GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa began his seven-game suspension this week for using a "corked" bat in a game June 3. Major League Baseball officials originally gave Sosa an eight-game suspension, but reduced it after an appeals hearing. In that hearing, Sosa repeated his claim that the illegal bat was one he would use in batting practice to put on a hitting show for the fans, but one that he used in a game by mistake. Investigations showed none of Sosa's other bats were illegally altered.
A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll indicates baseball fans are inclined to forgive the popular home run hitter. The poll, conducted June 9-10, shows 60% believe Sosa's claim that he never intended to use the bat in a game, while 37% do not believe him. In addition, 67% of fans do not believe Sosa's offense has hurt the integrity of the game of baseball "much" or "at all." Only 8% believe Sosa's actions have hurt the game "a great deal."
| As you may know, Sammy Sosa says that he had previously only used the corked bat in batting practice and did not intend to ever use it during a game. Do you believe Sosa when he says that, or not? |
 |
| Based on 534 baseball fans – Jun. 9-10, 2003 |
| How much do you think Sammy Sosa's use of an illegal bat has hurt the integrity of the game of baseball -- a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or not at all? |
 |
| Based on 534 baseball fans – Jun. 9-10, 2003 |
Sosa's Own Integrity May Suffer
Sosa holds the record for most home runs in a calendar month (set in June 1998) and remains the only player ever to hit 60 or more home runs in three different seasons. Though there is no evidence that he used an illegal bat to hit any of those homers, baseball fans are now more likely to believe he cheated than they are to believe that about three other legendary home run hitters. One in four fans (24%) believe Sosa may have cheated when he set his home run records, compared to 17% for Mark McGwire, who was the first to hit 70 home runs in a season during his duel with Sosa in 1998. San Francisco's Barry Bonds broke that record in 2001 with 73 homers, but only 12% believe Bonds might have cheated. Of course, the player most often identified with the home run remains Babe Ruth, even though his records have since been eclipsed. Just 6% of baseball fans think Ruth might have cheated in any way when he set his records.
The episode appears to have hurt Sosa's overall popularity somewhat. The poll shows 59% of Americans view Sosa favorably, much lower than an 83% favorable rating of him taken in December 1998, shortly after his much-publicized race with McGwire for the single-season home run record.
| Public Opinion of Sammy Sosa |
 |
However, Sosa does not appear to have lost many fans. Only a small percentage of baseball fans say they are no longer fans of Sosa because of the incident (2%). Forty-seven percent of baseball fans say they remain fans of Sosa, and 51% say they never were Sosa fans.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,029 adults, 18 years and older, conducted June 9-10, 2003. 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 ±3 percentage points. The survey includes interviews with 534 baseball fans. For results based on this subsample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±5 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 baseball, or not?
|
|
SOMEWHAT |
|
|
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2003 Jun 9-10 |
39 |
11 |
50 |
* |
|
2002 Nov 8-10 |
38 |
13 |
49 |
* |
|
2002 Aug 19-21 |
37 |
8 |
54 |
1 |
|
2002 Jul 26-28 |
37 |
10 |
53 |
* |
|
2002 Jun 7-8 |
36 |
16 |
48 |
-- |
|
2002 Mar 22-24 |
44 |
10 |
46 |
* |
|
2002 Jan 11-14 |
36 |
11 |
53 |
* |
|
2001 Nov 26-27 |
38 |
10 |
52 |
* |
|
2001 Nov 2-4 |
45 |
11 |
44 |
* |
|
2001 Jun 8-10 |
35 |
14 |
51 |
-- |
|
2001 Mar 26-28 |
46 |
10 |
44 |
* |
|
2000 May 5-7 |
35 |
11 |
54 |
-- |
|
2000 Apr 28-30 |
40 |
12 |
48 |
-- |
|
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2 |
45 |
10 |
45 |
-- |
|
1999 Nov 18-21 |
45 |
16 |
39 |
-- |
|
1999 Oct 21-24 |
37 |
10 |
53 |
-- |
|
1999 Jul 13-14 |
40 |
19 |
41 |
-- |
|
1999 Mar 19-21 |
34 |
15 |
51 |
-- |
|
1998 Oct 9-12 |
47 |
14 |
39 |
-- |
|
1998 Sep 14-15 |
45 |
18 |
37 |
-- |
|
1998 Jun 22-23 |
34 |
10 |
56 |
-- |
|
1996 Mar 15-17 |
38 |
10 |
52 |
-- |
|
1995 Oct 5-7 |
34 |
8 |
58 |
-- |
|
1995 Jul 7-9 |
35 |
13 |
52 |
-- |
|
1995 May 11-14 |
35 |
10 |
55 |
-- |
|
1995 Apr 17-19 |
32 |
9 |
59 |
-- |
|
1995 Feb 24-26 |
37 |
12 |
51 |
-- |
|
1995 Jan 16-18 |
37 |
8 |
55 |
-- |
|
1994 Oct 17-19 |
39 |
9 |
52 |
-- |
|
1994 Sep 6-7 |
35 |
11 |
54 |
-- |
|
1994 Aug 15-16 |
39 |
10 |
51 |
-- |
|
1994 Aug 8-9 |
35 |
20 |
45 |
-- |
|
1993 May 21-23 |
39 |
10 |
51 |
-- |
|
1993 Feb 12-14 |
44 |
7 |
49 |
-- |
|
* Less than 0.5% |
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|
(vol.) Volunteered response |
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As you may know, Sammy Sosa was caught using an illegal bat in a recent Major League Baseball game.
How much do you think Sammy Sosa's use of an illegal bat has hurt the integrity of the game of baseball -- a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or not at all?
BASED ON -- 534 -- BASEBALL FANS
|
Great |
Moderate amount |
Not |
Not |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2003 Jun 9-10 |
8 |
24 |
41 |
26 |
1 |
As you may know, Sammy Sosa says that he had previously only used the corked bat in batting practice and did not intend to ever use it during a game. Do you believe Sosa when he says that, or not?
BASED ON -- 534 -- BASEBALL FANS
|
Yes, believe him |
No, do not |
No opinion |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
2003 Jun 9-10 |
60 |
37 |
3 |
Just your best guess, for each of the following, please say whether you think they did -- or did not -- cheat in any way when they set their home run records. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?
BASED ON -- 534 -- BASEBALL FANS
|
2003 Jun 9-10 |
|
|
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
Sammy Sosa |
24 |
71 |
5 |
|
Mark McGwire |
17 |
79 |
4 |
|
Barry Bonds |
12 |
77 |
11 |
|
Babe Ruth |
6 |
90 |
4 |
Which comes closest to your view -- [ROTATED: you were a fan of Sammy Sosa and you still are, you were a fan of Sammy Sosa, but you are not any longer, or you were never really a fan of Sammy Sosa]?
|
Were a fan, |
Were a fan, |
Never really |
No |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
National Adults |
||||
|
2003 Jun 9-10 |
28 |
3 |
66 |
3 |
|
Baseball Fans |
||||
|
2003 Jun 9-10 ^ |
47 |
2 |
51 |
* |
|
* Less than 0.5% |
||||
|
^Based on -- 534 -- baseball fans |
||||
Next, we'd like to get your overall opinion of some people in the news. As I read each name, please say if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of these people -- or if you have never heard of them. First, ... . How about ... ?
E. Baseball Player, Sammy Sosa
|
|
|
Never |
No |
|
|
2003 Jun 9-10 |
59% |
18 |
9 |
14 |
|
1998 Dec 28-29 |
83% |
2 |
8 |
7 |
