions averaged 56.6 million, which was the fourth most-watched non-Super Bowl broadcast in Fox’s network history.

With 49ers vs Lions pulling even bigger numbers than Chiefs vs Ravens, it’s clear that this is a playoff effect, and not just an influx of newbie Swifties needing to see everything that Tay Tay is doing on TV.

Of course, the NFL is far from perfect and has a multitude of issues.

From concussions and the inherent violence in the game to the league’s unnerving tendency to coldly steamroll through every legitimate controversy, longtime NFL fans often insist that football isn’t the same and the sport used to be better in the good ol’ days.

Referees also occasionally make huge mistakes in the NFL, while conspiracy theories and “The fix is in!” tweets are all the rage.

But compared to the Premier League’s ongoing VAR problem, the NFL is in a golden age.

There have been 20 VAR errors this season, which makes it difficult to fully believe in the beautiful game.

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The NFL tops the Premier League in revenue and has a big game that can’t be touched[/caption]

“It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined,” Liverpool said in an October statement, after Luis Diaz’s goal was incorrectly disallowed because of an offside call during a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham.

“That such failings have already been categorised as ‘significant human error’ is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency.”

Tony Scholes, the Premier League’s chief football officer, said this week there have been too many VAR checks and they take too long to complete, while fans sitting in the stands aren’t provided with enough necessary information.

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Kansas City has become a dynasty while the NFL grows bigger internationally[/caption]

“Decision times have increased this season and that’s alongside the increased scrutiny that is on the VARs alongside the result of a couple of high-profile decisions this year,” Scholes said. “The reviews are taking too long and it’s affecting the flow of the game. We’re extremely aware of that and the need to improve their speed, while always maintaining the accuracy.”

Dallas Cowboys fans still rightfully point out that ‘Dez caught it’ way back in 2015 during a painful NFC Divisional Round defeat to the Green Bay Packers.

But the Cowboys always eventually lose in the playoffs.

The NFL’s biggest controversy entering Super Bowl week was whether Swift was making the sport too popular, ruining the vibe for old-school fans who just want to watch a simple football game on TV.

Relegation and promotion would be a good thing for the NFL, which had too many 4-13 teams in 2023.

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Travis Kelce was a huge NFL star before Swift descended and gave him a worldwide profile[/caption]

Goodbye Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders.

The New England Patriots can stay, since they won six Super Bowls and built a dynasty not that long ago.

Club and country obviously means more in the Premier League world, which easily trumps the NFL for constant in-stadium passion, cheering and chanting.

The combined power of the Champions League, Euros, FA and Carabao Cups is a reminder that there’s a reason so many Americans wake up early just to watch ‘real’ football being played in other countries.

But what separates the NFL is its superb playoff system.

Since 1967, the Super Bowl has become bigger and bigger and bigger.

Now it’s taking over super-flashy Las Vegas for the biggest American football party of all-time.

The NFL — and the Super Bowl — have become so big that Swift is scheduled to fly across an ocean, just to watch the big game in person once her gig in Tokyo is done.

“Despite the 12-hour flight and 17-hour time difference, the Embassy can confidently say that if she departs Tokyo in the evening after her concert, she should comfortably arrive in Las Vegas before the Super Bowl begins,” the Embassy of Japan in Washington D.C. tweeted.

And when she lands it’s safe to say getting a seat for her won’t be a problem – even if she has to cough up for one of those $1m+ suites at the Allegiant…