Breaking America! Wrexham & Sunderland documentaries have ‘done wonders’ as Burnley & Birmingham investors JJ Watt & Tom Brady look to emulate Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney & Co

Soccer has rarely figured as prominently in the thoughts of U.S. sports fans as it does right now. Lionel Messi’s presence at Inter Miami has aided that cause considerably, but investment in clubs a long way outside of American shores has also piqued interest.

Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have led that charge, with Welcome to Wrexham now an Emmy Award-winning show, but Sunderland have attracted a surprising new fan base on the back of their Netflix-hosted series.

NFL legend Watt, who is now a minority stakeholder at Burnley alongside his former USWNT star wife Kealia has - speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet – said of teams making a noise in the United States: “It’s so good [Sunderland Till I Die documentary] – and those types of documentaries, that one specifically was really good, have done wonders in getting Americans more interested. Because that’s some of the stuff that they talk to me about the most. That song at the beginning of that show [‘Shipyards’], it is brilliant. And that club, like watching that show is wildly interesting for many reasons, but just because some of the stuff they’ve been through – it’s crazy.”

Watt is now involved at Burnley, while fellow American football icon Tom Brady is a board member at Birmingham. Watt added on the challenges that they face, with the Blues currently locked in a Championship relegation battle: “We spoke this week about [Brady’s investment in Birmingham] because they are trying to get out [of the relegation zone], so we’re both in a similar situation in different leagues right now. I know that he’s working with them on the training and some of the physical aspects because he’s got his business from that as well. We both love it.”

Burnley are in danger of slipping out of the Premier League, after one season back in the big time, while Sunderland have become stuck in Championship mid-table mediocrity. Wrexham, though, are flying high in League Two and hope to have another automatic promotion party to cover on their popular documentary.