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    Premier League vs NFL vs NBA vs LaLiga: Battle of most-watched sports leagues in the world and their staggering revenue

    THE NFL generated nearly twice as much revenue as the Premier League last season.
    Incredible statistics have helped to solve the age-old debate over which league is the biggest in the world.

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    Here’s how the four leagues compare in terms of revenue generated

    There are four main leagues from three different sports that have made the shortlist.
    These are the Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American football’s National Football League (NFL).
    SunSport have decided to compare them in terms of revenue and attendance figures.
    Premier League
    England’s top-flight is the wealthiest league in world football – but it has a long way to go until it closes the gap on the NFL.

    Stats, provided by SQAF show the Premier League generated a revenue of £5.49billion during the 2018-19 campaign.
    And the league’s attendance figures were lower than that of the NFL and NBA.
    Around 14.5million fans attended matches last season – averaging out at 38.168 per game.
    But supporters are not allowed in the grounds this season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    Ever since the post-lockdown restart in June, all matches have been able through either Sky, BT, Amazon prime or the BBC.
    And Prem clubs are now poised to agree to non-televised matches being available to all fans.

    La Liga
    Spain’s top-tier generated a revenue of just over £4bn for the 2017-18 season.
    That is the lowest figure out of all four of the league’s in question.
    La Liga offers fans the chance to watch the likes of Barcelona star Lionel Messi in action.
    But their attendance record for that season sits at 10.2million.
    NFL
    The 2018-19 season was a memorable year for the Toronto Raptors as they became champions for the first time in their history.
    And the NFL raked in over £10bn in revenue in 2019 – which is the most out of any league in the world.
    A huge chunk of this fortune comes from the mind blowing TV deals that are in place.
    ESPN pay the league £11.72bn for rights to Monday Night Football until 2021.
    And Fox have been showing Thursday Night Football for the past two years for a fee of £2.5bn.
    Average ticket prices have shot through the roof and merchandising deals are at an all-time high.
    And their mindblowing attendance figures show 17million fans made their way to matches last year.
    Patrick Mahomes is said to be the highest-paid player in the league, with an average annual salary of £41m.
    NBA
    The NBA has the highest attendance figures on record.
    Statistics show that basketball games during the 2018-19 were attended by 22million fans.
    However, their revenue produced last season of £5.72bn.

    Premier League to show all matches but you will have watch them through Sky or BT apps More

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    San Francisco 49ers ready to increase 10 per cent stake in Leeds to bring back glory days for Premier League new boys

    THE San Francisco 49ers are preparing to increase their minority stake in Leeds United, we can reveal.
    Bosses at the NFL outfit are desperate to take on a bigger role at the Premier League new boys.

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    New investment may help boss Marcelo Bielsa go on a spending spree, helping to make moments like their equaliser against Manchester City commonplaceCredit: EPA

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    The San Francisco 49ers may hope to bring some of their glitz and glamour to the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty Images – Getty

    They want to bring the glory days back to Elland Road and will begin by adding to their 10 per cent holding.
    Speaking to NBC Sports, 49ers president Paraag Marathe said: “We want to get more involved.”Right now we are passengers on their plane. We are not flying the plane by any means.”We want to help more. We want to drive more value on and off the pitch and use the 49ers expertise.
    “We want to become bigger partners with Andrea (Radrizzani, Leeds owner). We are hoping that comes to fruition. To some extent we want to help him fly the plane a little bit more.”
    The 49ers paid £11million for a 10 per cent stake in the club in 2018 and already have execs on the board.

    They include Marathe who is good pals with owner Andrea Radrizzani.
    Marathe has 20 years at the 49ers and when they bought a stake in Leeds he was instantly put on the board to become the linkman.

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    Andrea Radrizzani had previously welcomed investment into the clubCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    He is constantly in touch with Radrizzani and plays an active role at the club.
    He added: “The sky’s the limit for Leeds. This is not a club where we made it to the Premier League and we are barely trying to hang on by the laces of our shoes.”This is a club that has every opportunity to become one of the big contenders year in, year out in the Premier League.”They have the fanhood, they have the stadium for it, they have the geography as a one club city.

    “All the ingredients are there. We just have to deliver.”
    If they increase their stake it could mean a massive a war chest being made available for boss Marcelo Bielsa to go on a spending spree.
    Owner Radrizzani says he has rejected takeover offers in recent weeks but is open to selling a minority stake for up to £300m.He took over the club in 2017 and appointed Argentine Bielsa as manager a year later. 

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    Manager Marcelo Bielsa got Leeds promoted at the second time of askingCredit: EPA

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    49ers boss Paraag Marathe has signalled his intent for LeedsCredit: Paul Greenwood
    Promotion at Bielsa’s second attempt marked the end of a 16-year absence from the Premier League.
    The Italian, who also owns broadcaster Eleven Sports, said investors were lining up to back his plans for Leeds.
    Marathe has made no secret of the 49ers desire to increase their share and has previously said: “It’s something that we are absolutely hoping to do. The journey isn’t concluded. It’s just beginning.”
    The club can expect to make £100m in revenue this season, largely thanks to broadcast deals. 
    But a lack of fans at its 38,000-seater stadium has already caused losses of almost £40m.

    The prospect of the 49ers increasing their stake in Leeds comes after other NFL teams have invested heavily in the Premier League.
    Manchester United’s Glazer family own Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Arsenal’s Stan Kroenke has the LA Rams.
    Fulham’s Shahid Khan is owner of Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL.

    Tony Cascarino lauds ‘influential’ Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa and backs Championship winners to do well in Premier League More

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    NFL team San Francisco 49ers want to increase stake in promoted Leeds after reaching Super Bowl last season

    THE owners of NFL team San Francisco 49ers are making a bid to increase their stake in Leeds United after their promotion.
    The Whites returned to the Premier League after a 16-year wait, when they won the Championship last month.

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    Leeds United celebrate lifting the Championship trophy as they return to the Premier League for the first time since 2004Credit: Reuters
    Now, the owners of the 49ers – who have had a ten per cent stake in the club since 2018 – want to buy more of the Elland Road club.
    The New York Times claim Leeds’ majority owner, Andrea Radrizzani, is in talks with chiefs of the NFL club as they look to step up their investment.
    Paraag Marathe, an executive for the 49ers – who reached the Super Bowl this year – said: “It’s something that we are absolutely hoping to do.
    “The journey isn’t concluded. It’s just beginning.

    “It obviously had fallen on hard times under multiple ownership groups.
    “But the brand equity is still there, the fans, and the amount of people that care about that club.
    “We just knew that not only do they belong in the Premier League, but if they got to the Premier League, that the sky’s the limit.”
    It will continue the American takeover of the Premier League.

    Champions Liverpool are owned by the Boston-based Fenway Sports Group, who also own the Boston Red Sox.
    Manchester United’s owners, the Glazer family, are Americans who own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL team.
    Arsenal are backed by LA Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
    Fulham, who face Brentford in the Championship play-off final on Tuesday, are owned by Jacksonville Jaguars’ chief Shahid Khan.

    Aston Villa previously had an American owner.
    Radrizzani has been in talks with Qatar as he seeks investment to make Leeds a force in the Premier League.
    Argentine boss Marcelo Bielsa secured promotion in his second season at the club.
    The 49ers’ owners became involved in Leeds around the time of Bielsa’s appointment.
    A giant of the game in the late 60s and early 70s, Leeds last won the top flight in 1992, the year before the inception of the Premier League.
    The San Francisco-based investors have been regular visitors to Elland Road over the last two years.
    Marathe and Jed York, the 49ers’ chief executive, had visited the city every six weeks up until the coronavirus lockdown.

    Leeds have been linked with a series of stars including Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani since their promotion.
    Radrizzani is desperate to secure fresh invesntment.
    A return to Elland Road for Spurs defender Danny Rose has also been talked about.

    Former Leeds assistant manager Carlos Corberán speaks about leaving Marcelo Bielsa’s promotion heroes to take over Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield More

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    From Cristiano Ronaldo’s five naps a day to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s four-hour snooze.. how much sports stars sleep

    BEING one of the most well known sporting icons on the planet is tiring work.
    But rather than sleep all night, Cristiano Ronaldo instead takes FIVE naps a day while Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson snoozes for just four hours to keep himself going.

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    Cristiano Ronaldo takes FIVE naps-a-day
    Earlier this month, it emerged Juventus superstar Ronaldo, 35, grabs 40 winks five times each day and sleeps in the foetal position.
    And here SunSport can reveal the different sleep patterns of several other sporting icons from across the globe and how many hours of ‘Zzz’ time they get, according to Online Mattress Review.
    Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – 4 hours

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    The Rock survives on just four hours sleep every nightCredit: Getty – Contributor

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    The WWE icon turned movie star hits the sack for just four hours-a-night.
    At 48, Hawaiian born Johnson clocks off between midnight and is up and about again at 4am.

    Presumably to work out at least 25 times a day to maintain his impressive physique.
    Muhammad Ali – 6.5 hours

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    Muhammad Ali was a religious man and slept for 6.5 hours after dinner and prayers

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    The greatest boxer of all time put many opponents to sleep in his time and would wind down between 10pm and 4:30am.
    As a devout Muslim, much of his time would be split between prayer and training.
    And his evening routine would include a walk after dinner, a quick wash, prayers and short stint in front of the TV before he dozed off.

    Serena Williams – 7 hours

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    Serena Williams clocks up a solid seven hours of sleep after socialising and work
    You do not need hawk eye to tell when Serena is out for the count but we can neither confirm or deny whether her snoring makes a racket.
    The tennis sensation takes a solid seven hour sleep between midnight and 7am each day after a post-dinner routine of socialising and work.
    The 38-year-old former world number one is also a mum of a young daughter so her slumbers are no doubt interrupted by the littl’un every now and then.
    Cristiano Ronaldo – 7.5 hours

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    Ronaldo sleeps in the fetal position to stay in top shape aged 35

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    Ronaldo has perhaps the oddest routine of all the big stars.
    Rather than one lump of rest at the end of each day like most of us, Ronnie reportedly prefers to take short naps of an hour-and-a-half each time throughout the day.
    After dinner, he relaxes with his friends before a swim at 10pm.
    He then takes one of his signature naps until midnight and relaxes until another short burst of sleep from around 3am before waking up for the day.
    Ronda Rousey – 8 hours

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    MMA star Rousey does not mess around when it comes to getting the right amount of rest

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    MMA and WWE star Rousey’s routine seems pretty standard.
    Eight hours between midnight and 8am.
    Nice and simple.
    Tiger Woods – 8.5 hours

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    Tiger Woods – perhaps the greatest golfer in history – spends more than a third of his day asleep

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    Woods is generally considered the best golfer of all time.
    And to maintain such high levels, the superstar spends eight and a half hours dreaming of sinking putts and splitting fairways.
    He snoozes from 10pm to 6:30am – proving the early birdie really does catch the worm.
    Tom Brady – 9 hours

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    Tom Brady is widely considered the best quarter-back ever to play American Football and he does not compromise when it comes to rest

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    Like Woods, Brady is considered the greatest ever in his field.
    The former New England Patriots quarter-back is revered in across the world for his sustained and unrivalled talent.
    And the 42-year-old – who is still playing for the Tampa Bay Bucacaneers – makes sure he touches down to sleep for nine hours each day between 8:30pm and 5:30am.

    Stephen Curry – 9 hours

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    NBA star Stephen Curry is one of the longest sleepers on the list with a solid nine hours

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    Basketball star Stephen Curry is another record breaker who is set to go down in the NBA history books.
    The Golden State Warriors point guard is another who does not take rest lightly – opting to hit the hay for nine hours between 11pm and 8am every day.

    Inside Cristiano Ronaldo’s luxury yacht as it flies through the water More

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    Lewis Hamilton claims he was ‘silenced and told to back down’ over Colin Kaepernick gesture before 2017 US GP

    LEWIS HAMILTON has spoken of his “regret” that he was unable to show his support for Colin Kaepernick at the 2017 United States Grand Prix. Formula 1 drivers wore anti-racism shirts ahead of the 2020 season opener in Austria and many took a knee on the grid. Hamilton wore a Black Lives Matter T-shirt while […] More

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    Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta shares training tips with LA Rams boss Sean McVay during two-hour video call

    LA RAMS head coach Sean McVay revealed he has spent lockdown getting tips from Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. With connections between the two sporting heavyweights through the ownership of the Kroenke family, McVay had a unique chance to pick the brains of the recently appointed Gunners chief. LA Rams head coach Sean McVay (right) has […] More

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    Tottenham in £10m hit as NFL cancels London games for 2020 season over coronavirus safety fears for players and fans

    TOTTENHAM face a further £10million cash blow with NFL chiefs set to cancel this year’s four “London Games”. Spurs had capacity 60,000-plus crowds for their first two games on the sunken artificial pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with gridiron bosses hailing the spectacular new venue. ⚠️ Read our coronavirus in sport live blog for […] More