Baseball Is No Longer America's Favorite Pastime, According to This Map
There's no denying that the United States is full of sports fanatics, but just how many are there? According to a new study by Myprotein, a leading sports nutrition brand in Europe, about 154 million Americans (read: nearly half of the country's entire population) tune in to watch live sports every month — not to mention the ones who also spend $56 billion on tickets annually. From basketball, to football, to hockey, to baseball, there's almost always a game to watch, but gone are the days when baseball was America's favorite pastime. Today, one sport's popularity soars above the rest: football, with 31 states preferring it over any other one.
Based on Vivid Seats ticket sales in each state, Myprotein found that 19 states' residents would rather spend their money on an NFL game than any other sport's game, and 12 states are die-hard NCAA fans, a.k.a. college football. Florida, New Mexico, and Washington are just some of the states that can't stay away from an NFL game, while Nebraska, Alabama, and Oklahoma are big college football fans — which makes sense considering they're all home to top-ranking football schools.
Ten states have kept America's original fascination with baseball over the last few decades, choosing to go to a baseball game before a football, hockey, or basketball one. When you think about it, it makes sense that states like New York, home to legacy team the Yankees, and California, which has five major league baseball teams, would be all-baseball, all-the-time.
Basketball and hockey follow baseball's popularity, tied with five different states choosing those sports over the rest. California, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah are big NBA fans, while Kentucky also loves the sport but prefers college basketball. America's major hockey supporters, on the other hand, can be found in Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Vermont.