Posted on 10/14/2004 8:25:08 AM PDT by qam1
College football, men's pro basketball, auto racing and men's college basketball also the favorite sports of many people
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, professional football leads baseball by 2-to-1 (30% to 15%) as the nation's favorite sport. Nineteen years ago, in 1985, when The Harris Poll(R) first asked this question, professional football and baseball were in a virtual tie (24% to 23%) for first place. With a few small wobbles in the numbers, football (up six points since 1985) has steadily increased its following at the expense of baseball (down 8 points since 1985).
While baseball (15%) has slipped badly, it is still ahead of college football (11%), men's pro basketball (7%), auto racing (7%), and men's college basketball (6%).
These are the results of a nationwide Harris Interactive(R) survey of 2,555 U.S. adults surveyed online between September 20 and 26, 2004.
With the exception of pro football and baseball, the numbers of people naming sports as their favorites are not very different from what they were in 1985. However, some sports have moved up and down over the last nineteen years. In the late 1990s, when Michael Jordan was at his peak, those picking men's pro basketball as their favorite sport increased, from only six percent in 1985 to 13 percent in 1997 and 1998. It has now slipped back to seven percent.
Men's tennis was the favorite of five percent of U.S. adults who follow more than one sport in 1985; it has now slipped to one percent.
Demographic variations
The survey also finds some sizable differences between different segments of the population. Pro football has more fans among "Generation X," those aged 28-39, (42%), in two incomes groups, those with household incomes of $15,000 to under $25,000 and $50,000 to under $75,000 (both 40%), in the East (38%) and among African Americans (38%).
Baseball does best among U.S. adults who follow more than one sport with household incomes of between $35,000 and under $50,000 (22%) and with matures, aged 59 and over (20%).
College football is particularly popular in the South (19%), among college graduates (19%) and adults in more households with incomes of $75,000 or more (16%).
Auto racing (which includes NASCAR) does best in the two lowest income groups with incomes of $25,000 or less (each with 12%) and those who never went to college (11%).
But it's interesting that as I've gotten older, baseball is the only sport I still like enough to follow closely. Football and especially basketball just don't interest me any more - maybe because of the thug-ocracy that has taken over.
Football's a sport. Baseball's a game. I like them both, but football captures the American spirit more--hard-hitting and agressive, physically and mentally challenging, based upon ground acquisition. Defense wins championships. Very Republican.
Baseball is fun, but leisurely. Ballplayers are professional athletes, but it is mostly a limited range of skills that is tested and with the exception of the pitcher and catcher, only for brief periods a few times a game. Baseball's a pastime and a tradition and an amazingly well-conceived contest for what it does.
Football, however, rules.
By the way, Go 'Stros.
Football rocks. Baseball sucks. Any questions?
I like all sports, but baseball is the only one that means anything to me.
Not a chance!
BASEBALL: 162 games X 15 = 2430 games in regular season. Plus three rounds of playoffs
FOOTBALL: 16 games X 16 = 256 games in regular season. Plus three round of playoffs
Over 70 million people see a baseball game each year.
Less than 15 million see a football game
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME: Over 300,000 visitors annually
FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: Less than 200,000 visitors a year
Give me a break
The problem with baseball is its inability to draw young viewers. Take the Yankees payoff games that start at 8:30pm on the east coast and end some three hours + later. How can the sport cultivate young viewers when they can’t stay up and watch the most exciting games of the season? The kids lose interest.
Booya! Why watch a bunch of boys throwing around and swinging at a ball when you can watch the bone-crushing action on the gridiron! Booya! GO SEAHAWKS!!!
The NFL has trouble selling out stadiums with less than 80,000 seats in major metropolitan areas. College easily sells out 100,000+ seat stadiums in small to medium sized cities such as Knoxville and State College. In my view, the college game beats the NFL easily.
It's really nothing deliberate at this point, but the baseball strike, which, I know, was about 10 years ago, really dampened my interest in the sport and it just hasn't returned.
Speaking of which, what is the latest on the impending NHL strike/lockout? (sorry, haven't been following this one)
I don't see how. Football lost me as a viewer. It's 50 percent ads, interruptions, instant replays, stupid interviews on the sidelines, and jokey-jokey hosts. Ugh. Give me baseball any day. At least you can watch half an inning before the commercials start (except for the stuff they insert at the bottom of the screen).
I wish somebody could come up with an option called PURE SPORT where you could pay more and see an event without all the ads and interruptions.
Amazing what salary-cap induced parity does for a sport. MLB is long overdue.
"I need baseball more than baseball needs me" -- Manny Ramirez
They're going down in Foxboro.
The players union is principally rsponsible the decline in support for the game...the players don't
care, they got their money, but
ever since the World Series was cancelled, I lost my passion for the game--which had lasted for 40 years to that point.
One word: Gambling....
Same here. I was probably as equal a baseball fan as I was a football fan until the '94 lockout. How can you not play the World Series for crying out loud??? That was it for me.
I can't believe the interest in pro basketball has reached the level that it is tied with watching people drive around in a circle. Sad.
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