There are millions of sports fans across the United States, from religiously following an NFL team to being avid tennis fans or watching every Formula One Grand Prix. During an April 2023 survey in the United States, 37 percent of respondents aged 35 to 44 stated that they were avid sports fans. This figure dropped to 17 percent among respondents aged 65 and older.

There are millions of sports fans across the United States, from those religiously following an NFL team to avid tennis fans or those who watch every Formula One Grand Prix. During an April 2023 survey in the United States, 44 percent of male respondents stated that they were avid sports fans. Meanwhile, this figure was just 15 percent among female respondents.

National Football League fans in the U.S.

Football is a widely enjoyed sport in the United States, as is evident from the millions of fans who tune in to watch their favorite teams compete every Monday night. The sport enjoys a diverse viewer demographic, with more than two thirds of white, Hispanic, and Black participants in an online survey identifying as either an avid or casual fan of football in January 2023. The survey also investigated the level of interest in the NFL in the U.S. broken down by gender, with a significantly larger share of men identifying as avid fans of the sport than women.

Women’s professional sports fans in the U.S.

Women’s professional sports viewership in the U.S. has grown significantly in recent years, helped at least partially by tournament victories across a wide range of sporting categories. When asked about the reason behind their interest in women’s sport in the U.S., nearly a third of respondents highlighted international events such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup as primary motivators for their interest. Meanwhile, when asked about the role of advertisers in promoting the growth of women’s sport in the U.S., more than half of survey participants believed that media agencies had a responsibility to do so.

As of March 2024, NASCAR fans in the United States tended to be younger on average than the general population, with most fans being aged under 44. Only 16 percent of NASCAR fans were aged 65 and over, compared to 21 percent of the wider U.S. population.

There are millions of sports fans across the United States, from religiously following an NFL team to being avid tennis fans or watching every Formula One Grand Prix. During an April 2023 survey in the United States, 34 percent of Black respondents stated that they were avid sports fans. Meanwhile, this figure was 29 percent among white respondents.

In 2022, around 61 percent of respondents aged 55 and over reported being sports fans. In comparison, this figure stood at 74 percent among those aged between 18 and 24.

According to a 2022 global report, men reported more interest in sports than women. Approximately 77 percent of male respondents stated that they watched or followed sports, while the share among female respondents fell to 56 percent.

There are millions of sports fans across the United States, from religiously following an NFL team to being avid tennis fans or watching every Formula One Grand Prix. During an April 2023 survey in the United States, 41 percent of Millennials stated that they were avid sports fans. However, this figure dropped to 18 percent among baby boomers.

Watching sports is one of the most popular hobbies across the world. Whether it be soccer, cricket, American Football, or baseball, live sports has viewers of all ages glued to the screen. During a 2019 survey, it was found that 76 percent of respondents who watched sports more often than any other content were male.

In 2024, Japan's national baseball team had an estimated fandom of approximately 26.7 million people. The baseball national team had the highest number of fans in Japanese professional sports, followed by the national soccer team. Attendance during COVID-19 times The distribution of the number of fans is also reflected in attendance figures. Japan’s best-attended sports were baseball and soccer, both of which have a professional circuit, the NPB for baseball and the J.League for soccer. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance figures at baseball games at stadiums declined significantly, while the same was the case for attendances at J-League matches. Making live spectating possible For sports governing bodies and presumably athletes alike, having spectators at sports matches is essential. To make live spectating at stadiums and venues possible during the pandemic, measures had to be taken to comply with governmental hygiene regulations and to gain the trust of fans. Numerous safety steps were aimed at relieving prospective fans’ COVID-19-related anxiety, which ranged from physical distance keeping to body temperature control when entering the premises. Sports fans in Japan tended to stick to regulations, as was observed at J.League matches where most of the audience was wearing masks and refrained from vocal cheering (clapping was allowed).

According to a study conducted in the United States in March 2024, NFL fans were the least likely to spend on sports-related entertainment or products among the sports fans included in the survey. Meanwhile, 37 percent of surveyed NBA fans intended to spend less than 100 U.S. dollars on such products.

Watching sports is one of the most popular hobbies across the world. Whether it be soccer, cricket, American Football, or baseball, live sports has viewers of all ages glued to the screen. During a 2019 survey, it was found that 28 percent of respondents who watched sports more often than any other content were aged between 36 and 49 years old.

During a survey in 2023, it was found that 45 percent of fans of the Six Nations rugby competition were over the age of 55 years old. This was the highest share for that age group when compared to other popular international sporting competitions, such as the FIFA World Cup or the Summer Olympics.

Social media is playing an ever-increasing role in the world of professional sports, with many fans engaging online during games, or even using social media platforms to watch the action. During a global survey in April 2023, around 70 percent of Gen Z respondents (aged 18 to 27 years old) stated that they preferred to watch sports on social media platforms.

The preferred sports content format for engaged sports fans worldwide was to watch the games in their entirely, with 36 percent of respondents to a late 2022 survey indicating to engage with sports through this format. This was in particular the case for European and North American countries. In contrast, markets like Hong Kong, Singapore, and China preferred watching clips or highlights of games.

In a 2023 survey, it was found that 66 percent of Six Nations rugby fans were male. Among the sports fans questioned, this was the largest proportion of male fans, with fans of the FIFA World Cup and Formula 1 tied with the second-largest share of male fans.

During a global survey conducting in April 2023, almost 40 percent of sports fans from the United States claimed to regularly watch sports live from the venue. This figure fell to just over 25 percent among respondents from Australia.

As of August 2023, around half of NFL fans aged 18-29 were white. Meanwhile, 14 percent of NFL fans aged 30 or older were Black, while this figure stood at 16 percent among those aged 18 to 29.

In 2022, there were approximately 58 million sports fans in the United States aged between 18 and 34. Meanwhile, there were a further 122 million sports enthusiasts aged 35 and older within the country.

According to a global survey carried out in July and August 2021, almost 80 percent of leaders within the sport industry stated that improving the on-site and online experience for fans was the most relevant initiative to facilitate relationships with fan communities.

The statistic displays the share of sports fans as of 2016, by country. As of 2016, approximately 67 percent of the population of China are comprised of consumers with a real interest in sport.