Sport is a big deal in the United States. Watching and playing home-grown sports like football, baseball and basketball are key parts of the nation’s culture, but the big four leagues are also commercial powerhouses, generating more profits than many other competitions could even dream of.

For example, the Dallas Cowboys generated $425 million of net profit in 2020, up $5 million on the previous year. They also grew their net asset value by 4% to $5.7 billion. In contrast, Liberty Media bought Formula One, a global sport, from Delta Topco for $4.4 billion in 2020.

This money comes from several sources. Firstly, fans who love their teams pay top dollar to watch them play in person. The price can vary from sport to sport and even from team to team. The average price of a ticket in the NBA varies from as much as $473 for the Los Angeles Lakers to just $58 for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Secondly, TV companies pay billions each year for the right to air games on their networks, and sponsors pay a lot to associate themselves with leagues, teams and athletes and get exposure to millions of fans.

Further money is generated through the sports betting markets, millions being spent with sportsbooks each year. This has led the creation of sites like OddsChecker which compare NFL betting odds to help…