In the Center’s study of sports fan behavior and media use, which surveyed Americans aged 15 to 74 who follow at least one sport in season, we asked respondents if they live in the city where their favorite team plays.

Overall, 36% or respondents said that they live in the city where their favorite team plays.

How are these views affected by race/ethnicity, age, education, region, and level of fandom?

Race/ethnicity

Asians (57%), African-Americans (45%), and Latinos (41%) were more likely than whites (32%) to say that they lived in the same city. Perhaps this reflects the greater urban concentration of minority groups in the country.

Age

Regarding age, those younger than 18 were the most likely to report that they lived in the city of their favorite team (41%). Beyond the youngest set, those aged 25-34 (38%) and 18-24 (37%) were slightly more likely than those aged 35-54 (34%), 65-74 (32%), and 55-64 (28%).

Education

Regarding education, those with post-graduate degrees (46%) and college graduates (42%) were more likely to live in the same city than high school graduates (34%), those with some college or an associate’s degree (33%), and those with less than a high school education (28%).

Level of fandom

Another distinguishing variable was level of fandom. Intense fans (44%) were most likely to live in the city of their favorite team, followed by moderate fans (35%) and casual fans (30%).

Region

And regarding region of the country, those living in Northeast (46%) and the Midwest (42%) were more likely than those in the West (33%) and the South (29%) to live in the city where their favorite team plays.

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April 8, 2019