According to findings of the new Harris Poll, which has conducted an annual poll into the favourite sports of the nation since 1985, pro-football leads baseball by a ratio of 2-1 (30 percent to 15 percent).
When Harris first asked the question 19-years ago, professional football and baseball were in a virtual tie (24 percent to 23 percent) for first place. Since then, football has steadily grown (up six points since 1985) at the expense of baseball (down eight points).
While baseball has slipped badly, it is still ahead of college football (11 percent), men's pro-basketball (7 percent), auto racing (7 percent), and men's college basketball (6 percent).
Says a Harris spokesman: “With the exception of pro-football and baseball, the numbers of people naming sports as their favourites 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 favourite sport increased, from only six percent in 1985 to 13 percent in 1997 and 1998. It has now slipped back to seven percent.”
The poll surveyed 2,555 adults in the US, online, between September 20-26.
It will surprise no-one, but American football has once again been crowned the US’ favourite sport according to the latest poll.
