Does Professional Popularity of Sport Equal Recreational Popularity?

We explore the four major sports in the US (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB) to study where the professional sports league ranked in popularity among people in the US. Then, we compared the popularity of the professional sports league to the popularity level of that sport at the recreational level.

It was not surprising to the the NFL as a clear favorite among Americans. They owned the most popular sport for over half the year. There is a noticeable spike during the NFL offseason near the time of the NFL Draft which could explain the spike between April and May. During the late summer and early fall months, there is an increase in the popularity of all the major sports leagues around the country. It is during this time the NFL season is under way, the NBA and NHL both begin their seasons as the MLB concludes their season, crowning a World Series Champion.

When examining the graph above and examining the peaks and valleys of each sport’s popularity, nearly all can be explained by following the calendar of the respective league.

For the NBA there are peaks during the beginning of the season and the All Star break, but during the last half of the regular season and throughout the playoffs, interest remains low up until the time of the NBA Finals. Following the MLB there are small spikes throughout the regular season but most of the popularity derives from the MLB Playoffs and the World Series

This contrasts the NHL which has largely consistent popularity during the regular season but sees a dip during the playoffs. There is a small spike during the time of the Stanley Cup but it remains less popular than the regular season still.

When observing the recreational popularity of the four major sports in the US there was a slightly different pattern. The popularity of the professional sports leagues seemed to revolve around the league’s season. However, the popularity of the sport recreationally seemed more effected by the weather.

During the winter months, basketball dominated in popularity, which makes sense because the other sports are generally played outdoors, or in the case of ice hockey, in a certain climate or conditions.

Football is most popular in the fall months, when it it typically played. Hockey remains most popular in the winter months. Basketball dominates the winter and baseball sees increases in the early spring and late fall. Perhaps these can be attributed to the excitement of starting a new season and the hunt for a championship at the end of the year.

Overall, there does not seem to be a correlation between professional and recreational popularity. What appeared to be the biggest factor in popularity was seasonality of the leagues and the earth. Each sport saw an increase during the typical months of play whether it be recreational or professional.

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