Denver, Spokane Top U.S. Markets For Summer Olympics Fans

Over 128 million Summer Olympics fans in the U.S. are gearing up for Friday's Opening Ceremony in Beijing, according to research firm Scarborough Sports Marketing. Among U.S. markets, people in Denver and Spokane might be looking forward to the start of the Games more than any other city in the country. Sixty-seven percent of adults in each of those cities have identified themselves as “very, somewhat or a little bit” interested in the Summer Olympics. Nationally, 57% of adults are fans of the Summer Games. In Chicago, a finalist to host the 2016 Summer Games, consumers are slightly more likely to be fans of the Summer Olympics, with 59% of adults there saying they are fans of the event. The appeal of the Games is so wide-ranging in the U.S. that only the NFL and Winter Olympics surpass it in national popularity. Meanwhile, Scarborough also examined fan preferences in several Summer Olympics product sponsorship categories. IOC TOP sponsor McDonald’s is the leading QSR for this consumer group. Almost half of Summer Olympics Fans visited McDonald’s during the past month, making it the top restaurant among fans of the Summer Games. In the automotive sponsorship category, BOCOG Top Tier sponsor Volkswagen is one of the most popular vehicle brands among U.S. fans. Summer Olympics fans are 22% more likely than the average consumer to own or lease a Volkswagen in their household. The following lists the top 20 favorite sports/leagues among U.S. sports fans, as well as the top 20 U.S. markets for fans of the Olympics. Scroll over highlighted numbers for more explanation (Scarborough Sports Marketing).

NOTES: (a) = 60% of U.S. fans surveyed said they were fans of the NFL. (b) = 67% of Denver adults are summer Olympic fans. (c) = Spokane adults are 18% more likely than all adults nationally to be fans of the Summer Olympics.

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