Sports fans in the DC metro area believe that the market ranks as an average sports town compared to other U.S. cities, according to a Washington Post poll conducted over the summer. Forty-two percent of respondents said DC is an "average" sports town, compared to 27% saying "above average" and 14% saying "below average." Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they were casual sports fans, while 17% said they were not sports fans at all. Among sports fans, the NFL received the highest avidity level, with 39% of respondents saying they cared a great deal about the league. Among other pro sports in the market, the NHL and pro soccer scored the lowest levels with only 10% of respondents saying they cared a great deal and around half of respondents saying they didn't care about those sports at all. Listed below are select questions from the Washington Post poll on the overall sports feeling in the market. See tomorrow's issue for questions regarding specific DC-area teams, owners and venues (THE DAILY).
| Overall, how would you rate DC as a sports town compared to other cities?
(among sports fans) |
| LEVEL | % |
| One of the best | 12% |
| Above average | 27% |
| Average | 42% |
| Below average | 14% |
| One of the worst | 3% |
| No opinion | 1% |
| | |
| Would you describe yourself as an avid sports fan, regular fan,
casual fan or not a fan at all? |
| FAN LEVEL | % |
| Avid | 19% |
| Regular | 26% |
| Casual | 38% |
| Not at all | 17% |
| | |
| To what extent do you care about…(among sports fans) |
| SPORT | GREAT DEAL | SOMEWHAT | JUST A LITTLE | NONE |
| NFL | 39% | 32% | 20% | 9% |
| NBA | 16% | 21% | 28% | 36% |
| NHL | 10% | 20% | 21% | 48% |
| Pro soccer | 10% | 16% | 22% | 52% |
| MLB | 15% | 22% | 33% | 31% |
| College football | 20% | 25% | 22% | 33% |
| College basketball | 16% | 23% | 22% | 38% |
| | | | | |
| Over the past year, have you…. |
| ACTION | YES | NO |
| Purchased a team jersey, hat or other item with team logo | 44% | 56% |
| Paid for a sports magazine (print or online) | 15% | 85% |
| Bought a sports-themed video game | 16% | 84% |
| Placed a bet on a sporting event | 13% | 87% |
| Participated in a fantasy sports league | 13% | 87% |
| | | |
METHODOLOGY: The Washington Post poll was conducted online and by telephone from July 29-Aug. 29 among a random sample of 1,010 adult residents in the DC metro area, which was defined as DC, Charles, Prince George's and Montgomery counties in Maryland and Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Loudoun, Manassas City, Manassas Park City and Prince William County in Virginia.
