New York Yankees America's Favorite Baseball Team for 8th Year

NEW YORK, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- As we reach the mid-point of the baseball season, it's time for the All-Star game and for reflections on the sport as a whole. So far in the 2010 Major League Baseball season, pitching has been the star performer, with some memorable perfect games, including the one that was, but wasn't, and the debut of the Washington Nationals' young phenom.

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But, one thing remains the same when it comes to baseball. Among those who follow the sport, the New York Yankees again win the honor of "America's Favorite", as they have each year since 2003. In the second spot on the list are their long time arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox, followed by the Atlanta Braves at number three; both of these teams' positions are unchanged from last year.

Rounding out the top five are the Philadelphia Phillies at number four, rising from 7th place last year, and the Chicago Cubs, who may not win pennants, but do win a lot of hearts.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,227 adults surveyed online between June 14 and 21, 2010 by Harris Interactive.

Looking at the bottom half of the top ten favorite baseball teams, at number six are the New York Mets, up from number 11 last year; the San Francisco Giants (#7, up from #9); the Los Angeles Dodgers (#8, down from a tie at #4); the Minnesota Twins (#9, up from #13); and the St. Louis Cardinals (#10, down from #6).

Three teams have made large moves on this year's list. Moving up ten spots, from #29 last year to #19 this year, are the Kansas City Royals. Also making a large move upwards are the Cleveland Indians who went up 8 spots, from a tie for #25 to #17. In the opposite direction, the Houston Astros dropped 9 spots, moving from #19 to #28.

Winning it all in October

Looking ahead to the end of the season, one-third of Americans who follow baseball (34%) are expecting a repeat and think the New York Yankees are going to win the World Series. One in ten believe the Boston Red Sox (10%) and the Tampa Bay Rays (9%) will win, while 7% say it will be the St. Louis Cardinals and 6% each say it will be the Philadelphia Phillies or the Atlanta Braves. Each team also evidently has die-hard fans, as each of the 30 teams has someone who believes they will win it all.

Following baseball

Over one-third of Americans (36%) say they follow Major League Baseball, a number that is down from last year when 41% said they followed baseball and 40% said so in 2008. Looking at who follows baseball, men are more likely to do so than women (46% versus 27%). Also African Americans are more likely to be followers of the sport, compared to both Whites and Hispanics (41% versus 36% and 34%). There is also a regional divide, as almost half of Easterners (48%) say they follow baseball, compared to one-third of Westerners (34%) and 29% of Southerners.

So what?

Major League Baseball has had lots of ups and downs over the past few decades. For every strike-shortened season, there is Cal Ripken breaking records. For every steroid scandal, there is the story of a young pitcher with an arm not seen in decades. And, through it all, fans mostly stay loyal, following their favorite teams through thick and thin, cursed goats and all. When the weather gets hot and steamy outside, staying inside to watch a game makes many a baseball fan not mind the heat waves quite so much.

TABLE 1

FAVORITE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM: 1999 – 2009

"What is your favorite Major League Baseball team?"

Base: All adults who follow baseball

*It should be noted that the sample was limited to the United States. It is therefore no surprise that the Canadian team placed last on this list in a survey where no Canadian residents are surveyed.

TABLE 2

WHO WILL WIN THE WORLD SERIES THIS YEAR?

"Which team do you think will win the World Series this fall?"

Base: All adults who follow baseball

Note: * indicates less than 0.5%

TABLE 3

WHO FOLLOWS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL – BY DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP

"Do you follow major league baseball or not?"

Summary of Yes Responses

Base: All adults

TABLE 4

WHO FOLLOWS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL – TREND

"Do you follow major league baseball or not?"

Summary of Yes Responses

Base: All adults

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States June 14 to 21, 2010 among 2,227 adults (aged 18 and over) of whom 803 follow major league baseball. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

J38301

Q880, 885, 890

The Harris Poll® #87, July 12, 2010

By Regina A. Corso, Director, The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

SOURCE Harris Interactive