Jun 5, 2023 - Sports

Stat du jour: Richmonders love soccer

Karri Peifer

Data: NBC Sports. Screenshot: @SoccerInsider/Twitter

England’s Premier League, the most popular soccer league in the world, had its second most watched season in the U.S. — and no one watched more of it than Richmonders.

Driving the news: Richmond ranked No. 1 in local market viewership of Premier League games on TV on the NBC/USA Network for the 2022-23 season, which wrapped up May 28, according to stats out last week from NBC.

That's higher than, well, every other city in America.

Why it matters: Richmond doesn't have a Major League Soccer team. Ryan Reynolds (who co-owns a Welsh soccer team) has visited Richmond zero times despite our now-clear soccer love, and Premier League games air here as early as zero dark thirty (that's 7am East Coast time).

What's next: The next Premier League season kicks off Aug. 12, so let's rest for a few months and get ready to keep that status next year. Or at least until we lure some soccer celeb for a visit.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to remove a reference to the lack of professional sports teams in Richmond.

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Stat du jour: Richmonders love soccer

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