Mass Promotion At Its Finest: US-England Sets Ratings Record

Saturday's 1-1 draw between the United States and England scored a 7.3 rating and 13 million viewers -- making it the most-watched World Cup match ever in the U.S.

This can be attributed to the incredible job ESPN has done hyping this game for months on end, and not so much because Americans suddenly love soccer. It's sort of like how Finding Nemo is the best-selling DVD of all time. Finding Nemo isn't the greatest movie in the world -- it got that distinction because it had one of the largest marketing campaigns in cinema history.

If you keep drilling something into people's heads, eventually they'll be compelled to tune in and watch it. Even if it's as boring as a 90-minute 1-1 tie.

If you think the NFL is being too lenient to quarterbacks, then this chart can't be a good thing. The NFL is on pace for the most roughing-the-passer penalties in 10 years.

That November 1st game is going to be something