83% of College Football Fans Prefer to Watch Games at Home Rather
than at a Stadium
RIVERWOODS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 18, 2012--
College football fans say the best seats in the house for
watching games are in their houses when it comes down to a choice
between going to a game or watching it on TV. In this week’s Discover
Fan Loyalty Poll, 83 percent of fans said they prefer watching the game
at home in front of a TV, compared to 12 percent who would rather watch
the game live at a stadium, and 4 percent who are partial to bars or
restaurants.
When it comes to preferences of fans among the major conferences, Big
East fans are the most willing to go out to a game, 42 percent, compared
with their counterparts in the PAC 12, 23 percent; ACC, 16 percent; SEC,
10 percent; Big Ten, 9 percent; Big 12, 4 percent; and independents, 1
percent.
College football fans also proved this week that loyalty runs deeper
than just wins and losses. When asked if they were at the game and their
team was losing badly, would they stay or leave? The majority, 71
percent, would stay and cheer to the bitter end, while 21 percent would
leave early to beat the crowd and traffic and, 8 percent were unsure.
Eighty five percent of fans said they would still follow their teams
every week – even during a bad season.
The top college football polls all agreed on the five best teams in the
country right now; however, Discover Fan Loyalty Poll respondents had a
difference of opinion on order. Alabama and Oregon were the same across
the board, but Notre Dame sneaked into third as 56 percent of fans with
no conference affiliation or preference chose the Fighting Irish. The
rankings are as follows:
-
Alabama, 47 percent
-
Oregon, 9 percent
-
Notre Dame, 7 percent
-
Ohio State, 6 percent
-
Florida, 5 percent
-
Kansas State, 3 percent
-
Louisiana State University, 3 percent
-
Oregon State, 1 percent
-
Some other team, 13 percent
-
Not sure, 7 percent
The 15-week Discover Fan Loyalty Poll is conducted by Rasmussen Reports,
a nationally recognized leader in polling, who gathers sentiment by
phone from 800 college football fans who follow games at least once per
week on television, radio, in person or online.
Discover launched the Fan Loyalty Poll to give die-hard fans a platform
to showcase their dedication and love for their favorite college
football team leading up to the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship
Game and 2013 Discover Orange Bowl. Each week the poll will offer new
questions about what college football fans are thinking this season.
Beyond title sponsorship of the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship
Game and 2013 Discover Orange Bowl, Discover’s commitment to college
football includes relationships with ESPN and Notre Dame Football on NBC.
About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment
services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S.
financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become
one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company
operates the Discover
card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers home loans, private
student loans, personal loans, online savings accounts, certificates of
deposit and money market accounts through its direct
banking business. Its payment
businesses consist of Discover
Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE,
one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners
Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in
more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discoverfinancial.com.
Source: Discover Financial Services
Katie Henry
Discover
224-405-4437
kathrynhenry@discover.com
or
Matthew
Towson
Discover
224-405-5649
matthewtowson@discover.com