The NFL is the rare thing that brings all Americans -- Democrats and Republicans -- together

By Harry Enten, CNN

Updated 1339 GMT (2139 HKT) January 23, 2022

The NFL is the most popular sport in the US — and it isn't even close.

(CNN)Almost everything in our world today is divided along political lines. Whether it be something as important as a life saving vaccine or something as simple — and you would think would be non-partisan — as what TV programs people watch or jeans people wear, everything seems to be polarized along partisan lines.

That's what makes the NFL standout. While the NFL should perhaps worry about the youngest of fans, football is by far the most popular sport in America. It's a sport whose popularity cuts across political and racial divides. Witness the ratings for the Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers playoff game on January 16. More than 41 million people on average tuned in for the game, while 50 million saw the Cowboys lose on one of the most atrocious play calls I can ever recall. This was, of course, merely a first round playoff game.49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo looking to pass against the Dallas Cowboys.To put that 41 million in perspective, the most highly-rated, non-football television broadcast in 2021 had a little less than 34 million people tune in. Keep in mind that program — the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris — was broadcast across more than a dozen channels. And while most of television is struggling to keep viewers in the streaming era, the NFL has actually been gaining viewers this year. Over the course of 2021, 75of the top 100 programs were NFL games. Read MoreBut this isn't just about television ratings, it's about interest at large. The NFL is king in the USA 2021 Ipsos poll asked American adults whether they were fans of a sport or