- Publish date:
The Poll Louisianans weigh in on sports*
Favorite major league baseball team:
Atlanta Braves.........18%
Houston Astros.........12%
New York Yankees.......12%
Favorite NFL team:
New Orleans Saints.....54%
Dallas Cowboys.........13%
Favorite NBA team:
New Orleans Hornets....26%
Los Angeles Lakers.....13%
No favorite............32%
Favorite NHL team:
Dallas Stars............5%
Pittsburgh Penguins.....4%
No favorite............68%
Favorite pro team:
New Orleans Saints.....47%
Dallas Cowboys..........8%
Greatest athlete who ever lived in or played for a team in your
state:
Pete Maravich..........18%
Archie Manning.........17%
Terry Bradshaw.........17%
Shaquille O'Neal.......12%
Billy Cannon............6%
State's biggest sports rivalry:
LSU-Tulane.............44%
Southern-Grambling......9%
State's biggest rival:
Alabama................22%
Mississippi............20%
Florida................16%
Georgia................14%
Texas..................12%
More a fan of college or pro sports?
Pro....................50%
College................22%
Equal..................27%
Favorite sport to play:
Fishing................20%
Swimming...............15%
Basketball.............14%
Football...............14%
Golf...................13%
ENEMY OF THE STATE
Steve Spurrier.........18%
Tom Benson.............12%
Jerry Jones.............7%
Michael Vick............7%
Spurrier, already voted the Enemy in Tennessee and Alabama,
continues his Southern campaign with a victory in the Pelican
State. Louisianans' most hated opponents: the Atlanta Falcons
(34%), the University of Mississippi (16%) and the University of
Alabama (12%).
*Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 410 Louisiana
residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin of
error +/-5%.
COLOR CHART Enthuse-o-meter On a scale of 1 to 100, how would you rate your state's enthusiasm for sports, relative to other states'? COLD ---- 86.0 -- HOT Rank: 3rd of first 21 states polled
COLOR PHOTO: HEINZ KLUETMEIER (SPURRIER)
SI.com
To read an SI Flashback about Shaquille O'Neal's debut at LSU,
view a gallery of Saints covers and vote for your favorite New
Orleans Super Bowl moment, go to si.com/magazine/features/si50/states/louisiana.
