Research by MyProtein analyzed sales from popular ticket-selling website Vivid Seats along with Wikipedia search volume to analyze the most popular sport in each state.
Football is America’s favorite sport. In thirty-one states, football was revealed to be the most popular sport. The NCAA and SEC Country have emboldened viewers and their allegiance is to college teams during televised hours on Saturday during the fall season. In recent years, states with big SEC schools are fervently devout to watching the college gridiron. The National Championship runs through the SEC - and the popularity spike between Georgia and Alabama in 2021 was no surprise to several viewers.
States that love NCAA Football include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Even though several of these states have professional football teams, the fans prefer the excitement of college football.
Still, professional football is still the most popular sport. In nineteen states, it is the most popular choice. The NFL season in the United States is as much part of American culture as fireworks on the Fourth of July. Some of the states on this list do not have an NFL team.
The list of these states love American Football, and everyone is cheering for their team to win the Superbowl. Rivalries at the dinner table are extremely common as to who will win or lose for the current year. The list of the states who consider professional football their number one sports addiction includes: Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Washington.
You didn't think MLB wouldn't make the list, did you? Although football is listed as one of the state's favorite pastimes, baseball is the national sport of choice and is part of the American identity. The Cardinals, Cubs, Yankees, and Red Sox have gone down in history as some of the most influential teams in the sport. Unsurprisingly, most of the New England region is still extremely heavily interested in the MLB season over other sports games. This can come down to tradition, but it is most likely that their division also connects it to Canadian teams. The Blue Jays are the only official Canadian team that plays in the MLB and hosts many minor professional American teams.
With the love of the sport being so widespread, it is unfortunate to see that the love is only for the big leagues. The minor leagues do not receive nearly enough support. Nine states have MLB as their favorite sport to watch: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming. MLB also tops the list of popular sports for residents of the District of Columbia.
Basketball is another sport that many people enjoy watching. While it does not seem to get the same hype as baseball or football, there are still plenty of viewers who won’t miss a game. In Kentucky, NCAA Basketball is the most popular. It holds the position of the only state that enjoys college basketball above any other sport. NBA Basketball is the favorite in an additional four states and in Puerto Rico. In Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin, people are making sure to keep an eye on the score during the NBA season.
Also, while hockey is Canada’s national sport, it is also relatively popular in the U.S. as well. Unsurprisingly, all of the states that prefer NHL Hockey to all other sports are located in cold-weather climates, many along the Canadian border. In Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Vermont all get excited about what’s happening on the ice. Nevada is the most surprising state to be home to hockey fans, although they were one of the states that had just established an NHL team when data was collected. Enthusiasm for this new home team may have made fans out of those who previously would not have been interested in the sport.
No matter where you live in the United States, American sports are a part of every community. Although some prefer football stadiums over basketball arenas or even famous ballparks, there are unmatched traditions and sporting events in each state. So which sport does your state really love the most?
Thanks to try.america, which specializes in different maps on social media, we have our answer. The vast majority of sports fan bases across the USA love football, but some of these states' favorite sports leagues really might surprise you. Interestingly enough, you won't find any of the Olympics, Major League Soccer/FIFA (or soccer in general, despite it being among the most popular sports in the world) the World Cup or the National Hockey League on here.
Not even tennis (sorry to star U.S. Open tennis players like Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and John McEnroe), volleyball, golf (I guess we need exciting golfers like Tiger Woods back in action), softball or mixed martial arts (UFC has made MMA one of the fastest growing sports in recent years) could crack in either.
Car racing and motor sports like NASCAR seem to have fallen off as well. WWE, which has seen low viewership and TV ratings across North America, doesn't make the cut either. Don't worry, we won't even mention lacrosse or field hockey.
Unsurprisingly, football makes up a large majority of our map. People all over the country can't get enough of it. According to a 2018 Gallup poll, American football is still the overwhelming favorite major sport in the United States. Some 37 percent of adults prefer football, while basketball fans make up 11 percent and baseball diehards come in at 9 percent.
Thanks to the NCAA and SEC Country, college football is the biggest winner here. Although some states such as Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania and Oregon all have big professional sports teams, it's pretty clear sports fans' allegiances truly lie on Saturdays in the fall. Especially in recent years, it's easy to see why states with big SEC schools live for the college gridiron. After all, the National Championship runs through the SEC, and the Georgia vs. Alabama faceoff at the end of the 2021 season was no exception.
The curious state on this list is Pennsylvania. Sure Penn State football is part of the culture in the Keystone State, but with two legendary NFL franchises calling the state home, as well as two big MLB teams in those same cities, the fact that college football comes out on top is surprising. If the Steelers and Eagles are reading this... keep your heads on a swivel.
Maybe there's just something about team sports (and their traditions) in which athletes haven't turned professional yet. Did you have college football coming in at No. 1 on the list of most popular sports in the United States?
The NFL is as much a part of American culture as apple pie and fireworks. Although most of these states do not have a National Football League team, all of them are close to a major professional franchise. It's not surprising to see Colorado with the Denver Broncos or Texas with the Dallas Cowboys on this list, but it is a little surprising Indiana is a big NFL fan with the Indianapolis Colts given the rich tradition and history with basketball.
It's Super Bowl or bust for these states and their football teams. They love American football, from high school to the NFL, especially America's Team, the Dallas Cowboys. Now let's see if they can make it past the regular season for once.
In these states, America's Pastime is their favorite sport. Of course, it makes since when these states include storied Major League Baseball teams like the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox (both of which are titans in the American League).
It's pretty amazing the entire New England area is still heavily into the MLB, although there's no doubt the gap has shrunk over the years. This one is likely only MLB, as average attendance at minor league baseball games can't compare.
When you think of the best teams in college basketball history, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina all come to mind, so it should be no shock to see these states loving college basketball the most. You'll be surprised to find out this isn't the last college sport on the list.
It is interesting to note that Connecticut is the only New England state to have a college sport overtake professional sports. This is almost certainly thanks to the UConn Huskies. Over the last few decades, UConn has been a big player in both the Men's and Women's Tournaments, so it makes total sense that Connecticut takes pride in their Huskies.
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The National Basketball Association is so popular across the world, but it just might not be everyone's favorite. It's crazy to see only two states preferring the NBA Finals above everything else. California makes a lot of sense with one of the most popular teams being the Los Angeles Lakers (thanks, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson and...well, you get the point).
Something tells me Illinois would've been included here had this been the 1990s, when Michael Jordan was dominating on the Chicago Bulls. Utah would also more than likely make this list during the Stockton/Malone years, too. Just goes to show how one team, or even one player, can change everything.
Chances are this will shift to a more pro-NFL state now that the Raiders have moved to Las Vegas, but, for now, sports bets likely still rule there.
This isn't even the professional leagues or NHL. Keep doing you, Alaska. Never change. Something tells me Canada might have an affinity for the ice rink as well.
This article was originally published January 22, 2019.
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