Floridians generally like their home state teams--and the Atlanta Braves.
Public Policy Polling (PPP) released a poll on Tuesday looking at who residents of the Sunshine State cheer for.
Floridians are divided between the Atlanta Braves and the Tampa Bay Rays when it comes to Major League Baseball (MLB). Both the Braves and the Rays are the favorite team of 13 percent of Florida voters. The Miami Marlins, a foe of the Braves in the National League East, are the favorite team of percent of those surveyed.
Two rivals of the Rays in the American League East also have many supporters in the Sunshine State as 10 percent of those surveyed root for the New York Yankees while 9 percent back the Boston Red Sox.
While they spend spring training in Arizona, the Chicago Cubs are the favorite team of 7 percent of those surveyed while 5 percent cheer for the New York Mets and 4 percent back the Philadelphia Phillies. More than a quarter of those surveyed--27 percent--back other teams or are poor, benighted souls who do not like baseball.
When it comes to the National Football League (NFL), the Miami Dolphins are the favorite team of the Sunshine State but they lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by less than a touchdown but more than a field goal.
The Dolphins are the favorite team of 20 percent of those surveyed while 15 percent back the Buccaneers. The Green Bay Packers are the favorite team of 9 percent while 8 percent back the New England Patriots. Despite playing in North Florida for two decades, the Jacksonville Jaguars are only the favorite team of 7 percent, tying them for fifth with the Dallas Cowboys. The New York Giants are the favorite team of 4 percent while 2 percent root for their crosstown rivals the New York Jets. More than a quarter--29 percent--of those surveyed root for other teams or don’t like football.
Of the seven universities with Division I college football teams in Florida, there’s a clear winner. The University of Florida Gators are the favorite team of 29 percent, beating out the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles who are the favorite team of 19 percent. The University of Central Florida (UCF) Knights take third with 12 percent, edging the University of Miami Hurricanes who are the favorite team of 10 percent. Five percent root for the University of South Florida (USF) while 3 percent pull for Florida International University (FIU) and 1 percent cheer for Florida Atlantic University (FAU).
The poll of 1,012 registered Florida voters was taken from Feb. 24-Feb. 25 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
