What you need to know

85% of US adults follow at least one sport. The most passionate sports fans, Avid Fans, almost never miss a game/event for the sport/team they follow and account for more than half of sport fans (43%) or 109 million adults. America’s sport of choice is football, which attracts the most fans and generates the greatest annual revenue. Despite improvements to give fans wider access to games/events through streaming services or apps, fans still prefer to watch at home, on TV, and in real-time. While watching, fans are often “distracted,” as many engage in other activities at the same time, namely their smartphones. However, viewing preferences, behaviors, and attitudes differ by the specific sport(s) that fans follow.

Definition

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel categorizes respondents based on their level of engagement with sports:

Sports Fan Someone who follows at least one sport (net of Avid Fans, Casual Fans, and Occasional Fans).
Avid Fan Someone who almost never misses his/her team’s game/event, for at least one of the sports evaluated.
Casual Fan Someone who watches at least half of his/her team’s games/events, for at least one of the sports evaluated.
Occasional Fan Someone who occasionally watches games/events for at least one of the sports evaluated.
Non-fan Someone who does not follow any of the sports evaluated.

Analysis is based on Sports Fans and Avid Fans and investigates the following sports:

Team sports Individual sports College sports
Professional baseball Professional tennis College football
Professional basketball Professional golf College basketball
Professional football Professional auto racing
Professional hockey
Professional soccer

The following abbreviations are commonly used in this Report.

MLB Major League Baseball
MLS Major League Soccer
NBA National Basketball Association
NFL National Football League
NHL National Hockey League

Readers may also be interested in Mintel’s Marketing to Sports Fans – US, July 2016 as well as the August 2015, July 2014, March 2013, and June 2012 Reports of the same title.

Back to top