Back to Baseball: The State of MLB as the 2020 Season Begins

ssrs.com | @ssrs_research MLB Fandom Down Slightly, Avid Fandom Stable During Break Without Baseball

MLB fandom was down slightly in the break following the postponement of the 2020 season. Avid MLB fandom was actually up slightly during the same period.

% of USA 12+ Who are MLB Fans % of USA 12+ Who are Avid MLB Fans 70% 70% 60.4% 58.9% 60% 60%

50% 50%

40% 40%

30% 30%

20% 20% 17.3% 17.5%

10% 10%

0% 0% Jan 1 - Mar 12, 2020 Mar 13 - Jun 30, 2020 Jan 1 - Mar 12, 2020 Mar 13 - Jun 30, 2020

*Mar 13: Spring training and 2020 season postponed Base: MLB fans 12+, Jan 2020 - June 2020 An opportunity for an early season bump during the summer

In a typical year, MLB is the top sports priority for sports fans during the spring and early summer. With no baseball this year, the NFL rose as the top sports priority.

During the late summer and early fall, the NFL has traditionally been the top priority. With the reshuffling of seasons, it presents an opportunity for other sports to shine at this time of year. MLB is Normally Top Sports Priority During Q2, but Lower Without Baseball

Which sport are sports fans most interested in right now? 30% 25% 21.4% 20% 16.0% 16.3% 15% 12.3% 11.8% Q2 17-19 10% 7.8% 8.5% 8.1% 7.6% 6.1% 4.5% Q2 2020 5% 3.2%2.3% 3.4% 0% NFL College FB MLB NBA Pro Soccer College BB NHL

Which sport are sports fans most interested in right now? 30% 25% 23.1% 20% 14.0% 15% Q3 17-19 10.1% 8.7% 10% 7.3% Q3 2020 5% 2.8% 2.8% 0% ? ? ? ? ? ? ? NFL College FB MLB NBA Pro Soccer College BB NHL Data from the SSRS/LoT Sports Poll 2019-2020 Which teams will MLB fans be following most closely?

FAVORITE MLB TEAM 2019 2020

Top 5 have held since 2016

10.2% 9.6% Dodgers up significantly

7.0% 6.9% 6.4% 6.2% 5.9% 5.5% 5.6% 5.1%

3.3%3.2% 3.4% 3.1%2.9% 2.9% 3.1%2.9% 2.8% 2.3%

New York Boston Los Angeles Chicago Atlanta Houston New York St Louis Detroit San Francisco Yankees Red Sox Dodgers Cubs Braves Astros Mets Cardinals Tigers Giants

Base: MLB fans 12+, Jan 2020 - June 2020 FAVORITE MLB PLAYER

1.8% Mike Trout 2.4% Mike Trout and Aaron Judge 2.6% Aaron Judge 2.3% now even as favorite player 1.5% Jose Altuve 1.3% 0.9% Anthony Rizzo 1.2% Mike Trout 1.1% Bryce Harper 1.1% 0.8% Yadier Molina 1.1% 0.7% Kris Bryant 0.9% 0.6% Francisco Lindor 0.9% 1.2% Which players will MLB Mookie Betts 0.8% Javier Baez 0.6% fans be following most 0.8% Aaron Judge 0.9% closely? Clayton Kershaw 0.8% 0.5% Justin Verlander 0.7% 0.9% Miguel Cabrera 0.6% 0.7% Christian Yelich 0.6% 2019 0.5% Buster Posey 0.6% 0.7% 2020 Freddie Freeman 0.5% Pete Alonso 0.3% Salvador Perez 0.4% 0.5% Jacob DeGrom 0.4% 0.1% Pete Alonso 0.4% Pete Alonso enters top 20 this season 0.4% Joey Votto 0.4% Base: MLB fans 12+, Jan 2020 - June 2020