Poll: 56% of Pennsylvanians hold negative view of Ben Roethlisberger, most agree with suspension

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It’s not a good month to be a big time NFL quarterback in the state of Pennsylvania.

Donovan McNabb, a polarizing athletic figure in Philadelphia, was dealt to division rival Washington after eleven-seasons at the helm of the Eagles. Even bigger news of late comes out of Pittsburgh however where league commissioner Roger Goodell has chosen to suspend Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. “Big Ben” will not be eligible to return for at least four weeks and could possibly be out up to six games from the start of the 2010 regular season. The 28-year old Roethlisberger has been hailed for his on the field successes just as a string of off the field exploits has garnered him decidedly negative press.

The most recent episode comes from the allegation a young college student who claims the quarterback sexually assaulted her in a Georgia bar last month. Although Roethlisberger has not ultimately been convicted of any wrongdoing commissioner Goodell scolded one of the game’s most prolific passers for his conduct and levied the suspension. In lieu of these events two new surveys depict harsh views being cast on Roethlisberger by the public and a majority of football fans agreeing with his punishment.

Just 24% of Pennsylvanians view Roethlisberger favorably against 56% who hold a mostly negative view. The poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports shows an even wider disparity in the number of those with strong feelings towards the Steelers quarterback. Whereas 22% have a “very” unfavorable impression of Roethlisberger only one in twenty (5%) now view “very” favorably.

In terms of favorables there isn’t a wide gender gap. 27% of men continue to view “Big Ben” favorably as do 23% of women and a majority of both sexes express unfavorable opinions. Perhaps surprisingly the Rasmussen poll did find a large gap between men and women on the topic of his suspension however. In polling conducted before his suspension 55% of men thought Roethlisberger should be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time but only 31% of women agreed. Overall 47% of Pennsylvanians felt the quarterback’s conduct warranted a suspension against 28% who disagreed with that sentiment and another quarter (25%) of those who remained uncertain.

Nearly 250,000 sports fans also made their opinion heard on ESPN.com. While the polling itself is unscientific the harsh tones toward Roethlisberger are clear depicted. 51% of the country agreed with Roger Goodell’s decision to suspend the Steelers QB for 4-6 weeks. With another 28% also believing the penalty to be too soft nearly eight in ten American sports fans (79%) are of the opinion that “Big Ben” is deserving of some sort of suspension. Only 21% who chimed in on ESPN.com are of the opinion that Roethlisberger’s suspension is too long or the penalty too harsh.

Not surprisingly Pennsylvanians were most critical of the Roethlisberger suspension although only one in four (25%) think his punishment was too harsh. 34% of Washington residents do not think commissioner Goodell went far enough in his suspension. Anti-Roethlisberger sentiment in the state of Washington could stem in part from the Seattle Seahawks controversial loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL over four years ago. Utah meanwhile was the most supportive of the decision made by Goodell with 56% of their resident sports fans agreeing with the suspension.

The Steelers organization has been rumored to be shopping their star QB around the NFL. Santonio Holmes, another Steeler' with a checkered past, was recently traded for a 5th round pick in this season's draft. Holmes was named Super Bowl MVP in 2009 in part for his spectacular game winning touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter, compliments of the arm of one Ben Roethlisberger. Should "Big Ben" be traded away in the coming weeks or months both Pennsylvania NFL teams would have parted ways with potential Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the same offseason.

PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / Gene J. Puskar

Poll: Football fans down on the BCS, rank Eagles 7th most popular NFL team

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College football fans are down on the BCS and the Eagles are the seventh most popular team in the NFL.

According to a new poll from Quinnipiac University 63% of adults who identify as being a fan of NCAA football would like the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) replaced with a playoff format in vein of the popular “March Madness” college basketball or other systems used to determine a champion in pro sports. However nearly as many hold a favorable view of the current BCS format (43%) as those who see it unfavorably (45%).

Americans are also split on the role of government intervention into the college league. 45% think it to be a good idea for Congress to force the NCAA to declare a national champion on the field by way of a playoff format but 48% disagree. Overall 18% of adults according to the Quinnipiac poll of 1,849 surveyed say they are “very” interested in college football. An additional 28% suggest they are at least somewhat interested with more than half (54%) not interested at all.

Broken down by political party there are close similarities between those NCAA football fans when offering their opinion on the current state of the BCS and whether it ought to be replaced. The number of Republicans who are in favor of a new format to decide national champions (63%) is identical to the overall number. Democrats and independents are in favor of a systematic change by 65%. Similarly the 43% of adults overall who hold a favorable view of the BCS are broken down by 43% of Democrats and 39% of independents and Republicans. (That the poll is able to generate a total of 43% from three components equaling just 43, 39 and 39% is likely a reflection of the +/- 3.2% margin of error.)

There is a difference in the number of adults considering themselves to be college football fans by political affiliation however. 55% of Republicans are at least “somewhat” interested in the sport against 49% of Democrats and just 47% of independents who claim to be fans. Older adults 55-years and up tend to be slightly more interested than young adults under-35. Men on average (55%) are also more interested in NCAA football than women (38%).

The more partisan issue is not surprisingly reflected by the number of those for or against government intervention. Considerably more Democrats (54%) than Republicans (38%) would like to see Congress essentially force the NCAA to adopt a playoff format for football. Interestingly independents are less likely (35%) than either party to believe Congress playing a role in the issue to be a good idea. President Obama is on the record as stating he favors a playoff system. Most observers believe it possible for at least a four team tournament take place. Pro football uses a twelve team format to decide its Super Bowl winner each season with six teams from each conference reaching the postseason.

Switching to the topic of pro football for a moment a Harris Interactive poll from October rated the Dallas Cowboys as the most popular team in the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles seventh. Those two teams will meet Sunday in Dallas to decide the winner of NFC East and perhaps who will be awarded a first round bye week in the playoffs. Slightly more than half (51%) of adults say they regularly follow professional football making it the nation’s most popular sporting league. Baby boomers aged 45-63 are most likely to follow the NFL (55%) and men do so more than women by a margin of 64-39%. African American adults (63%) top both white’s (50%) and Hispanics (51%) in the number of pro football fans with Republicans (59%) seemingly a bit more interested than Democrats (50%) or independents (51%).

Results from the Harris poll surveying the popularity of teams dates back to 1998. Over that period the Eagles were most popular in 2004 and 2005 in the midst of their most recent Super Bowl run ranking them fifth. Their lowest ranking of 21st was in 1999, the first season of Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb as the Eagles were regrouping from a franchise worst thirteen loses the previous season. The Cowboys meanwhile rank as the league’s most popular team for a third-straight year and since 1998 they have never dropped below fourth in the survey.

Rounding out the top-ten are the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Eagles at seven, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. The Jacksonville Jaguars who have struggled with their attendance this season despite being in the playoff hunt are ranked as least popular team for the fourth time in five years. The biggest jump in positioning was a whopping fourteen spots by the Atlanta Falcons from 27th to 13th. The biggest fall was sustained by the Brett Favre-less New York Jets dropping eleven positions from a ninth place tie to number twenty. The Eagles meanwhile are up one spot from the last two years and currently at number seven rank as the most popular NFL team to have never won a Super Bowl.

Lastly Harris asked the question in October who fans thought was the team most likely to win this season’s Super Bowl. At the time 19% thought the Steelers were poised for a repeat, 17% considered the Patriots most likely with the Indianapolis Colts at seven-percent and a distant third place. The Dallas Cowboys were next at six-percent and rounding out the top-five were the Eagles, Giants and Bears all at five-percent. The NFL landscape has changed considerably since then however. The Steelers at 8-7 are battling for their playoff lives and the Patriots have had an inconsistent 10-5 season that none the less has won them a division title. The Colts at 14-1 meanwhile have the best record in football, the Cowboys and Eagles as previously mentioned will battle for their division crown this weekend and the Giants and Bears are both officially eliminated from the playoff picture.

PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / MICHAEL PEREZ

Poll: Yankees are World Series favorites, Patriots or Steelers to win Super Bowl

For certain sports fans September is the most wonderful time of the year.

This weekend the college football season begins, followed quickly by the start of the 2009 NFL campaign. For baseball fans September also marks the stretch run where pennant races heat up and great divisional match ups are plentiful. Rasmussen Reports recently conducted some annual surveys on pro-football and baseball as we move closer to the fall.

Heading into the last month of the regular season the New York Yankees have eclipsed the Boston Red Sox as the team most baseball fans interview in this poll of 1,797 responders think will win the World Series. This represents a large shift from mid-July when the Bo Sox were the choice of 20% of MLB fans against just 11% for the Bronx Bombers. Now the two arch rivals are shown to have swapped positions. 25% of responders pick the Yankees to win the Fall Classic and confidence in Boston’s chances has dropped to 10%.

The Red Sox are in a distant second place three-way tie with the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals. The Phillies good play of late and addition of starter Cliff Lee has no doubt bolstered their chances in the court of public opinion as their percentage has increased two-points to 10% since mid-July. That’s also three percentage points better than the results gathered in a July Harris poll. Like Philadelphia the Cardinals enjoy a comfortable lead in their division and have been the National League’s hottest team over the past month. The Red Sox meanwhile linger 6.5 games behind a Yankees team who has posted baseball’s best record at 84-48. The Los Angeles Dodgers who have struggled since the All Star break have dropped to 9% in the poll.

In terms of confidence in their favorite team the Yankees also have baseball’s most optimistic fan base. 71% of Yankee fans think their team will win the World Series. Perhaps oddly 68% of Detroit Tigers fans, second most of any team, think their team will win it all in October. Only 4% of baseball fans league wide have confidence in the Tigers who never the less lead the mediocre American League Central division by 3.5 games. Majorities of Red Sox (58%) and Phillies fans (51%) have confidence in their team’s chances to take the crown. In spite of being in the heat of the NL Wild Card race just 7% of San Francisco fans meanwhile think their young Giants team can win the Series.

Shifting attention from the diamond to the gridiron NFL fans are split between reigning champion Pittsburgh and previously undefeated New England for who will win this season’s Super Bowl. Winners of two of the past four Lombardi Trophies the Steelers bring in 14% of football fans, whereas the Patriots no doubt benefiting from the return of star quarterback Tom Brady match that figure.

The tough NFC East features three teams garnering measurable confidence from observers. The 2007 Super Bowl champion New York Giants rank third in the survey overall with just over 8% of NFL followers thinking they can win their second title in three years. Perhaps do to their overall popularity the Dallas Cowboys also draw support from 8% of the football community. The Cowboys missed the playoffs last season and are without star receiver Terrell Owens for 2009. The Philadelphia Eagles meanwhile draw just 4% of those polled in spite of some big preseason expectations and the signing of QB Michael Vick.

2006 Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts rank fifth overall at 7%. Also now ahead of the Eagles are the Minnesota Vikings (5%) the team the Birds knocked off in the first round of last year’s playoffs and who have recently added future Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre. Last season the Arizona Cardinals nearly won the Super Bowl, but a 9-7 record didn’t instill much confidence that they can climb to the summit in 2009 as just 3% of football fans like their chances to win it all. In fact 82% of Cardinals fans think their team will take the title, the most optimistic lot in all of football meaning very few outside of the Arizona fan base give this team much of a chance.

In terms of fan base confidence, the Patriots and Steelers rank second and third with percentages of 79 and 77% respectively. The Giants and Cowboys also have very optimistic fan bases as 60% of each think their team will take the title. Lastly when asked the question of who NFL fans would like to see win the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers were tops at 12%, followed by the Patriots and Cowboys at 10%, the Giants at 8% and 6% of football fans pulling for an Eagles or Colts victory.

Poll: NFL fans more receptive to Vick now than two years ago

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Two years, two polls and in between some apparent forgiveness for NFL star Michael Vick.

Recently the results of a Marist survey polling several hundred NFL fans were released. The hot topic this go round comes after the reinstatement and subsequent Philadelphia Eagles signing of quarterback Vick, convicted dog torturer. According to the poll 57% of football fans agree that Vick ought to be able to return to the NFL having served his time whereas 36% disagree and think the former Atlanta Falcons star should remain banned for his actions.

These are contrasting results with a two year old Gallup poll released in the wake of accusations of Vick’s involvement in dog fighting and animal cruelty. 40% of responders said they thought Vick should be allowed to return to the NFL after serving his time against 58% who disagreed. The Marist poll using similar samples sizes and methodology to the Gallup survey points to a considerable increase in forgiveness of NFL fans now that Vick has been forced to spend 23-months in prison and pay in the millions for his crimes.

Also on the rise are the percentage of NFL fans who would like to see Michael Vick play for their favorite team. The 2007 Gallup release indicated just 22% were in favor of Vick wearing their team’s colors after he served his sentence. The latest Marist poll has that figure up to 37%.

Controversy was bound to get stirred up regardless of where Vick was going to land, but in generally outspoken Philadelphia his presence on the Eagles has been greeted with wildly divergent views. While no poll of Philly fans was taken specifically the Marist survey indicates that residents of the Northeast are particularly against (62%) the idea of Vick playing for their beloved team.

In addition to the opinion gap amongst Eagles supporters there is wide gender gap regarding the reinstatement of athletes convicted of a crime according to the Marist poll. 64% of men against only 42% women agree that former athletes should be allowed to return their sporting profession after serving their sentence. Among fans of both genders NFL players may be facing an uphill battle in the war of perception, at least in comparison to most other sports according to the Gallup survey. Footballers rank sixth out of seven sports (golf, tennis, baseball, hockey, football, basketball) polled in terms of how positive individual players are viewed.

Poll: Phillies are seventh most popular team in baseball

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A season after winning the World Series the Philadelphia Phillies rank as the seventh most popular team in baseball.

This is according to the results of a July Harris Interactive poll surveying 2,177 adults nationwide. Another recent Harris study finds that Tiger Woods is America’s favorite athlete and a six-month old poll shows professional football claiming the crown as the most popular sport in the United States now for nearly a quarter-century.

Harris Interactive is one of the few major national polls that track the opinions of sports fans in addition to their regular list of surveys on political, economic and social issues.

The Phillies number seven ranking is behind high profile teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers and Cardinals. Oddly the Phils placement is actually down one spot, from sixth place in 2008 in spite of their World Series Title from last October. That sixth position was also achieved back in 2004 the year the Phillies moved into Citizens Bank Park and is up from 18th in 2007, the team’s lowest ranking of the past decade.

The least popular team according to the survey is the Toronto Blue Jays, although Canadian fans were not polled by Harris. Amongst American teams the Kansas City Royals at 29th overall were lowest supplanting last year’s bottom feeder the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

41% of adults say they follow Major League Baseball although the overall impact of the Harris study remains skewed towards non-fans who accounted for the other 59%. Baseball is most popular amongst older males residing in the eastern United States, generally well educated and with higher than average income levels.

The New York Yankees rank as the most popular team for the seventh straight year. The Boston Red Sox however at 21% are the team a plurality of those polled said they believe will win the 2009 World Series. The Yankees and Dodgers ranked a close second and third at 19% and 18% respectively with the Phillies coming in a distant fourth accounting for 7% of the predictions.

For the fourth straight year golfer Tiger Woods holds the honor of America’s favorite sports star. Woods wins amongst most key demographics with only younger voters choosing Michael Jordan. Amazingly some eleven years since his final game played as a Chicago Bull Jordan still ranks second on the list ahead of current favorites Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Jeff Gordon and Peyton Manning. No female athletes cracked the overall top-ten but Serena Williams and her sister Venus rank one and two respectively amongst the women. Also on the list are racecar driver Danica Patrick, WNBA star Candace Parker, soccer player Mia Hamm and tennis player Maria Sharapova tied for sixth with golfer Annika Sorenstam.

The NFL meanwhile continues its dominance as the most popular sport in America. Its popularity has ranged between 29-33% each year since 2003, currently situated at 31% in this most recent Harris poll. Coming in at a distant second place baseball with 16% is at its highest point of popularity in over a decade, but well below the mid-20 percentiles achieved in the early-80s. College football ranks a healthy third with 12% of those claiming it to be their favorite sport with auto racing, men’s pro basketball, hockey and men’s college basketball between percentages of eight and five percent.

While interesting and well researched the Harris poll does fail to offer clarity in one important area. The overall popularity of a sport cannot be measured simply by how many individuals claim one particular as their favorite. Questions to their large sample of 2,388 adults did not ask what sports each responder is a fan of. This might help explain while professional basketball ranks just a single percentage point ahead of hockey (6-5%) despite it being vastly more popular in terms of overall revenue and market share.

Still Harris Interactive is one of the precious few giving us insight to public opinion on topics outside of the world of politics and weighty social issues.