Sports Viewership in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore Metropolitan Area
Within the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV and Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD (Washington, D.C. and Baltimore) metro areas, 62.4% 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. Within the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro area 17.0% of respondents connect with and/or follow athletes or coaches on social media.
The top five athletes or coaches’ respondents living in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore metro area follow on social media include:
- LeBron James
- Steph Curry
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Lionel Messi
- Lamar Jackson
College Sports
With regard to college sports, nearly two-thirds (65.2%) of respondents in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro area watched college sports on television or attended a college sports event in the last year. While more than half (59.6%) of women watched/attended a college sports event in the last year, this percentage is significantly higher among men (73.8%). The most frequently watched college team is the University of Maryland (27.5%).
Professional Sports
Similar to other metro areas, there are higher shares of respondents in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro area who watch professional sports (80.9%) compared to college sports. Overall, and among women and men, the three most frequently watched professional teams include the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Commanders. Compared to men, there were higher shares of women who watched the Ravens (19.6% vs. 14.8%), Orioles (16.7% vs. 10.7%), Capitals (6.9% vs. 2.3%), and Nationals (6.4% vs. 5.6%).
When examining sports viewership and race, respondents who were white were significantly more likely to watch the Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, and the Washington Capitals. Black respondents reported watching the Washington Commanders and Washington Wizards at higher rates and respondents who identify as Asian watched the Washington Nationals at higher rates compared to all other respondents.
Lastly, respondents who were between the ages of 18 and 34 years old were twice as likely to watch international soccer and the Washington Capitals compared to respondent's who were over the age of 35 years old. Respondents between the ages of 35 and 54 years old were more likely to follow the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Wizards compared to all other age groups and respondents who were 55+ years old, were more likely to follow MLB teams, particularly, the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals as well as the NFL Washington Commanders.
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