The Poll North Dakotans weigh in on sports*
Favorite college team:
North Dakota hockey..19%
North Dakota State football...13%
Favorite major league baseball team:
Minnesota Twins....52%
New York Yankees....5%
No favorite.......16%
Favorite NFL team:
Minnesota Vikings..43%
Green Bay Packers...8%
Dallas Cowboys.........7%
Favorite NBA team:
Minnesota Timberwolves..........29%
Los Angeles Lakers..14%
Chicago Bulls............8%
No favorite..............29%
Favorite NHL team:
Minnesota Wild........31%
Colorado Avalanche..6%
No favorite...........44%
Greatest athlete who ever lived in or played for a team in your
state:
Roger Maris............39%
Phil Jackson...........22%
Darin Erstad..............11%
Jim Kleinsasser.........6%
Phil Hansen...............4%
More a fan of college or pro sports?
Pro.................68%
College................11%
Equal................21%
Favorite sport to play:
Fishing......................19%
Golf...........................18%
Basketball.................13%
Baseball/softball.......11%
Bowling......................11%
Favorite sports to watch on TV+:
Football.............74%
Winter Olympics.....48%
Summer Olympics...44%
Baseball............42%
Hockey.............31%
ENEMY OF THE STATE
Brett Favre............36%
Ed Schultz..............5%
George Steinbrenner...5%
Vikings fans dislike Favre, sure, but who's Ed Schultz? A
longtime Fargo sportscaster, that's who, and some folks think
he's too loud and opinionated. The state's most hated opponents:
the University of Minnesota (39%) and the Green Bay Packers
(26%).
--Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 401 North
Dakota residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin
of error +/-5%.
+Multiple responses allowed.
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---69.0--HOT Rank: 23rd of first 26 states polled
COLOR PHOTO: JONATHAN DANIEL/GETTY IMAGES (FAVRE)
To read an SI Flashback story on the University of North Dakota's
seven NCAA hockey championships, see every Roger Maris cover or
review more Roughrider State sports trivia, go to
si.com/magazine/features/si50/states/north_dakota