NFL is most popular sport in America for 30th year in row

For the thirtieth year in a row, professional football can claim the title of America’s Game. According to the Harris Poll, adult fans, ages 18 and over, answered that the NFL is their favorite sport to watch and it was in first by a wide margin.

A whopping 35 percent of fans say the NFL is their favorite sport, followed by Major League Baseball (14 percent), college football (11 percent), auto racing (7 percent), the NBA (6 percent), the NHL (5 percent) and college basketball (3 percent).

To show just how popular the NFL has become since the poll began in 1985, the NFL edged Major League Baseball in popularity by just one percentage point (24 to 23 percent).

Now, it isn’t even close.

With nine percent fewer fans saying that baseball is their favorite sport since the poll began, baseball has watched its popularity drop more than any of the other top sports.

Demographics are also analyzed in the Harris Poll and it shows that more southerners call college football their favorite sport. More people in rural areas on the East coast favor the NFL, while those with a high school education or less tend to gravitate to auto racing.