What makes the NFL the greatest?

It's not the greatest sport in the world, professor, that's my answer. 

And with a straight face, you're going to tell kids that the NFL is so starspangled awesome that it's the only sport in the world that has passion and drama? Futbol has passion and drama, hockey has passion and drama. MMA, basketball, tennis, golf, racing! There are hundreds of recognized sports in the world, even Polish horseshoes has passion and drama. 

There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that the NFL is the greatest league in the world. It's top three in worldwide revenue and maybe top five in social media (Twitter and Facebook). Most of the world plays and watches futbol. NFL Europe failed. The NFL has sports welfare stadiums and CTE denial. The NFL leads the world in only two categories: number of commercials per game and hiding revenues as a nonprofit. Pretty sure it's setting the pace on tax dodging and legal defense spending. The parity argument is 10 years too old now. The NFL has never been more popular but even at its peak it's still chasing cricket for worldwide participation and viewership. None of this is the fault of a 20-year-old sports fan, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt a member of the WORST-period-GENERATION-period-EVER-period, so when you ask what makes the NFL the greatest league in the world, I don't know what the f*ck you're talking about! Tailgaiting?

It sure used to be. The NFL celebrated toughness and defense. It showcased athletes breaking down social barriers. NFL owners named stadiums after people, not corporations. NFL cities sacrificed, and put money where the fans' mouths were. The NFL built great big spectacular Super Bowls, embraced a salary cap, avoided strikes with player unions, made scientific advances, pioneered sports television with Steve Sabol, and cultivated the world's greatest athletes and devoted fan base. NFL players reached for the stars, acted like men. They were loyal to teams and didn't chase the almighty free agency dollar. NFL players aspired to leave the game better than they found it; they didn't belittle it; they didn't treat the game as a paycheck; they didn't make the fans feel inferior. As fans, we kept sports and politics separate, we found a national passion to go with our national pastime, and we didn't scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. The NFL is not the greatest league in the world.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2013/07/15/barcelona-and-real-madrid-rule-social-media/
http://www.sportsfangraph.com/
http://deadspin.com/5959827/it-happened-again-the-nfls-parity-in-one-striking-graphic
http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/64222462
http://www.amazon.com/The-Economics-National-Football-League/dp/1441962891
http://slapdagger.blogspot.com/2013/01/nfl-television-producers-wet-dream.html

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/64441086
http://www.economist.com/blogs/gametheory/2011/09/ranking-sports'-popularity