most hated sports (nba included)

[superheadcat]

MOST HATED SPORTS
1. Dogfighting
2. Pro Wrestling
3. Bullfighting
4. Pro Boxing
5. PGA Tour
6. PGA Seniors
7. LPGA Tour
8. NASCAR
9. Major League Soccer
10. ATP Men's Tennis
Source: The Associated Press

NBA, MLB make list too
But the big story in this list of sports Americans hate most -- based on a telephone poll of 1,000 respondents that is a prelude to a larger study later this year -- is what comes next: the NBA, with 19.7 percent of the country hating or disliking it, and Major League Baseball, with 17.5 percent strongly against it.

For most of the sports, with the exception of NASCAR, which has grown both in popularity and unpopularity with increased exposure on television, there was little change from the Sports Marketing Group's study that asked the same questions 10 years ago.

For the NBA, though, the hate/dislike responses increased sharply from 11.9 percent a decade ago, while baseball's negative numbers nearly doubled from 9.9 percent.

Baseball isn't quite as bad off as the NFL is claiming from a Harris Poll that says pro football is more than twice as popular as baseball. In the Sports Marketing Group poll, the NFL was loved or liked a lot by 42.8 percent of Americans, while baseball's popularity number was 31.8 percent.

"In the NBA, there are underlying racial issues and resentment about how the players act, how many get arrested and how much they're paid," said Sports Marketing Group managing director Nye Lavalle. "In baseball, the labor disputes, the huge salaries, the perception of players on steroids and their perceived arrogance are factors."

Ten years ago, only 12.5 percent of white Americans had strong feelings against the NBA. In the poll this year, that soared to 21.1 percent of whites who hated or disliked the NBA. The number of black respondents who felt that way stayed virtually unchanged at under 3 percent.

"There's been a seismic shift in the fan base of the NBA," Lavalle said. "If the league keeps going in the same direction, it's going to be in deep trouble. Baseball is on the decline and it could be dying if it doesn't change the way it's structured."

In other words, both sports may be going to the dogs.

(whole article can be seen in cnn)

[Nash13]

Is there a point to this article?

12.1% or whatever amount of white Americans won't make a sport go away. I bet you I can do a poll and more than 12.1% of Americans will not like Coca Cola, but it will still be one of the top 5 business in America.

The way those people who took the poll are thinking, the NFL will be the only sport around.

[MavKikiNYC]

The point of interest to anyone who follows basketball would be the increase in strongly negative perceptions of the NBA as a league, from 11.9% of respondents in 1993 (or a decade ago) to 19.7% of respondents having such a reaction in 2003. THAT is a significant shift, and what might be a matter of mere interest to you and me would be a matter of butt-clenching concern to the NBA.

Don't think the league won't address the game you see and the way you see the game marketed. In fact, it probably already has.

It makes a (perceived) sqeuaky-clean team like the Mavericks all the more valuable a commodity. Now if they can just continue without any controversy--no drunk-driving arrests, no drug arrests, no sexual assault charges, so much the better.

[jmiles65]

The upper class people said Wrestling and NASCAR sucked, while us rednecks bashed soccer, golf, and tennis.

What's the point of this?
Wrestling isn't a sport, golf shouldn't be a sport, and nascar isn't really a sport.

I watch what I wanna watch, not what other people tell me to invertantly thru polling the country.

[Murphy3]

i'm glad to see nascar up near the top..the poorest excuse for a "sport" in the history of "sportsdom"

[Usually Lurkin]

. . . but wrestling, PGA (men's, old men's and women's), and NASCAR and boxing are always on tv.
What does that say about the damage that can be done by sitting high upon this poll?

[Murphy3]

sure, UL..some sports are like me. you either love 'em or hate 'em
..some "sports" just need to be hated by everyone...such as Nascar.

the sports that are in trouble are the ones where people are more or less apathetic towards one way or the other.

[FilthyFinMavs]

It's simple. If you don't excel in the sport you dislike it. I'm not good at soccer which results me into not liking the sport.

[MavKikiNYC]

Originally posted by: Usually Lurkin
. . . but wrestling, PGA (men's, old men's and women's), and NASCAR and boxing are always on tv.
What does that say about the damage that can be done by sitting high upon this poll?

The fact that they're always on television may have something to do with their standing in the poll. Nothing incites my channel change reflex faster than a pair of old lady's legs poking out from under golf shorts.

On the other hand, these events must be hits with a demographic important to the advertisers, so the couch potato set is probably stuck with these as televised fare for now.

[Murphy3]

not really, ffm..
there's alot of things that I've been good at but didn't like..i was a good soccer player when younger but I chose not to play it anymore because it was boring. and i'll make a point never to watch soccer on tv unless i'm dating one of the players..

the few times that i've played golf, i played pretty well considering how little i've played..but, i could really care less if i ever play golf again.

[veruca salt]

And I'm the opposite, I've never been good at anything, but I like quite a lot [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[FilthyFinMavs]

Well yes it doesn't apply to everyone but if you play a sport and you know the rules and are able to play it you will more than likely like that sport. I guarantee you that anyone who doesn't like the NBA is either not able to play the game or doesn't understand or maybe even both.

[Murphy3]

actually, i know alot of people that hate the NBA..not because they don't like basketball but because they don't like all of the sorry individuals in the NBA