The NFL and MLB boast the highest levels of female fans among major pro sports leagues in the U.S., according to data from Scarborough Sports Marketing. The data, gathered during a year-long period ending in September '09, also shows that MLS is the only major league with fans ages 18-34 as the largest portion of its base (37.8%). NHL fans spend more time on the Internet than fans of other major leagues, with 14.9% spending 20+ hours on the Web per week. Below are select demographics for fans of MLB, MLS, NASCAR, the NFL, NHL and NBA (Scarborough Sports Marketing).
DEMOGRAPHIC | MLB | MLS | NASCAR | NBA | NFL | NHL |
GENDER |
Men | 58.8% | 60.5% | 63.1% | 60.2% | 58.7% | 63.6% |
Women | 41.2% | 39.5% | 36.9% | 39.8% | 41.3% | 36.4% |
AGE |
Age 18-34 | 28.0% | 37.8% | 29.4% | 31.9% | 29.6% | 33.4% |
Age 35-49 | 28.8% | 31.8% | 30.0% | 28.9% | 29.1% | 32.1% |
Age 50+ | 43.1% | 30.4% | 40.6% | 39.2% | 41.3% | 34.4% |
RACE/ETHNICITY |
White | 84.5% | 81.9% | 85.7% | 77.6% | 83.0% | 86.0% |
Black/African-American | 10.2% | 11.2% | 9.6% | 16.4% | 11.7% | 8.5% |
Other | 5.3% | 6.9% | 4.7% | 6.0% | 5.3% | 5.5% |
Spanish/Hispanic origin | 11.5% | 23.2% | 9.4% | 13.9% | 10.9% | 9.1% |
HOUSEHOLD INCOME |
<$25K | 10.7% | 11.3% | 12.6% | 11.5% | 11.0% | 8.7% |
$25-35K | 10.6% | 11.2% | 12.4% | 11.4% | 11.1% | 8.9% |
$35-50K | 18.0% | 16.9% | 19.8% | 18.2% | 18.3% | 16.5% |
$50-75K | 18.2% | 16.7% | 19.3% | 17.7% | 18.4% | 18.6% |
TIME SPENT ON INTERNET PER WEEK |
<1 hour | 4.9% | 4.7% | 5.3% | 4.8% | 5.4% | 4.6% |
1-4 hours | 22.4% | 21.6% | 22.4% | 22.1% | 22.3% | 22.1% |
5-9 hours | 19.9% | 20.4% | 18.8% | 19.7% | 19.9% | 21.6% |
10-19 hours | 14.3% | 15.8% | 12.9% | 14.3% | 13.6% | 16.7% |
20+ hours | 12.7% | 13.8% | 12.2% | 13.1% | 12.8% | 14.9% |
INTERNET USE PAST 30 DAYS |
Cable TV network site | 6.4% | 8.2% | 5.5% | 6.6% | 6.3% | 8.1% |
Download/listen to audio clips | 9.4% | 13.0% | 8.9% | 10.4% | 9.2% | 11.3% |
Download/watch TV programs | 8.9% | 13.5% | 7.4% | 9.8% | 9.0% | 10.9% |
Download/watch/listen to podcasts | 3.9% | 5.4% | 3.0% | 4.3% | 3.8% | 4.6% |
Fantasy sports | 5.2% | 6.0% | 4.8% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 7.5% |
Listen to radio | 11.1% | 15.1% | 10.6% | 11.8% | 10.9% | 13.4% |
Sports scores/updates | 26.4% | 32.0% | 24.1% | 28.6% | 24.5% | 33.5% |