After six months football that counts is back, as the NFL regular season kicked off yesterday. Half (50%) of Americans are professional football fans, making the sport a clear fan-favorite among U.S. adults, this according to new research from Mintel.
Joining professional football at the top of sports fans’ must-watch list are college football (35%), professional baseball (32%) and professional basketball (30%).
According to Mintel research, roughly two thirds of U.S. adults are sports fans (67%), individuals who watch at least half of their favorite team’s games or events in at least one sport.
By Mintel’s definition, 56% of women and 80% of men qualify as sports fans. Though men (63%) are much more likely than women (38%) to watch football, it is the most popular sport among fans regardless of gender.
In fact, 38% of men report that they almost never miss their favorite football team’s game. A similar trend is seen among college football fans, with 45% of men and 26% of women reporting that they are fans.
In conjunction, baseball and basketball rank third and fourth most popular among men and women, with men (43%) being twice as likely as women (22%) to be fans of professional baseball and professional basketball (40% vs 21% of women).
Additionally, male sports fans are more likely to play fantasy sports (23%) than women (13%), with men (45%) showing greater interest in game and player statistics than women (31%).
“Following sports is a widely popular tradition in the U.S. due to a rich history at both the collegiate and professional levels, as well as the notion that athletics embody the American ideals of hard work, perseverance and striving for greatness. Our research shows that sports like college and professional football have strong fan bases among male and female sports fans and are as much of an American pastime as baseball,” said Lauren Bonetto, Lifestyles and Leisure Analyst at Mintel. “Furthermore, the popularity of fantasy sports illustrates the level of dedication Americans have to sports overall and could lead to increased engagement as those in fantasy leagues may watch additional games to gain a competitive edge.”
Importance of the tailgate spread The majority of sports fans agree that eating and drinking is a big part of watching sports (60%).
Nearly all sports fans consume beverages while watching sports at home with at least half reaching for water, soda or beer.
Among sports fans age 21 and older, 63% report consuming alcoholic beverages while watching sports, with 50% of these fans drinking beer. In comparison, 54% of fans report drinking soda and 64% drink water while watching sports.
Though many fans drink alcohol while watching sports, it appears few are “drinking to get drunk;” sports fans tend to opt for beer (50%) and wine (31%) over mixed drinks with hard alcohol (28%). In particular, male sports fans are significantly more likely than female fans to consume beer while watching sports (56% vs 42%).
Overall, 83% of fans snack while watching sports. Mintel research shows that 82% of U.S. adults buy salty snacks for themselves, and sports fans are no exception: 68% of fans eat salty snacks while watching sports. Outside of snacks, chili, a staple of some football tailgate spreads, is eaten by nearly one third of sports fans (29%) during games.
Millennials use game time to socialize While two thirds of fans prefer to watch games from the comfort of their own home rather than in person (69%), roughly half of American sports fans view sports as a tool for socializing. A full 46% agree that following sports is more about being social than anything else, including 59% of Millennials.
Millennials are also most likely to agree with similar motivations for watching sports. Three quarters (74%) of sports fans agree that following sports is a good way to bond with family and friends, increasing to 78% of Millennials.
Further, 52% of sports fans overall and 67% of Millennials agree that following sports makes them feel more connected to their community. Millennial sports fans are the most likely generation to watch sports with others, including 45% who report watching with friends, compared to 34% of fans overall.
Compared to Millennials, children show less interest in watching sports. In 2014, a third of kids age 6-11 watched sports on TV at least occasionally (33%). This is down from 39% in 2013, and is a sharp decline from 2008, when nearly half of children age 6-11 reported watching sports (45%).
“Millennials tend to agree that following sports is about being social. Our data indicates Millennials prefer to watch sporting events as part of a larger group and gravitate towards social media in order to stay connected and engaged both online and offline,” concluded Bonetto.