July 11th marks the 100th anniversary of American baseball player Babe Ruth’s baseball debut. Although a lot has changed since Babe Ruth’s Major League Baseball debut, nearly 3 out of 5 Americans (58%) claim to be a fan of the sport often referred to as “America’s National Pastime.”
Nearly 7 out of 10 American men (67%) are baseball fans to some extent, with only 29% stating they were not a fan and not interested in the sport. In contrast, almost half of American women (49%) are not at all interested in baseball. Americans who identify themselves as Hispanic are baseball’s biggest fans with 64% stating they have some interest in the sport.
Although baseball is still extremely popular today, over 4 out of 10 Americans (42%) believe that baseball’s popularity is in decline, compared to only 22% who disagree. Although men are more likely to be fans of the sport than women, 46% of men agree that baseball’s popularity is in decline, as opposed to 39% of women. Even passionate baseball fans think the sport may have taken a downturn, with 38% of Americans who identify themselves as passionate baseball fans agree that baseball’s popularity is in a slump.
When asked if they believed in the “The Curse of the Bambino”, which was a superstition that evolved from the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series in the 86 period (between 1918 and 2004) after Babe Ruth’s transfer to the New York Yankees, only 17% of Americans claim to believe in the curse. Americans who are the most passionate of baseball fans are the most likely to believe in the “The Curse of the Bambino” with 37% of passionate fans stating they are believers.
Is baseball in decline in popularity?
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