Sports Fans Give Pete Rose Another Chance
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The Harris Poll For release: Sunday AM, April 2, 1989 1989 115 ISSN 0895-7983 SPORTS FANS GIVE PETE ROSE ANOTHER CHANCE; CLOSE SPLIT ON CHOICE FOR NCAA CROWN By Louis Harris A solid 54 percent of all baseball fans say that even ''if it is proven that Pete Rose bet on baseball games that his own team was involved in," he "should be given another chance and allowed to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame." A sizable 66 percent of those who follow baseball claim they have not drawn a judgment about the Cincinnati Reds manager on the gambling charges levelled against him, preferring to wait to see if he really did the things he's been accused of doing. Only 19 percent of the fans report being disappointed with Rose according to this latest Harris Poll, taken by telephone, between March 23rd and 29th among a representative cross section of 1,248 adults nationwide, of whom 1,046 are sports fans. In another timely area of sports, basketball fans are deeply divided in their loyalty on which of the Final Four teams they will be rooting for in the NCAA championship tournament. The poll was completed before yesterday's semi-final games which determined who would play for the NCAA championship tomorrow night. Illinois proved to be the most popular team, named by 16 percent as their choice, followed by Duke and Seton Hall at 14 percent, with Michigan behind at 11 percent. As might be expected, there are sharp regional differences, with Seton Hall backed most in the East, Illinois in the Midwest, and Duke in the South. In the West, with no team in the Final Four, basketball fans there favored Michigan and Seton Hall, both underdogs. This latest Harris Sports Poll shows that the number of fans who follow most sports has been rising, reversing a trend from the mid-1980s, when it appeared that sports were vastly overexposed on television. Big winners include: -- Both college and professional basketball have gained followers, with the college version up 12 points and the pros up 8 points. -- Auto racing shows an increase of 6 points in its following. -- Other winners were pro football, bowling, boxing, golf, and hockey, all up by 3 points. Also gaining in following were baseball and soccer, each up one point. -- Those sports that showed a decrease in interest and following were horse racing, which fell 3 points, tennis, down 2 points, and college football, off a point. The two leading college sports -- basketball and football -- are heading in opposite directions. College basketball is soaring in fan following, while football appears to be in trouble. 'Jndoubtedly, the scandals in a number of major college football programs accounts for this change. Pro football, by contrast, is still gaining real ground . TABLES Between March 23rd and 29th, the Harris Poll asked a nationwide cross section of 1,248 adults, by telephone: "Pete Rose, the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, who holds the record for the most base hits, is now accused of betting heavily on all sports, including baseball. Are you deeply disappointed in him, somewhat disappointed, not disappointed at all, or are you waiting to see if he really did the things he's accused of?" (over1 . I THE HARRIS POLL -2- April 2, 1989 . , DISAPPOINTED IN PETE ROSE? (Base: 699 Baseball fans) Deeply disappointed Somewhat disappointed Not disappointed at all Waiting to see if he did those things Not sure "If it is proven that Pete Rose bet on baseball games that his team was involved in, an offense which could banish him from the game for the rest of his life, do you think he should be banned from baseball, including being barred from the Baseball Hall of Fame, or do you think he should be given another chance and allowed to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?" SHOULD PETE ROSE BE BANNED FROM BASEBALL AND BARRED FROM HALL OF FAME? -% (Base: 699 Baseball fansl Banned from baseball and barred from Hall of Fame Given another chance 54 Banned from baseball, still allowed in Hall of Fame (vol.) Not sure 4 "If you had to say, which one team still left in the NCAA championship tournament would you most like to see win this year's NCAA?" d WHO AMONG THE FINAL FOUR SHOULD WIN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT? -% (Base: 556 Basketball fansl Illinois Duke Seton Hall Michigan Not sure "Please tell me which of these sports you follow.8o SPORTS FOLLOWED March 1989 November 1985 (Base: 1,248 adults) Pro football Baseball College football College basketball Pro basketball Boxing Auto racing Tennis Track and field Golf Bowling Horse racing Hockey Soccer (continued) THE HARRIS POLL -3- April 2, 1989 b "If you had to choose, which one of these sports would you say is your favorite?" FAVORITE SPORTS March 1989 November 1985 % % (Base: 1,046 sports fans) Pro football Baseball College basketball Pro basketball College football Bowling Auto racing Boxing Golf Tennis Hockey Horse racing Soccer Track and field Not sure x = not asked METHODOLOGY This Harris Poll was conducted by telephone within the United States between March 23rd and 29th, among a nationwide cross section of 1,248 adults, of whom 1,046 are sports fans. Figures for age, sex, race and education were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. In a sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus three percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled. This statement conforms to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. COPYRIGHT 1989 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. .