Americans Are More Soccer Fans Than NASCAR Fans According To Study

[HT: Adweek, exponential.com]

According to some market research by advertising intelligence and research firm Exponential soccer is more popular to Americans than NASCAR.

Bryan Melmed, Senior Director of Insights Services for Exponential discussed hidden marketing and advertising opportunities behind soccer in the United States to Adweek

“In the U.S., soccer is generally perceived as being further down the totem pole in terms of popularity, with NASCAR holding a more favorable position,” Melmed said. “As you dig deeper and look at the actual behavioral and trend data, however, it becomes clear that soccer’s fan footprint domestically is much stronger than believed—and growing.”

According to the research millennials are more interested in soccer by 16 percent than any other age group.

That plays right into the hands of advertisers who covet reaching younger Americans.  They are more willing to spend their discretionary dollars.

The research also shows that American soccer fans have the money to spend.  They are almost five times more likely to have an income above $250,000.

Other research notes are that American soccer fans tend to be more educated, have a greater interest in video games and intellectual/indie movies and are more progressive and liberal with their politics.

“As for why liberalism and soccer have any sort of association, it stems from the ‘60s and ‘70s, when soccer’s popularity in the U.S. ballooned as a counter-culture response to football’s traditional all-Americanism,” Melmed said. “[The] counter-culture championed a more global view and soccer was certainly a global sport.”

Food for thought as you watch the World Cup.

Exponential’s network audience of 450 million users reveals other surprising trends in politics and preferences.

1. They’re young. Millennials in the U.S. are 16 percent more interested in soccer than any other age group. This helps make the World Cup a major social event.
2. No other type of sports fan in the U.S. has a bigger interest in video games and intellectual/indie movies.
3. No other sports fan has a bigger interest in education.
4. They have money. American soccer fans are 4.6 times more likely to have an income above $250,000.
5. They belong to a bifurcated audience, with large populations of Caucasian fans filling northwestern cities and Hispanics living in densely urban areas.