Overview of Sports Viewership in Select Metro Areas

Across all seven metropolitan areas, nearly two-thirds (63.3%) of respondents noted that they are sports fans. Sports fans are individuals who watch professional and/or college sports at least several times a month and/or follow athletes or coaches on social media. On social media, approximately one out of six respondents follow or connect with athletes or coaches, particularly players or coaches in the NFL (64.7%), NBA (59.2%), MLB (46.9%), boxing or mixed martial arts (35.8%), or NCAA (31.7%). 

The top ten players respondents connect with on social media include:

  • LeBron James
  • Stephen Curry
  • Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Lionel Messi
  • Tom Brady
  • Michael Jordan
  • Serena Williams
  • Kevin Durant
  • Tiger Woods
  • Kobe Bryant

Collegiate Sport Viewership

With regard to college sports, 63.7% of respondents watched or attended a college sport event in the last year. Among women, 54.7% watched college sports in the last year compared to 73.8% of men. 

The top five most frequently watched college sports include: 

  • Men’s basketball (37.4%)
  • Men’s football (34.9%)
  • Men’s baseball (17.3%)
  • Women’s basketball (13.6%)
  • Men’s soccer (12.3%)

While men also reported that men’s basketball (49.0%), football (47.5%), and baseball (25.0%) were the top three college sports watched, the ranking of the top three college sports varied among female respondents. For example, among women, the top three college sports watched include men’s basketball (30.4%), men’s football (27.6%), and women’s basketball (14.1%). Additionally, women’s collegiate gymnastics rounded out the top five sports watched by women, while women’s collegiate gymnastics ranked tenth among men. 

With regard to race, respondents who identify as Black reported watching or attending a college sport event in the last year at higher rates (71.9%) compared to respondents who identify as white (63.1%), Asian (62.0%), or other or two or more races (61.4%). Additionally, respondents who are between the ages of 18 to 34 years old were more likely to watch or attend a college sport event in the last year (73.5%) compared to respondents who are between the ages of 35 to 54 years old (66.0%) and respondents who are over the age of 55 years old (56.3%). This finding is not surprising, given that respondents who are between the ages of 18 to 34 years old are more likely to be enrolled in college or graduate school. 

Professional Sport Viewership

With regard to professional sports, 80.6% of respondents watched or attended a professional sports event in the last year with 71.3% reportedly watching professional sports several times a week to several times a month. Among women, 76.1% watched professional sports in the last year compared to 87.9% of men. Additionally, respondents who identify as white (82.5%) or Black (82.0%) were more likely to watch professional sports in the last year compared to respondents who identify as Asian (78.9%) or another race or two or more races (76.3%).

Among all respondents, the top five most frequently watched professional sports include: 

  • NFL (56.7%)
  • NBA (41.0%)
  • MLB (34.4%)
  • NHL (22.9%)
  • Boxing/Mixed Martial Arts (16.5%)

These top five professional sports are the same for men, however, among women, professional tennis was the fifth most watched sport. 

With regard to the race of the respondent, the NFL was the most watched professional sport across all groups with more than half of respondents who identify as white (61.0%) reporting watching the sport followed by respondents who identify as Black (58.7%), Asian (54.7%) other or two more races (45.1%). The NBA was the second most reported sport among Black, Asian and respondents who identify as another race. Black respondents reported watching the NBA at higher rates (57.6%) compared to respondents who identify as Asian (49.7%), other or two or more races (41.1%), or white (34.0%). Among white respondents, MLB ranked second in terms of viewership. White respondents were also 1.5 times more likely to watch MLB compared to all other respondents. 

With regard to age, the top five sports watched among respondents who are between ages of 18 to 34 years old include NBA (58.1%), NFL (57.7%), boxing/mixed martial arts (32.6%), MLB (27.4%) and NHL (21.2%). While respondents who are between the ages of 35 to 54 years old share the same top five sports watched, the ranking varies. For example, the most watched sport among respondents who are between the ages of 35 to 54 years old is the NFL (67.6%) followed by the NBA (54.0%), MLB (39.1%), boxing/mixed martial arts (26.5%), and NHL (24.8%). Lastly, respondents who are over the age of 55 years old were more likely to watch the NFL (79.8%), followed by MLB (54.4%), NBA (44.1%), NHL (35.3%), and PGA (20.9%). 

 

*NFL= National Football League; NBA = National Basketball Association; MLB= Major League Baseball; NCAA= National Collegiate Athletics Association; NHL= National Hockey League