Methodology
SBRnet Sports Fandom Survey Methodology
This consumer survey was conducted online among a representative panel of U.S. consumers age 13 or older. Each respondent reported their attendance and viewership across professional, college, and minor league sports during the previous 12 months, along with additional categories of fandom-related data. A comprehensive list of all categories measured can be found in the next tab of this workbook.
Survey Overview
- Timeline: Conducted in January 2026, covering activities from the previous 12 months
- Sample Size: 7,500 respondents, all U.S. consumers age 13 or older
- Scope: Covers Professional, College, and Minor League sports across 72 distinct categories of fandom and related consumer intelligence
What is Measured?
Beyond just "who is watching what," the survey tracks high-value engagement metrics including:
- Media & Platforms: Social media usage and viewership
- Live Attendance: Freqency of games attended
- Behavioral Trends: Gambling, fantasy sports, eSports, and sports tourism, philanthropy, and more
- Consumer Habits: Sustainability habits and secondary ticket market usage, licensed merchandise purchased
- Brand Strength among sports fans for 9 distinct consumer categories
Data Integrity
To make sure these 7,500 consumers actually reflect the "real" America, SBRnet weights the data based on U.S. Census Bureau standards. They balance the results against:
- Demographics: Age, gender, race, and ethnicity
- Socioeconomics: Household income and size
- Geography: Region of residence (using standard U.S. Census Bureau regions)
The data is then projected to represent the total U.S. population of 288.9 million people age 13+.
Presentation of Results
In this report there are typically four rows of figures:
- Row 1) The number of consumers (in thousands).
- Row 2) The vertical percentage is calculated by dividing the number of consumers in the current row by the number of consumers in the Total (or first) row. In some instances, an additional vertical percentage is calculated based on a subset of consumers, in which case there would be five rows of figures.
- Row 3) The horizontal percentage is calculated by dividing the number of consumers in the current column by the number of consumers in the Total column.
- Row 4) The Market Segment Index (in red) represents the relationship between the percentage of consumers in the segment and the percentage of consumers in the Total column. It is calculated by dividing the vertical percentage in the current column by the vertical percentage in the Total column and multiplying the result by 100.
Proper Data Sourcing
When using data from this please use the following text for sourcing: Source: SBRnet Study of Sports Fandom, 2026
SBRnet and the Sports Market Analytics Platform provide a comprehensive online platform of nationwide sports business data focused on sports fans and sports participation along with sales data covering footwear, apparel and equipment for sports analytics, sports marketing, and strategic planning. SBRnet uses syndicated custom and proprietary research for professional and college sports, consumer research, industry reports, and licensed industry articles. The service features extensive sports data research focused on 19 professional, college and minor league sports along with custom reports covering sports participation, the fan market, and behaviors, venues, sponsorships, expenditure on sporting goods, brand preference, and more. SBRnet is used extensively by over 260 leading colleges and universities as an integral part of their sports management, marketing and general business curriculum. In addition, the data is used by leagues, teams, brands and leading marketing /sponsorship agencies.
To learn more about SBRnet reach out to neil@sbrnet.com or call 561.990.5590.
All data other than where noted is the property of SBRnet, Inc. All rights reserved.