Cubs Move Up One Spot to Number 4; Colorado Jumps 14 Places

ROCHESTER, N.Y.–(EMWNews)–As Major League Baseball heads into the All-Star Game, this year’s

host team, the New York Yankees, find themselves on top as the favorite

baseball team among those who follow Major League Baseball for the sixth

year in a row. The Atlanta Braves remain at No. 2 while the Boston Red

Sox are in third place on the list. Rounding out the top five are the

Chicago Cubs at No. 4 and the Los Angeles Dodgers moving up six spots to

No. 5.

The new Harris

Poll conducted online by Harris Interactive^®

among a nationwide sample of 2,454 U.S. adults between June 9 and 16,

2008 also found that:

• The Colorado Rockies made the largest move, up 14 places

  from No. 27 to a tie at No. 13;

• The Philadelphia Phillies moved up 12 places from No. 18

  to No. 6;

• The Seattle Mariners (from No. 8 to No. 17), the Cincinnati

  Reds (from No. 9 to No. 18), and the Baltimore Orioles

  (from a tie at No. 13 to No. 22) all moved down nine places;

• The Minnesota Twins have gone up nine places from No. 20

  to No. 11;

• The Kansas City Royals have risen eight places from No.

  28 to a tie for No. 20 as have the Chicago White Sox, from No.

  21 to a tie at No. 13; and,

• The Pittsburgh Pirates have moved down seven places from

  a tie at No. 16 to a tie at No. 23.

Demographic differences include:

• East coast baseball fans stand behind their Yankees, while those in

  the Midwest love the Cubs. The South backs their Braves and in the

  West, the Dodgers are number one;

• There are also age differences. Echo Boomers (those aged 18-31) say

  the Red Sox are tops, while Gen Xers (those aged 32-43) say the same

  about the Yankees. Baby Boomers (those aged 44-62) cite the Braves as

  their favorites, while for Matures (those aged 63 and older), the Cubs

  are their favorite team; and,

• If they can’t agree on candidates, why

  should they agree on a baseball team? Republicans say the Atlanta

  Braves are No. 1 while the top team for Democrats is the Yankees. Don’t

  look to Independents to break the tie –

  their favorite team is the Red Sox.

So who actually is a baseball fan?

• Four in ten Americans (40%) say they follow Major League Baseball and,

  not surprisingly, men are more likely than women to make up part of

  this fan base (49% vs. 31%);

• Baby Boomers are more likely to be baseball fans (44%) as are those

  who live in the East (46%) and Midwest (44%).

• Those with a household income of $75,000 or more are more likely to be

  fans (52%) as are college graduates and post graduates (48% each);

• Both African Americans (46%) and Hispanics (47%) are more likely to be

  fans than Whites (39%).