Nexus player is perfect for streaming stuff. Nvidia shield is 3x the price, but fantastic for gaming. So if all you want is a streaming machine, I'd go with the nexus.

Btw, the only android actual "android TV" boxes are the nexus player, the Nvidia shield, and the razer Forge. All the other ones run android, but not with the TV interface (leanback launcher).

The razer Forge doesn't work with Netflix, which is why I don't recommend it for you.

You're asking a few different questions here...

I've seen online Kodi has a football streaming thing, is it free ? How do I install it ? Also, this would be just for streaming football, NFL and netflix so do I really need a top of the line Android TV or does a cheaper one off Banggood.com fit the bill ?

Those things are free, but illegal. You would need to learn how to install addons in Kodi, which isn't hard, you just need to do the work.

AndroidTV is the Nvidia Shield, the Nexus Player, and the Razer Forge. The other devices you see are just microcomputers running android. They may or may not be supported, but you can build your own with a Raspberry Pi cheaper

Would I be able to plug in an Android TV through HDMI on my laptop computer ?

No...you can't plug one computer into another computer.

I feel this is a very dumb question, but am curious as I can't use a TV so I would need to put the android tv box on a computer screen

You would need to install Kodi on your computer and do it that way

Would love some more information on adroid TV for the use I'm looking to have with it

AndroidTV is just a computer. The 3 I mentioned are purpose built by large manufacturers. The cheap boxes are just that, cheap boxes with android installed. No special software. Those boxes work for a lot of people, so pick what works best for you.

If you don't have access to an external monitor of some sort, be it a tv or a computer monitor, you're out of luck on the AndroidTV front. Just install kodi on your laptop and save yourself the money. Unless you are rocking a laptop from the stone age, it will be strong enough to do what you're trying to do. If it's not, wipe the HD, reinstall Windows and maintain your rig better in the future

I've had both the nexus tv and the Nvidia shield. The nexus tv was fine most of the time. I occasionally had to reboot because of Wi-Fi issues. The shield is awesome. I'm not a fan of using a game controller for tv stuff, so I bought a fire tv remote for $10 and just use that most of the time.

If you can afford the shield, get that. It's just so far ahead of everything else. But nexus tv is ok too.

I had the Nexus player for months before I switched to the Nvidia Shield. The Nvidia Shield is so much better than the Nexus Player that I recommend it even though there's a price premium. My nexus player was slow at times and often had to be rebooted - the shield is blazing fast and is super reliable.