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The ESPN Coronavirus Lockdown Fan Study found
that 65 percent of fans would favor competition resuming even if
fans can't attend.
The poll of 1,004 U.S. adult sports fans was commissioned by
ESPN Research & Insights and conducted by Global Strategy Group
from April 17-20.
Virtually all U.S. sports competitions have been shut down since
mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
ESPN senior vice president of Research & Insights Cary Meyers
said in a statement, in part, "Sports serve as an escape and
provide joy in the current times, as evidenced by
record-breaking audiences for 'The Last Dance' and NFL Draft.
That deep need for sports was expressed by both avid and casual
fans, with an eagerness for live sports to return in some way on
TV even without fans in attendance."
Seventy-six percent of those polled said they would support
sports restarting in empty venues if players were confined to
hotels and had their contact with other people closely
monitored.
Among "avid sports fans," those who listed their sports fandom
as 8, 9 or 10 on a 0-to-10 scale, 88 percent said they "can't
wait until live sports are back on television and plan to watch
as much as they can."
The return of sports would be viewed as a way to "feel normal
again amid the pandemic" according to 67 percent of the
respondents, with 85 percent of avid fans agreeing with that
statement.
Just 56 percent of fans say they miss sports, but that number
rises to 90 percent among avid fans.
--Field Level Media
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