Interest in Major League Baseball is declining, if results of Harris Poll can be believed; meanwhile, the Yankees, Red Sox and Braves lead the list of most popular teams.
Interest in Major League Baseball is declining, if results of Harris Poll can be believed; meanwhile, the Yankees, Red Sox and Braves lead the list of most popular teams.
Harris has been polling Americans on their feelings toward Major League Baseball since 2004. The most recent poll pegs the percentage of Americans following Major League Baseball at 36 percent, down from the 41 percent saying yes in 2009. However, the 2010 number is in line with what was reported in 2004-2008. Harris refuses to calculate a margin of error for its poll, but we'd guess that a swing of five percentage points over seven polls may not be as unusual as Harris would have us think.
You can read the full poll here. However, for our purposes, here are the results of two poll questions: favorite team and feelings toward MLB.
FAVORITE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM: 1999 – 2009
“What is your favorite Major League Baseball team?”
Base: All adults who follow baseball
| Rank 1999 |
Rank 2003 |
Rank 2004 |
Rank 2005 |
Rank 2006 |
Rank 2007 |
Rank 2008 |
Rank 2009 |
Rank 2010 |
|
| New York Yankees | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Boston Red Sox | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Atlanta Braves | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 16 | 12 | 6 | =13 | 13 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| Chicago Cubs | 3 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | =4 | 5 |
| New York Mets | 12 | 3 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 6 |
| San Francisco Giants | 26 | 9 | 7 | =10 | =14 | =13 | =13 | 9 | 7 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 7 | 8 | =9 | 7 | =14 | 11 | 5 | =4 | 8 |
| Minnesota Twins | 11 | 5 | 17 | 13 | 21 | 20 | 11 | 13 | 9 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 10 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 21 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 18 | 10 | =13 | 14 | 11 |
| Texas Rangers | 15 | 13 | 15 | 21 | =27 | =16 | =20 | =15 | =12 |
| Detroit Tigers | 10 | 15 | 5 | =19 | 7 | 6 | =7 | 8 | =12 |
| Seattle Mariners | 6 | 11 | =15 | =13 | 10 | 8 | 17 | 10 | =12 |
| Chicago White Sox | 20 | 27 | 27 | =10 | =11 | 21 | =13 | 12 | 15 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 13 | 10 | =19 | =8 | =14 | 9 | 18 | =15 | 16 |
| Cleveland Indians | 5 | 4 | =9 | =19 | =11 | =13 | =7 | =25 | 17 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | NA | =16 | =17 | 16 | =14 | 22 | 19 | =23 | 18 |
| Kansas City Royals | 24 | =25 | =19 | =22 | =21 | 28 | =20 | 29 | 19 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 9 | =18 | 8 | 12 | 8 | =13 | 22 | =17 | =20 |
| Colorado Rockies | 14 | 24 | 24 | 26 | =25 | 27 | =13 | =23 | =20 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | NA | 28 | 28 | =29 | 28 | 25 | 28 | =17 | 22 |
| San Diego Padres | 17 | 22 | =25 | 25 | =25 | 26 | 27 | =20 | =23 |
| Oakland Athletics | 19 | =20 | 22 | 27 | 19 | 19 | =23 | =20 | =23 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 18 | =18 | =9 | =8 | =21 | =16 | =23 | 22 | =25 |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 23 | =16 | =25 | =17 | 20 | =23 | 29 | =27 | =25 |
| Washington Nationals | NA | NA | NA | =22 | 24 | 29 | 26 | =27 | 27 |
| Houston Astros | 22 | =20 | =9 | =17 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 19 | 28 |
| Florida Marlins | 25 | =25 | 21 | 28 | =27 | =23 | 25 | =25 | 29 |
| Toronto Blue Jays* | 28 | 29 | 29 | =29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
WHO FOLLOWS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL – TREND
“Do you follow major league baseball or not?”
Summary of Yes Responses
Base: All adults
| Total | |
| % | |
| 2010 | 36 |
| 2009 | 41 |
| 2008 | 40 |
| 2007 | 37 |
| 2006 | 38 |
| 2005 | 37 |
| 2004 | 38 |
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