GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- As the 2000 football season gets underway in earnest this Labor Day weekend, Gallup asked Americans about both the NFL and the college game. In the latest Gallup poll, conducted August 24-27, 54% of Americans claim to be fans of professional football, a percentage that has remained relatively constant since 1998. When asked which NFL team they think will win the championship this year, the results are extraordinarily mixed; no one team dominates as a clear-cut favorite of America's pro football fans. As might be expected, last year's champion St. Louis Rams and runner-up Tennessee Titans are among the top choices, with 8% and 7% respectively, but both are slightly below the Washington Redskins, chosen by 10% of fans. The Redskins, a playoff team from last year, brought in several free agent players and added two of the nation's top college football players from last season to their team. Next on the list of fan-predicted winners are the Denver Broncos (5%) and the Green Bay Packers (5%), who, combined, have won three NFL championships from 1996-1998.
Why aren't the St. Louis Rams the dominant choice of football fans this year? Apparently fans of the NFL have rather short memories, as evidenced by the fact that only 42% of them could correctly name the Rams as last year's Super Bowl Champions. Forty-four percent did not know the correct answer. The other 14% gave an incorrect response.
Dallas Cowboys Rank as America's Favorite Team
The Gallup poll also asked fans to identify their favorite team --
regardless of what team they thought would win the Super Bowl. As
it turns out, the Dallas Cowboys are still "America's Team," but
just barely; the Cowboys are essentially in a tie with the Green
Bay Packers. Eleven percent of fans say that the Cowboys are their
favorite, while 10% pick the Packers. The San Francisco 49ers and
Pittsburgh Steelers follow with 9% and 7% of fans favoring them,
respectively. The New England Patriots and Washington Redskins each
draw 5% of the NFL fan base. No other team is cited as a favorite
by more than 4% of NFL fans.
There are differences in favorite NFL team by region of country. In the East, the number one choice is the New England Patriots. In the Midwest, it is the Green Bay Packers. In the South it's the Dallas Cowboys, and the favorite pro football team in the West is the San Francisco 49ers.
The College Game
Slightly fewer Americans claim to be fans of college football than
professional football. Forty-two percent of Americans say they are
a fan or somewhat of a fan of the sport as it is played by
amateurs. Similarly, when the general public is asked which sport
they prefer to follow more, 51% of Americans says they prefer
professional football, compared to 25% who say college football.
Another 21% have no preference.
Polls of coaches and sports reporters play a significant role in deciding the eventual collegiate champion, unlike the NFL, which has a playoff system. In this poll, Gallup askedfanswhat team they thought was the number one college football team in the country. The largest number of college football fans (21%) believes Florida State is the best team in the country as the season is getting underway. Nebraska follows with 16% of fans choosing them as number one. The ordering of these teams is reversed from the latest coaches and press polls, which list Nebraska as the top team and Florida State #2. The rest of the fans' top five is rounded out with Florida (6%), Michigan (5%), and Wisconsin (3%).
Dennis Miller Not Drawing Ringing Endorsement
ABC sports recently hired comedian Dennis Miller as a color analyst
for Monday Night Football, arguably the tops sports program in the
country; 56% of Americans claim to be either "regular" or
"occasional" viewers of Monday Night Football. Among those who say
they are regular viewers of the program, opinion is split on the
hiring of Miller. Half of regular viewers say they approve of the
hiring of Miller, while 40% oppose the choice. This represents a
decline in support for Miller since his hiring was first announced
in June. At that time, 58% of regular Monday Night Football viewers
approved of the move while just 22% disapproved and 20% had no
opinion. Since then, Miller has served as a commentator on several
pre-season games, suggesting that his exposure, so far, has
diminished rather than enhanced his appeal.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with randomly
selected national sample of 1,019 adults, 18 years and older,
conducted August 24-27, 2000. For results based on this sample, one
can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error
attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus
3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question
wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion
polls.
Are you a fan of professional football, or not?
|
Yes, a fan |
Somewhat |
No, not a fan |
No opinion |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2000 Aug 24-27 |
42 |
12 |
46 |
* |
|
1999 Mar 5-7 |
47 |
9 |
44 |
0 |
|
1999 Jan 22-24 |
51 |
10 |
39 |
* |
|
1998 Jan 16-18 |
45 |
11 |
43 |
1 |
Are you a fan of college football, or not?
|
Yes, a fan |
Somewhat |
No, not a fan |
No opinion |
|
|
2000 Aug 24-27 |
32% |
10 |
58 |
* |
|
1999 Oct 21-24 |
36% |
10 |
54 |
* |
|
^ Asked Jan 6-8, 1994: "Are you a college football fan, or not?" Yes = 48%; No = 52% |
||||
|
† Asked Dec 4-6, 1993: "Are you a college football fan, or not?" Yes = 43%; No = 57% |
||||
Which team do you think will win the National Football League Championship this year? [Open-end and code]
BASED ON -- 553 -- PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL FANS; ± 5 PCT PTS
|
Washington Redskins |
10% |
|
St. Louis Rams |
8 |
|
Tennessee Titans |
7 |
|
Denver Broncos |
5 |
|
Green Bay Packers |
5 |
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
4 |
|
Indianapolis Colts |
4 |
|
Dallas Cowboys |
4 |
|
Jacksonville Jaguars |
3 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers |
3 |
|
New England Patriots |
3 |
|
San Francisco 49ers |
3 |
|
Minnesota Vikings |
2 |
|
Miami Dolphins |
2 |
|
Other |
16 |
|
Don't know |
21 |
|
No opinion |
* |
And, regardless of which team you think will win the Super Bowl this year, which is your favorite NFL team? [Open-end and code]
BASED ON -- 553 -- PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL FANS; ±5 PCT PTS
|
Aug 24-27, 2000 |
|
|
Dallas Cowboys |
11 |
|
Green Bay Packers |
10 |
|
San Francisco 49ers |
9 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers |
7 |
|
New England Patriots |
5 |
|
Washington Redskins |
5 |
|
Miami Dolphins |
4 |
|
Denver Broncos |
4 |
|
Chicago Bears |
4 |
|
Oakland Raiders |
3 |
|
Minnesota Vikings |
3 |
|
Tennessee Titans |
3 |
|
Philadelphia Eagles |
3 |
|
Seattle Seahawks |
2 |
|
Kansas City Chiefs |
2 |
|
St. Louis Rams |
2 |
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
2 |
|
Carolina Panthers |
2 |
|
Indianapolis Colts |
2 |
|
Buffalo Bills |
2 |
|
New York Jets |
2 |
|
Detroit Lions |
1 |
|
San Diego Chargers |
1 |
|
New York Giants |
1 |
|
Cincinnati Bengals |
1 |
|
Jacksonville Jaguars |
1 |
|
Cleveland Browns |
1 |
|
New Orleans Saints |
1 |
|
Arizona Cardinals |
1 |
|
Atlanta Falcons |
* |
|
Baltimore Ravens |
* |
|
Other |
1 |
|
None |
3 |
|
No opinion |
1 |
Can you recall what team won the National Football League championship last season; that is, the Super Bowl that was played January of this year? [Open-end and code]
BASED ON -- 553 -- PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL FANS; ± 5 PCT PTS
|
St. Louis Rams, correct response |
42% |
|
Incorrect response |
14 |
|
Don't know |
44 |
How often do you watch Monday Night Football-- regularly, occasionally, or never?
|
Regularly |
Occasionally |
Never |
No opinion |
|
|
2000 Aug 24-27 |
21% |
35 |
43 |
1 |
|
2000 Jun 23-25 |
24% |
32 |
44 |
* |
Do you approve or disapprove of ABC's decision to hire HBO talk show host and former Saturday Night Live regular Dennis Miller as a Monday Night Football broadcaster?
BASED ON -- 209 -- REGULAR MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL VIEWERS; ± 7 PCT PTS
|
Approve |
Disapprove |
No opinion |
|
|
2000 Aug 24-27 |
50% |
40 |
10 |
|
2000 Jun 23-25 |
58% |
22 |
20 |
As of now, with the new season getting underway, what team would you say is the number one college football team in the country? [Open-end and code]
BASED ON -- 436 -- COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS; ± 5 PCT PTS
|
Florida State |
21% |
|
Nebraska |
16 |
|
Florida |
6 |
|
Michigan |
5 |
|
Wisconsin |
3 |
|
Notre Dame |
2 |
|
UCLA |
2 |
|
Alabama |
2 |
|
Penn State |
2 |
|
Miami |
2 |
|
Ohio State |
2 |
|
Other |
14 |
|
Don't know |
22 |
|
No opinion |
1 |
Which do you prefer to follow more -- [ROTATED: college football (or) professional football]?
|
College |
Professional football |
Mixed/Neither (vol.) |
No |
|
|
2000 Aug 24-27 |
25% |
51 |
21 |
3 |
*Less than 0.5%
