New Study Reveals the Most Popular Sport in Every State

For sports fans, 2020 has been a rough year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans aren't able to go [...]

By Brian Jones

For sports fans, 2020 has been a rough year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans aren't able to go to sporting events on a regular basis, and it has led to teams playing in front of no fans, limited fans or virtual fans. However, that hasn't stopped experts from taking a look at the most popular sport from every state, and to nobody's surprise, the NFL is king. In a new study done by Myprotein, it was determined that the NFL is the most popular sport in 19 of the 50 states. This was determined by analyzing tickets bought by fans through Vivid Seats in basketball, baseball, football and hockey.

"When it comes down to the most popular league, the NFL takes home the trophy as 19 states have the highest game attendance," the study said. "Ohio, South Dakota, Washington and Florida are just some of the states that love the NFL while other states like Nebraska, Alabama, and Oklahoma choose to spend time at NCAA college games - which figures, since these three states all rank top for producing legendary football players from their colleges." Here's a look at each state's favorite sport.

NFL

Cam-Newton-Patriots-Debut
(Photo: Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Alaska

Arizona

Delaware

Florida

Hawaii

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Maine

Minnesota

Montana

New Mexico

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Dakota

Washington

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College Football

Alabama-USC
(Photo: Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Alabama

Arkansas

Georgia

Idaho

Louisiana

Michigan

Mississippi

Nebraska

Oklahoma

South Carolina

Tennessee

West Virginia

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MLB

Dodgers Cody Bellinger shoulder injury home run game 7 NLCS
(Photo: Tom Pennington / Staff, Getty)

California

Connecticut

Washington D.C.

Illinois

Maryland

New Jersey

New York

Texas

Virginia

Wyoming

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NHL

Las Vegas Golden Knights top sport each state
(Photo: Andy Devlin / Contributor, Getty)

Massachusetts

Missouri

Nevada

New Hampshire

Vermont

The addition of the Las Vegas Golden Knights is a big reason Nevada citizens love the NHL. The Golden Knights debuted in 2017 and reached the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year of existence.

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NBA

Top sports each state trailblazers
(Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Contributor, Getty)

Colorado

Oregon

Puerto Rico

Utah

Wisconsin

The Portland Trail Blazers are the only pro sports team in Oregon and have had their share of success. The team won the NBA title in 1970 and have collected three Western Conference championships.

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College Basketball

GettyImages-1204972167
(Photo: Michael Hickey / Contributor, Getty)

Kentucky

Only one state made the list for college basketball. With the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville basketball teams, no other sport is more popular in the state. The Kentucky Wildcats have won eight national championships while the Louisville Cardinals have won three.

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Overview

Behind the NFL, college football is the most popular sport with baseball not far behind. It's clear that fall is the favorite season for most Americans as that is when football season kicks off and the World Series takes place in October. And based on the way those three sports are looking, it's likely they will be on top for a long time.

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