Baseball Fans Split on Proposed Changes to the Game; Atlanta Braves Still America's Favorite Team
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Harris Poll r THE HARRIS POLL 1993 #37 For release: Monday, July 26, 1993 BASEBALL FANS SPLIT ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE GAME; ATLANTA BRAVES STILL AMERICA'S FAVORITE TEAM by Humphrey Taylor As major league baseball plans to reconfigure itself for the future, fans are split on the major proposed changes, according to the latest nationwide Harris Poll of 1,253 adults, 501 of whom are baseball fans, surveyed between June 24 and 29. Two-thirds of baseball fans (65 percent) support a limited schedule of games between American and National League teams during the regular season, but by a 54-44 percent margin, fans oppose increasing the number of teams advancing to post-season play from four to eight. Inter-league play, which receives the support of a 65-32 percent majority overall, gets the most support in the West, among those under 25 and Hispanics. Easterners, who appear to be baseball's most conservative fans, are the least supportive of inter-league play and the most opposed to expanding the playoffs. Narrow majorities of Southerners, L Westerners and African-Americans, on the other hand, support having more teams in the playoffs. Thirty-eight percent of the adults surveyed report following major league baseball. Most of these fans are serious students of the game, with just over half of fans (52 percent) reporting that they watch more than 20 baseball games a year on television or in person. While 10 percent of them feel there is too much baseball on television and 20 percent too little, fully 69 percent say the right amount of games are televised. A 62-34 percent majority of fans report that attending a major league baseball game is affordable for them and their families, but only 19 percent say that attending a game is very affordable. By the same token, 87 percent of fans believe major league players' salaries are too high, with 68 percent saying they are "much too high." Less than 1 percent believes their salaries are too low. The Atlanta Braves remain America's favorite baseball team, with 13 percent of fans naming them as their favorite team. The New York Yankees are in second place at 8 percent, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers at 7 percent. The New York Mets, a perennial fan favorite in the '80s, have seen their popularity fall off as sharply as their Louis Harris & Associates 630 Fifth Avenue NYC L I winning percentage, with only 3 percent naming them as their favorite. The Yankees remain firmly entrenched as America's most unpopular team with 14 percent of fans naming the Bronx Bombers as their least favorite team. Their fellow New d Yorkers, the Mets, are the second most unpopular, at 9 percent. Humphrey Taylor is the President and C.E.O. of Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. TABLE 1 lI.wmax=mammATi "Historically, teams from the American and National League have not played each other during the regular season, only in the World Series. Would you favor or oppose allowing limited inter-league play so that natural rivals like the Mets and Yankees would have a chance to play during the regular season?" Base: Follow major league baseball TABLE 2 m-rnvom "Would you favor or oppose a proposal to double the number of baseball teams that make the playoffs from four to eight, bringing the playoffs to more cities while allowing teams that did not win their division to be in the playoffs? Base: Follow major league baseball -- I Region 111 Age 111 Itace MWMid--y!&t y!&t mm 24 29 39 49 64 over % % % % % %%%%% % % % % Favor 44 31 43 51 53 47 45 50 48 38 39 42 54 43 54 67 557 i 46 45 53 55 46 57 Not 2 2 3 1 -212 4 1 sure TABLE 3 mmw WQIW mmm Bmm "Do you follow major league baseball or not?" Base: 1,254 adults nationwide yq"1mmAge 11-11 " Race over * =less % %%%%%% % % % % % than 0.5% 1 Follow 38 32 38 37 42 37 40 50 1 27 39 37 41 Do not 62 68 62 63 58 62 59 50 73 6 1 63 5 9 follow Not * - + - - 1 1 - 1 * + sure 1 TABLE 5 momoIF BMmm ON ~~~oN 4' "How do you feel about the amount of baseball that's currently being shown on television? Is it too much, too littie or the right amount?" Base: Follow major league baseball Region Race East Mid- South West west Im ml *=less than % % % % % % % % % % 0.5 % Too much 10 9 8 12 13 1 9 12 10 14 4 Too little 20 20 22 16 24 24 13 19 20 32 Right amount 69 70 70 7 1 62 66 74 70 66 64 Not sure * 1 - * 1 * 1 1 - - New York Mets METHODOLOGY i This Harris Poll was conducted by telephone within the United States between June 24 and 29,1993, among a nationwide cross section of 1,253 adults, 501 of whom are baseball fans. Figures for age, sex, race and education were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. d In theory, with a sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters). It is difficult or impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This statement conforms to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. Contact Louis Harris and Associates, Inc., Information Services, 630 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10111, (212) 698-9697, for complete demographic details for the questions in this release. COPYRIGHT 1993 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. ISSN 0895-7983 .