Which is the biggest sports league globally? The NFL or the Premier League. It is sometimes a debate that requires a little nuance. Certainly, if we measure it in terms of finances, the NFL is the bigger league, as it generates more per annum than England’s top soccer league. Yet, if we measure it in terms of audiences and surveyed fandom, it is the Premier League that wins out. The NFL measures its global fan base and TV audiences in the hundreds of millions; the Premier League measures them in the billions.
Of course, we aren’t here to say which is bigger, but we did want to take a look at some differences in the approaches to logos between two of the world’s most popular sports leagues. Fans have an emotional attachment to the logos (badges, if you are in England) of their teams, and each is unique in its own way, but there are certain approaches that differ, both in how the logos are designed and how they are received by fans.
NFL Logos Are More Minimalistic
If you look at logos of individual teams, say, the Cowboys’ star logo, or the Giants’ simple “NY” design, it’s plain to see that the NFL has embraced minimalism more so than the Premier League. This is actually true of the NFL compared to other US Sports. If you compare them to, for example, MLB logos, you can see that baseball teams tend to have more intricate designs. Almost all 32 teams have minimalist logos; a stroke of luck if your business is creating football fridge magnets.
Premier League Logos Embrace England’s Past
Arsenal, the team that is the current betting favorite to win the Premier League title and whom you can back to do so with a DraftKings promo code for sports betting, boasts a logo featuring cannons. The reason? Arsenal FC was founded by the workers of a London munitions factory in the mid-19th century. Manchester City’s logo features a ship, recalling Manchester’s past as a global shipping powerhouse. Obviously, the NFL also honors the past – how else would you come up with a name like the Steelers – but the Premier League is a little more overt in pressing that into the teams' logos.
NFL Logos Tend to Change the Most and Least
It might sound like a contradiction to say the above, but here’s what we mean by it: NFL teams tend to change their logo about once every 14 years, but those changes usually tend to be minimal. Look at the Arizona Cardinals’ logo changes down the years to see what we mean. When a Premier League team’s logo changes, it tends to be a bit starker, which does not always sit well with fans (see below).
Premier League Fans Are More Vocal in Protesting Changes
In 2013, Everton, one of the Premier League’s founding teams, announced it was changing the logo of one of the most historic clubs in England. The fans were not happy. Around 20,000 signed a petition to stop the change and ultimately won over the board. A year later, a new logo was chosen after polling fans for their favorite. Changes to logos and team kits have caused plenty of pushback across the league, and it’s not totally uncommon to see in-person protests before games.