The number of Americans who favor football over baseball narrowed in 2014, according to research released by The Harris Poll.
Pro football is the top pick among 32 percent of sports fans, while baseball only garners "favorite" status among half as many Americans (16 percent). However, baseball enthusiasts can feel good that their sport of choice has managed a two percent point increase from last year's 14 percent, while football saw a three-point decrease from 2013's 35 percent meaning the gap between the two narrowed by five points year-over-year.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,255 U.S. adults surveyed online between December 10 and 15, 2014.
As if only to reaffirm the sport's widespread appeal, men's college football comes in as America's third favorite sport, with 10 percent of adults supporting its claim, though, like its professional counterpart, this sport has also seen a narrow decrease from last year's 11 percent. The next two top sports have maintained their same fan percentages, with auto racing at 7 percent and men's pro basketball, part of a three-way tie at 6 percent.
Tied with basketball at 6 percent and up from only 2 percent last year, the most noteworthy increase across the board, men's soccer has made the list of America's top five favorite sports. The final member of the 6 percent three-way-tie for America's fifth favorite sport is ice hockey, most beloved by one percent more of the population compared with last year (5 percent).
Who, what, & where are the real fans?
Though the total percentage of sports fans considering pro football to be their favorite is 32 percent, some demographics are more attached to the game than others are. Generation X (43 percent), Easterners (37 percent), and moderates (35 percent) are the demographics most likely to consider pro football to be their favorite sport. Meanwhile, the lowest numbers can be found among Millennials (25 percent), adults who have completed post-graduate degrees (25 percent), and liberals (26 percent).
As for those who believe home runs are number one, the largest percentages can also be found among Easterners (23 percent), Liberals (22 percent) and Baby-Boomers (20 percent). Meanwhile, those who consider baseball their favorite sport are less abundant amidst Midwesterners (12 percent), Millennials (12 percent), and adults with children in their households (10 percent).
While Easterners were among the most likely to be top fans of pro football and post-grads were some of the least likely, the roles are reversed when it comes to college football. Post-grads (22 percent), Southerners (16 percent), and conservatives (16 percent) contain the highest percentages of adults who consider college football to be their favorite sport. On the other hand, Easterners (3 percent), adults living in an urban area (6 percent), and adults with household incomes under $35,000 (6 percent) are least likely favor college football in this way.
When it comes to auto racing, the highest percentages of Americans who consider this their favorite sport exist amongst adults who have completed high school or less (12 percent) and those with household incomes under $35,000 (12 percent). One in ten Southerners, Conservatives, and rural area residents also consider auto racing to be number one (10 percent each). Concurrently, college graduates (2 percent), adults with household incomes of $75k or more (2 percent), and Millennials (4 percent) are the least likely to be such strong admirers of auto racing.
Millennials showed themselves to be the most open-minded when it comes to "what is a sport," as they threw more support behind a number of options than any other generation.
Dodgeball (49 percent Millennials vs. 38 percent Gen Xers, 35 percent Baby Boomers, & 36 percent Matures) Competitive dance (42 percent vs. 33 percent, 30 percent, & 25 percent respectively) Ultimate frisbee (41 percent vs. 32 percent, 26 percent, & 24 percent respectively) Quidditch (19 percent vs. 9 percent, 6 percent, & 4 percent respectively) Video gaming (16 percent vs. 6 percent, 6 percent, & 4 percent respectively) Competitive eating (11 percent vs. 4 percent, 3 percent, & 1 percent respectively)Full access to the poll, including an explanation of its methodology is available online.
