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NFL is favorite sports league: But are demographic trends good?

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nfl footballThe NFL tops the list of favorite American sports, according to polling data from Public Policy Polling, but the numbers could signal trouble for the future of pro football.

Sixty percent of those surveyed over the age of 45 consider themselves NFL fans, but only 48 percent of the under-45 set are NFL fans.

Overall, the NFL counts 55 percent of the American population among its fans.

Major League Baseball is the second most popular sport, with 42 percent saturation. The NBA is third at 36 percent, with NASCAR trailing behind at 26 percent, the NHL at 22 percent, the PGA Tour at 19 percent, and MLS at 14 percent.

Some random sports issues polled:

  • Fans prefer pitchers hitting to the designated hitter by a 65-25 margin.
  • Fifty-one percent think Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, with 34 percent thinking they shouldn’t.
  • Sixty-eight percent thinking members of the US Women’s National Soccer Team should be paid the same as their male counterparts, to 17 percent who disagree.
  • Fifty-six percent approve of doing the wave at sporting events, to 18 percent who disapprove.

Contributors

Contributors

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