Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs Top List of America's Favorite Baseball Teams

Strong majority of baseball fans believe the Instant Replay rule has been good for the sport

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Jul 09, 2015, 05:00 ET

NEW YORK, July 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Major League Baseball All Star Game is just around the corner, marking the midpoint of baseball season. Those not playing in next week's showdown get a few days off before the season kicks back into high gear through the end of the regular season, so what better time to check in on who America's Favorite Baseball Team is this year.

Among those who follow the sport, the New York Yankees continue the more-than-decade-long winning streak they've been on since 2003, coming in once again as "America's Favorite." Another repeat – in this case one we've been seeing since 2009 – is longtime Yankees rival the Boston Red Sox coming in at no. 2 once again. Moving up one spot to no. 3 are the Chicago Cubs.

Rounding out the top five are the Los Angeles Dodgers at no. 4 (rising 2 spots from last year) and the Detroit Tigers, up one spot from no. 6 in 2014 to no. 5 this year.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,200 adults, of whom 700 follow Major League Baseball, surveyed online between June 17 and 22, 2015. Full results of this study, including data tables, can be found here.

Looking at the second half of this year's top 10 favorite teams, down one spot from no. 5 last year to no. 6 in 2015 are the Atlanta Braves, followed by the Philadelphia Phillies at no. 7 (up from a 13^th-place tie last year). The St. Louis Cardinals come in at no. 8 (up two spots from a 10^th place tie in 2014) while the Minnesota Twins hold steady in the no. 9 spot. The no. 10 spot is a tie this year between the Cleveland Indians (up three spots from a 13^th place tie in 2014) and the San Francisco Giants (down from a 3^rd place showing last year).

Who is going to win it all...
Neither of 2014's World Series competitors (San Francisco Giants or Kansas City Royals) top this year's list when baseball fans identify the team they think will win this year's World Series, though they're both in the top 5. Almost two in ten baseball followers (17%) say the St. Louis Cardinals will win the World Series this fall; the last time the Cardinals were the top pick (in 2013), they did indeed make it to the big game(s) but were defeated by the Red Sox.

The New York Yankees are the second most frequently named team (11%), followed by the Kansas City Royals (10%), last year's World Series runner-up. California closes out the top 5, with 9% believing the LA Dodgers will win the World Series this year and 7% calling out 2014 champs, the San Francisco Giants.

Instant Replay
Last season, Major League Baseball introduced a new Instant Replay rule, and three-quarters of baseball fans (75%) are aware of this change.

Thinking about its impact on the sport, six in ten baseball fans (61%) believe the rule has slowed down the pace of a typical baseball game at least a little bit (though only 3% say it has slowed games a great deal).

However, this perceived slowdown may be worth it, as eight in ten fans (80%) believe the new rule has been good for Major League baseball overall (with 40% saying it has been very good).

Following baseball
With just under a third of Americans saying they follow Major League Baseball (32%), interest appears to have declined from last year (when 37% indicated the same). Looking more specifically at which groups of Americans are more and less likely to follow MLB:

Men (43%) are more likely than women (22%) to follow it.

A regional divide can also be seen, with those in the South (25%) less likely than their counterparts elsewhere in the country (34% East, 36% Midwest, 38% West) to say they follow MLB.

Those with at least some college (33% some college, 41% college grads, 39% post grads) are more likely than those with a High School education or less (26%) to say they follow the sport.

Suburbanites (36%) are more likely than their rural counterparts (26%) to follow it.

To see other recent Harris Polls, visit us at TheHarrisPoll.com.

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Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between June 17 and 22, 2015 among 2,220 adults (aged 18 and over) of whom 700 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, The Harris Poll 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 Poll 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 our 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 The Harris Poll.

The Harris Poll^® #40, July 9, 2015
By Larry Shannon-Missal, Managing Editor, The Harris Poll

About The Harris Poll^®
Begun in 1963, The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys measuring public opinion in the U.S. and is highly regarded throughout the world. The nationally representative polls, conducted primarily online, measure the knowledge, opinions, behaviors and motivations of the general public. New and trended polls on a wide variety of subjects including politics, the economy, healthcare, foreign affairs, science and technology, sports and entertainment, and lifestyles are published weekly. For more information, or to see other recent polls, visit us at TheHarrisPoll.com.

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SOURCE The Harris Poll