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LIFESTYLE

Only 29% Think Baseball Is America’s National Pastime

Baseball has been described as “America’s national religion.” But as a new season of Major League Baseball gets underway, most Americans aren’t placing as much importance on the sport as they once did.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that only 29% believe baseball is still America’s national pastime, as it has long been considered. Forty-six percent (46%) don't view the sport that way, while another 25% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Of course, that all depends on whom you ask. Fifty-two percent (52%) of adults who follow news about the sport Very Closely think it is still America’s national pastime. Among those who don’t follow the sport at all, just 10% agree.

Last June, Adults picked the National Football League’s Super Bowl over baseball’s World Series as their favorite championship to watch.  The Philadelphia Phillies are the favorite to win the 2011 World Series for 21% of baseball fans, followed closely by the Boston Red Sox. 
 

Overall, most Americans (64%) are not following news about Major League Baseball closely, if at all. Thirty-five percent (35%) say they follow professional baseball news at least somewhat closely, but that includes just 16% who follow Very Closely. Men are more likely than women to follow the sport.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.  

The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on March 29-30, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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