Athlete or team allegiance: What drives sports fandom in 2025?
Athlete or team allegiance? Across all sports fans, team allegiance is the biggest driver of fandom
4 in 10 sports fans say that the team they follow is an influential factor – twice as many as those who cite an athlete as their decision to follow a particular sport (19%).
Ensuring a sport is easily accessible to watch is key for 1 in 3 fans, ranking second as a key reason for following. For sports with a broadcast product behind a paywall, creating other channels where fans can freely consume some level of content is crucial for reaching new audiences.
Which, if any, of the following factors are influential in your decision to follow a particular sport? Please select all that apply.
Following a team
It's accessible to watch
I play/played the sport
My family follow the sport
Following an athlete/athletes
I like to follow it on social media
My friends follow the sport
YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025.
Sports fans - unweighted average of 15 markets: [AU, CA, DK, FR, GB, DE, IN, IT, MX, PL, SG, ES, SE, UAE, US] n> 12,200. "Don't know" and "None of these" responses not shown.
Athlete or team allegiance? For younger fans, individual athletes are more than twice as important when it comes to following a sport
The importance of teams remains high for all age groups, however it is the impact of athletes that shows large variations across generations. For female sports fans, the role of family in driving interest is stronger - creating opportunities to share sporting moments with parents, partners, children and siblings is something to consider for rights holders when looking to bring in more female fans.
Which, if any, of the following factors are influential in your decision to follow a particular sport?
YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025.
Sports fans - unweighted average of 15 markets: [AU, CA, DK, FR, GB, DE, IN, IT, MX, PL, SG, ES, SE, UAE, US] n> 3,600
Among male sports fans:
say "following a team"
say "following an athlete/athletes"
say "family follows the sport"
Among female sports fans:
say "following a team"
say "following an athlete/athletes"
say "family follows the sport"
Athlete or team allegiance? Athletes play a greater role in fan support in basketball compared to football/soccer, where teams are a bigger driver of fandom
Of the primarily individual sports, the team aspect of golf has a stronger appeal than tennis, with team fandom and rivalries developed through events like the Ryder Cup, as well as newer properties with a team-leaning focus such as LIV Golf and TGL. Motorsports, for example F1, with both a team and individual driver element, see the most even split of fandom with a slight preference for the individuals.
Football/soccer
Basketball
Motorsports
Golf
Tennis
Question: For each of the following sports, are you a fan of the individual athletes, teams, or equally a fan of both? YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025. Sports fans - unweighted average of 15 markets: [AU, CA, DK, FR, GB, DE, IN, IT, MX, PL, SG, ES, SE, UAE, US] Football fans n> 4,100, Basketball fans n> 1,900, Motorsports fans n> 1,700, Golf fans n> 650, Tennis fans n> 2,300
Athlete or team allegiance? 1 in 4 sports fans would start supporting a new team as well as their current team if their favorite athlete moved
Leveraging players' personal audiences can be a key route for sports teams to grow their fan bases, particularly internationally where fans may be more open to following an additional team.
1 in 10 sports fans said they would start supporting the new team instead of their current team, illustrating the deep rooted loyalty that fans show towards players they develop an affinity for.
If your favorite athlete joined a different team in the same league, how would it affect your support?
I would follow the athlete, but not support the new team
I would start supporting the new team as well as my current team
I would start supporting the new team instead of my current team
I would stop following the athlete
YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025.
Sports fans - unweighted average of 15 markets: [AU, CA, DK, FR, GB, DE, IN, IT, MX, PL, SG, ES, SE, UAE, US] n> 12,200. "Don't know" responses not shown.
Athlete or team allegiance? Half of all young fans will support the new team that their favorite athlete joins - either alongside or in place of their current team
35% of the 18-34 group would start supporting the new team that their favorite athlete joined in additional to their current team, with a further 15% supporting the new team instead of their current team.
If your favorite athlete joined a different team in the same league, how would it affect your support?
Question: If your favorite athlete joined a different team in the same league, how would it affect your support? YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025.
Sports fans by age - unweighted average of 15 markets: [AU, CA, DK, FR, GB, DE, IN, IT, MX, PL, SG, ES, SE, UAE, US] n> 3,600. "Don't know" responses not shown.
Athlete or team allegiance? Sports fans from Australia are significantly more likely to start supporting a new team, with those in Germany least likely
The high percentage in Australia (31%) may be due to players in major domestic sports leagues (e.g., AFL, NRL) having fewer alternative leagues they could join and so a greater acceptance of switching to a rival team.
The strong team fan culture in Germany is reflected in the low score (15%), with a widely-held ethos that no individual is bigger than the club coming through in fan attitudes.
If your favorite athlete joined a different team in the same league, how would it affect your support?
% selecting I would start supporting the new team as well as my current team
YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025.
Sports fans in AU, GB, DE, IT, ES, and US n> 700
Athlete or team allegiance? 3 in 10 sports fans have started following a new sport because of a specific athlete, showing the impact a star can have on amplifying a sport to a wider audience
With the growing consumption of sport through social media platforms and the ability to get content in front of those outside of owned channels, the opportunity exists for engaging athlete-led posts to capture new fans and bring them into the sport's ecosystem.
Have you ever started following a new sport, league, or team because of a specific athlete?
"Started following a new sport because of a specific athlete"
Multi-market average: Sports fans
Multi-market average: 18-34 sports fans
"Started following a new league because a specific athlete"
Multi-market average: Sports fans
Multi-market average: 18-34 sports fans
"Started following a new team because of a specific athlete"
Multi-market average: Sports fans
Multi-market average: 18-34 sports fans
YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025.
Sports fans by age - unweighted average of 15 markets: [AU, CA, DK, FR, GB, DE, IN, IT, MX, PL, SG, ES, SE, UAE, US] n> 3,600
