It turns out that the Yankees’ empire isn’t just an evil one — it’s a ubiquitous empire, too.
For the 10th year in a row, the New York Yankees have been ranked as the most popular team in Major League Baseball. The results come via an annual Harris poll, reports the Sacramento Bee.
However, the Yankee’s primary rival, the Boston Red Sox, are ranked No. 2 on the list, which polled more than 2,200 adults. However, Red Sox fans are probably more concerned with the fact that their team is currently No. 1 in the American League East standings.
The Atlanta Braves round out the top three. However, the results of the poll were not just limited to listing most-recognized teams.
With the All-Star Game coming up, it’s worth noting that just 70 percent of people were aware that the game determines home field advantage in the World Series. Despite some of the public grumbles, though, 65 percent responded that it’s a fair way to determine postseason home field advantage.
There’s also evidence in the poll of the supposed declining popularity of MLB, with 34 percent of Americans saying they follow baseball, down 2 percentage points from last year. There’s also support for baseball’s long-accused East Coast bias, as 41 percent of “Easterners” say they follow baseball, compared to 36 percent of those in the Midwest, 35 percent on the West Coast and just 29 percent of Southerners.
Finally, there also seems to be a conservative bias in baseball, with 41 percent of Republicans saying they follow the game, while just 35 percent of Democrats do.
