Percentages Swayed by Timing and Location of Polls

Although I have always been a baseball first sports fan I will admit that the number one followed sport in the country at this time is pro (NFL) football.  There are a lot of reasons for this and I won't try to analyze them here, just admit that it is true. 

However, I do have problems with any poll that is taken in the heart of ANY season.  The numbers will always be skewed.  And while the Harris Polling folks are experienced I also think where polls are taken and which people will bother taking time to answer inquiries are factors.

This is not about NFL football being listed as the favorite sport by 31% of those polled and baseball only good for second place at 17%.  During the heyday of steroids and the home run record breaking years of McGwire, Sosa and Bonds the same poll taken in mid summer would have been much closer if not different in order.   Let us admit it.  People are very fickle.

But, again, my complaint is not with who is #1or #2..or even #3 (college football.)  It is more with the very surprisingly low totals of some other sports.  Men's college basketball is listed as the favorite sport of only 4% of those polled.  That equalled men's soccer and was one percent lower than hockey.  Either that means college basketball is highly over-rated or the poll has holes.  What do you suppose the ranking would be in March during the NCAA tournament if the poll had been conducted then?

Golf and bowling tied at 2%.  This poll did not ask what was the favorite sport to watch on TV or read about, just favorite sport.  That 2% was the same as for track and field which is rarely even seen on television and thus is far harder to follow.

A poll that would have much more interest for me would ask: "In order what sports do you follow?"  Using myself as an example--and the instructions would ask the participants to rank in order-- I would list Baseball, NFL football (Texans essentially, not the league in general), College basketball (local and B12 teams), NBA basketball (Rockets, but not league), College Baseball (local plus B12), College football (local, some B12), Men's Soccer (Dynamo results), Golf (aware of names of some top players), Tennis (M&W), --and that is about it.  Once I get past college football the sports are extremely erratic in my loyalty.

I grew up in central Indiana and attended the Indy 500 twice, but have no interest in auto racing of any kind.  I am not a track and field follower, nor a bowling fan.  I actually would LOVE to follow the NHL, but there is no point living here in Houston.  I am one of those who needs a local major league team to really get involved.  I worked in Buffalo for two years earlier in my career and covered every Sabres home game.  Other than one Dallas Stars and two or three Houston Aeros games I have not been to a hockey game since those days and I do not follow the happenings in the league at all.  The only exception is I am hooked on the annual outdoor game on January 1st that NBC televises.

All that is just me.  Obviously NFL football would score well even for this baseball first guy.  But my profile would be far more complete than only asking what my favorite sport was right in the middle of one of the seasons.