This year seems to be the year of the British sporting invasion here in the United States. Not only is Britain’s greatest sporting export, soccer (sorry, football), being played here in the form of the Copa America, but so is Britain’s second greatest sporting export: cricket.

While the rise of T20 World Cup cricket odds on sports betting sites like BetUS clearly shows that there is interest in the sport in America, there’s surely no way it will ever really take off here… right?

In any case, debating the longevity of cricket in the United States is a topic for another day. Instead, we’re going to focus on sporting exports going the other way by examining which American sports are most popular across the pond.

Read on to discover what American sports are so exciting to Britons who yearn for their hearts bottled water and what games she stays up late for Chewing day nights to watch live from America…

3. Football

If you were to Google just the viewing figures for American sports in the UK, you would get the distinct impression that football is America’s number one export. In the wise words of Mark Twain: “there are lies, lies and damn statistics.”

To illustrate this point, you can ask yourself the following questions in relation to football:

Why do I watch the Super Bowl? Why does my mother, who can’t name a single quarterback in the league, watch the Super Bowl? Why do people who prefer motorsports watch the Super Bowl?

The answer to those questions is probably not: ‘an undying passion for all things American football’.

The Super Bowl is, and perhaps always will be, a hugely important cultural event and as such people from all walks of life who have no vested interest in it tune in to watch it. That is true here in the United States and it is true in the United Kingdom.

If you ignore the Super Bowl viewing figures, average NFL games in the UK are not as popular as these other two sports.

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(People watch the Super Bowl for all kinds of non-sporting reasons.)

2. NHL

The response from most Americans, when presented with the T20 World Cup cricket action, is why do they need yet another ball and bat sport to watch when they are quite content with baseball.

The same is often said about Brits when they are forced to play football when they already have rugby to enjoy, or baseball when they have cricket. What appeals to Brits most about American sports is their uniqueness and exclusivity.

Ice hockey, while not strictly American in origin, is one of those sports from this side of the Atlantic that is hugely popular in the UK because there is no British alternative. The NHL has consistently high viewing figures in the UK, as have viewing and attendance figures for its own national league – The Elite Ice Hockey League.

1. Basketball

The most popular American sport in the UK is, for a number of reasons, basketball. Firstly, the action of the NBA regularly draws a larger audience of British sports fans than any other American sport, and that goes for both the smaller reputation clash and the bigger-ticket events.

Secondly, basketball is proving itself to be the most popular American sport in the UK, just by participation figures. There are recognised leagues across the country with a much higher profile than football.

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(More Britons followed the Celtics’ march to the NBA championship than the Chiefs’ march to the Super Bowl.)

In addition, if you are on holiday in the UK for a while, you will find that hardly anyone plays football recreationally. However, there are plenty of adults and children who play basketball on specially constructed and improvised courts.

The sport also appeals to Britain’s large European diaspora, estimated at 5-8 million, from countries such as Spain, Poland and Lithuania, where basketball, particularly Euro League basketball, is incredibly popular.

Basketball is popular with young and old, natives and immigrants alike, and is played by professionals and amateurs across the country, making it the most popular American sport in the UK.