It is no surprise that a majority of sports fans are happy to watch sports back amid the coronavirus pandemic.
However, while they are happy to watch games again, they are not sure how long it will take, a survey conducted for ESPN found.
A little over 60% agree that they are “happy to have some sports to watch as an escape”, according to the 837 adult survey conducted by TideWatch for ESPN. Only 37% said it “seems wrong for some professional sports to take place” during a pandemic.
When asked if it is time for sports classes to “come back” as long as they take good precautions, “57% are in favor, compared to 43% who think sports should start again too soon.
But when asked if the seasons will be completed, fans are less confident. Only 49% of MLB fans surveyed feel the sport will complete their World Series, which is scheduled to kick off in late October. A larger percentage of NBA fans – 58% – think the NBA’s season will end in the bubble at Walt Disney World Resort. That season is scheduled to pick up no later than October 13th.
A majority of fans in both the NBA and Major League Baseball think the champion will be legion … though not by a large majority. A total of 57% of NBA fans think the champion will be legitimate, despite being kept on a neutral side. A total of 56% of MLB fans think so for baseball, which considers itself a bubble for the postseason but has not made any final decisions.
The wide-ranging survey of sports fans 18 and then was conducted by TideWatch for ESPN. It included a base sample of 537 interviews, and an additional sample of more than 300 interviews with Black fans, who were then weighed in their fair share of the population.
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