We share many things with our American cousins, including an intertwined history, a common language, and two similarly-designed legal systems. Another similarity between folks on either side of the pond is a passion for sport.

In both countries, watching and playing sports are popular activities, with the vast majority of people having at least a passing interest in at least one. But the way Americans and Brits enjoy them are often very different. Here are some of those biggest differences.

Sports betting

In many ways, sports betting is the same in the US and the UK. For instance, it is hugely popular among sports fans in both countries and there are many different bookies that punters can choose from, leading to a lot of competition in these markets. So much so, in fact, that comparison sites like OddsChecker operate in both countries to help fans find the biggest free bet bonuses and promotions.

But there are also many differences between wagering in the US and the UK. Firstly, the odds are displayed in very different ways, with Brits preferring fractional odds and Americans using their own “American” format.

The types of bets also vary. In the UK, there’s only one standard bet – you pick a winner. However, in the US, this “moneyline” wager is often overshadowed by the more popular “point spread” bet.

Sponsorship

The USA is a bastion of capitalism, so it might be a bit of a surprise that most American teams have far fewer and smaller sponsorships on player uniforms/kits than their British counterparts.

Premier League shirts would seem naked if they were missing their giant full-width sponsorship spot, yet US major league players are almost completely bare in this regard. This is slowly beginning to change, with NBA teams now permitted to have a tiny sponsorship patch on their jerseys, but it is much smaller than what we see in the UK.

League Structure

The UK’s most popular sport is football. In all four nations, the football leagues are built in pyramids, with the best teams competing in the highest tier and the less-successful ones below it.

This is somewhat similar in the US, however, British football teams can move up and down the tiers, depending on their performance in the previous season. This process of promotion and relegation does not exist in America.

On top of this, most British leagues use a standard round-robin structure, with the winner decided based on which one performed best over the entire season. In the US, however, the leagues are usually divided into conferences and divisions with a round-robin element followed by a “post-season” playoff knockout tournament to decide the winner.