The Poll Mississippians weigh in on sports*
Favorite major league baseball team:
Atlanta Braves.................29%
New York Yankees................8%
St. Louis Cardinals.............6%
Favorite NFL team:
New Orleans Saints.............20%
Tennessee Titans...............16%
Green Bay Packers..............13%
Favorite NBA team:
Los Angeles Lakers.............13%
Memphis Grizzlies...............8%
Favorite NHL team:
Detroit Red Wings...............4%
Anaheim Mighty Ducks............4%
Favorite pro team:
New Orleans Saints.............16%
Atlanta Braves.................10%
Green Bay Packers..............10%
Favorite college:
Mississippi State..............26%
Ole Miss.......................21%
Southern Mississippi...........13%
Greatest athlete who ever lived in or played for a team in your
state:
Archie Manning.................24%
Brett Favre....................21%
State's biggest rivalry:
Ole Miss-Mississippi State.....77%
State's biggest rival:
Alabama........................43%
Favorite announcer
John Madden....................20%
Jack Crystal...................12%
More a fan of college or pro sports?
Pro............................39%
College........................27%
Favorite sports to watch on TV+:
Football.......................84%
Basketball.....................43%
Winter Olympics................42%
Summer Olympics................42%
ENEMY OF THE STATE
Tommy Tuberville...............36%
Bear Bryant.....................9%
Steve Spurrier..................7%
Tuberville coached Ole Miss for four seasons, but in November
1998--shortly after promising not to leave the school--he jumped
to Auburn. Mississippians' most hated opponents: LSU (37%) and
Alabama (27%).
* Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 400 Mississippi
residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin of
error +/-5%.
+ Multiple responses allowed.
COLOR PHOTO: DAVE MARTIN/AP (TUBERVILLE)
COLOR ILLUSTRATION Enthuse-o-meterOn a scale of 1 to 100, how would you rate your state'senthusiasm for sports, relative to other states'? COLD --- 81.6 -- HOT Rank: 20th (tied with South Carolina) of first 49 statespolled