White Americans are also more likely to be baseball fans than are non-whites, a tendency that exists in a few sports but not in most. Figure Skating Half the public says they are fans of figure skating, and it is the only sport of the 11 tested that has more female than male fans. There are slight regional differences among figure skating fans, with these residing in the West more likely and those in the South least likely to be fans. When Americans are asked to name their favorite sport, basketball generally places second to football. However, college and professional basketball trail four other sports in the percentage of Americans who consider themselves fans of the sport.
Professional basketball has a strong appeal among non-whites, especially blacks.
Pro basketball also shows considerable differences by age, with younger Americans far more likely to be fans of the sport than are older Americans. Pro basketball also shows considerable differences according to place of residence. College basketball also has a high proportion of non-white fans, but the differences are not nearly as pronounced as they are for pro basketball. Educational differences also exist, with those holding a college degree more likely than those who do not to be fans of college basketball. As pointed out earlier, fans of pro basketball and college football are especially likely to be fans of college basketball.