Popularity of Tennis Gaining As Spectator Sport
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The Harris Survey For Release: Thursday, September 12, 1974 POPULARITY OF TENNIS GAINING AS SPECTATOR SPORT By Louis Harris Although football remains the most widely followed game among the nation's sports fans, tennis is moving up rapidly as a spectator sport. The Harris Sports Survey finds that the number who say they "follow" tennis has risen fron 17 to 26 percent just in the last year, by far the most dramatic change in American sports preferences. Horse racing was the only other activity to show a gain, with 20 percent of all sports fans now saying they follow the horses compared to 18 percent a year ago. Recently, the Harris Sports Survey asked a special national cross section of 1,384 sports fans: "Which of these sports do you follow?" (HAND RESPO!:DENT CARD) SPORTS FOLLOWED BY FANS Football Baseball Basketball Tennis Auto racing Go1f Bowling Horse racing Boxing Track and field Hockey Boating The biggest and most spectacular rise in recent years has been registered by tennis, which has moved from last place in 1971 up to 4th in the 1974 standings of spectator interest. The three main reasons for this surge in tennis popularity can be traced to: 1) A sizable increase in the nunber of persons who are playing the sport themselves these days; 2) Much wider television and press coverage of tennis matches on a regular basis; and 3) The energence of young, attractive superstars such as Chris Evert, Jim:y Connors, and Bjorn Borg. Interest in horse racir.~):as grown partly out of the excitement stirred up by Secretariat, lcst year's superhorse, and the legitimization of of f-track betting in New York, which statistically accounts for close to 10 Fiercelit of tile country. As off-track betting spreads into other states, there is every likelihood the sport of Lings will gain in follorzers. While football continues to hold down the top spot in national fan interest, nonetheless it is significant that for the third year in a row, footl~allappears to be slipping. Undoubtedly, the player strikf: durin~tilr prr-season period helped to darnpen fan enthusiasm for the sport. The public consistently has s1loi.m an aversion to tho de.relopmcnt of sports as large-scale business enterprises k rather tlian as 11orrletoi;n rntertajnment for the fans. Football has slumped in fan support in the East and Midwest, although it remains strong in the West and South. It also has an appeal rooted among young people, professional and executive types, and higher income people. This base makes football a highly viable co~ercialtelevision property. After something of a comeback, baseball appears to be tapering off in fan interest, despite the interest generated by Henry Aaron's feat of breaking Babe Ruth's home-run record earlier in the year. Baseball d has made some gains among suburban residents and white collar people, while its basic support among lower income people has waned considerably over the past few years. Tennis has caught hold particularly among young people under 30, anong those with college educations, women, and high-income earners. Its breakthrough in the ranks of women and the young augurs well for the future of tennis as a major spectator sport. More violent sports have turned many women off. It is interesting to note also that tennis has just about as much. appeal among blacks as whites nationwide. When fans were asked to name their favorite sport, the fallo.ff for football was even more apparent. The cross section of sports fans was asked: "If you had to choose, which one sport would you say is your favorite?" FANS' FAVORITE SPORT Football. Baseball Basketball Auto racing Bowling Tennis Golf Horse racing Hockey Boxing Skiing Boating Track and field None or not sure X - Not asked While loyalties are now spreading over a wider spectrum of individual sports, football has slipped 3 points in the past year and 5 points since 1972. If the trend downward for football continues, it is entirely possible that football could lose its position as the current king of spectator sports in America. The new World Football League and the current season of the trouble-plagued National Football League may be thc keys to that future. Copyright: 1974 Chicago Tribune 7 (r .