Most Popular Sport by State

To determine the most popular sport in each state, Holiday Calendar conducted an online survey of 4,500 Americans between September 15th and September 30th, 2024. Respondents were recruited through a nationally representative online panel and screened to include adults aged 18 and older who reported watching, attending, or following at least one sport. The sample was stratified by state with a minimum of 55 respondents per state, and demographic quotas were applied for age, gender, and household income. Respondents were asked to identify the one sport they follow most closely, choosing from a list of 15 major professional and collegiate sports. The survey was intentionally timed to coincide with the overlap of the NFL, college football, MLB postseason, and NHL/NBA preseasons to capture preferences during peak multi-sport engagement. State-level winners were determined by plurality vote. The survey has an overall margin of error of ±1.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.