This list of the 124 most popular sports in the United States is based on National Sports Study II, conducted in 1992 and based on a 64-page questionnaire to which there were 1,479 responses. See also the 1998 top sports.

The Top 61 Sports (counting 'ties') NFL football Women's figure skating (tie) Women's gymnastics Major League baseball Pairs figure skating Men's figure skating Pairs Ice dancing Men's gymnastics NBA Basketball NCAA/CFA college football High school football International/Olympic basketball High school basketball NASCAR stock car racing Indy car racing NCAA men's college basketball International/Olympic volleyball Platform diving Little League baseball Competitive swimming Springboard diving (tie) Rodeo Thoroughbred racing Air show airplane stunts Boxing Billiards/pool Track and field Amateur softball High school baseball Synchronized swimming Arena football NHL ice hockey College baseball Minor league baseball Luge/bobsled racing American Gladiators/Jousting Olympic/World Cup skiing Men's pro snow skiing Formula One racing Acrobatics, Chinese or other WWF wrestling Tractor pulls NHRA/HRA drag racing NCAA collegiate gymnastics (tie) Major league pro volleyball PBA men's pro bowling tour Speedskating PGA men's golf Equestrian jumping Women's pro bowling tour Olympic/international Ice hockey World League football Body building (tie) Women's pro snow skiing PGA men's senior golf Pro beach volleyball IMSA auto racing (tie) Motorcycle-motorcross racing Target shooting Olympic/amateur boxing Sprint car racing

Sports Ranked 62 to 124 (counting 'ties') (tie) ATP Grand Prix men's pro tennis Badminton Equestrian steeplechase Roller derby Freestyle acrobatic snow skiing Weightlifting (tie) Archery Surfing Daredevil jumping acts CBA minor league basketball (tie) Dog racing Men's marathon (tie) Harness racing Triathlons (tie) Canoe, kayaking WTA Women's Professional Tennis Judo (tie) AHL minor league Ice hockey NCAA women's college basketball Professional water skiing LPGA women's golf (tie) Offshore powerboat racing PKA full-contact karate Table tennis/ping-pong Skeet shooting Major Indoor soccer Tae kwon do Unlimited hydroplane racing (tie) Log rolling/pole climbing NCAA college Ice hockey (tie) Cutting horse competition Dog sledding Women's pro basketball (tie) Olympic/collegiate wrestling World Cup/International soccer Youth soccer leagues Cliff diving Snowmobile racing Windsurfing (tie) Racquetball Sailing/yacht racing Women's marathon Mountain bike racing Water polo (tie) Fencing Pop Warner football Snowboarding Youth Ice hockey Running road races (tie) Arm wrestling Jai-Alai Stage-to-stage tour bike racing Boardsailing (tie) Field hockey Ultimate frisbee Closed-circuit bike racing (tie) NCAA collegiate tennis Crew/rowing Biathlons Australian rules football Professional rugby Velodrome bike racing Polo

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TRADITIONAL SPORTS — BOTH PARTICIPANT AND SPECTATOR

• Baseball, softball (played in school, all have at least
• American football basic level of player-competence;
• Basketball highly-developed professional levels)

ESTABLISHED SPORTS — PARTICIPANT/SPECTATOR — STATUS UNCLEAR

• Tennis
• Swimming & Platform Diving, Water skiing, Scuba Diving
• Track and field, cross-country, road racing (running)
• Volleyball (California beaches)
• Skiing (Alpine and Nordic), archery, riflery, pistol shooting

NEWER SPORTS — MAINLY SPECTATOR

• Ice hockey, Soccer & Rugby football
• Jai-alai

TRADITIONAL INDOOR SPORTS — LOWER STATUS STEREOTYPE

• Bowling, roller derby, boxing, wrestling, esp. professional
• Pool and billiards, card games (poker, etc., not bridge, etc.)

NEWER INDOOR SPORTS — "UPSCALE" STATUS STEREOTYPE

• Squash, racqetball, handball (note difference cf Europe)
• Aerobics, jazzercise, jazz dance, gymnastics, ice-skating

NEWER OUTDOOR SPORTS — UPSCALE STATUS

• Hang-gliding, parachuting, windsurfing
• Mountain climbing, scuba diving, "wilderness survival" courses

NEWER "ENDURANCE" SPORTS

• Marathon races, "Citizen" road races, X-C ski marathons
• Triathlon events (Swim, bicycle, run)

MOTORIZED SPORTS--BASICALLY LOWER CLASS; APPEAL OF "POWER"

• Formula One racing, Stock car racing, Demolition Derby

ANIMAL SPORTS

• Horse racing (horse and jockey, trotting)
• "Show horse" events (dressage, jumping)
• Rodeo, hunting [with dog], cockfights, greyhound races

MAJOR SPORTS EVENTS

Olympics, Super Bowl, College "Bowl" Games, World Series, Stanley Cup, Kentucky Derby, New York & Boston Marathons, Hawaii Ironman, NBA Playoffs, U.S. Open and Masters Tournaments (Golf), Indy 500

MAJOR STADIA (NAMES KNOWN, LANDMARKS)

Madison Square Garden, Boston Garden; The Astrodome (Houston), SuperDome (New Orleans), MetroDome (Minneapolis), Kingdome (Seattle), Georgia Dome (Atlanta); Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl (vs Super Bowl); Ebbets Field, Polo Grounds; Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, [the former] Candlestick Park, Los Angeles Coliseum; Busch Stadium The Meadowlands, Arrowhead Stadium, Lambeau Field, Soldiers Field, Foxboro Stadium, RFK Stadium Wrigley Field (Chicago), Fenway Park (Boston)

SELECTED SPORTS VALUES, DIFFERENTIATIONS

• Fast versus slow (tempo of game)
• Young versus old (participant age, or perception of..)
• Traditional versus "New," "Statusy"; also country/region differences, as with X-C skiing between Finland and the U.S. or hockey with Canada and the U.S.
• "Good" vs "Bad" (moral, status, class...) (reputations, real or alleged)
• Offense or defense-oriented; simple or intellectual; foot or hand-oriented, etc.
• Changes in cultural values orientation, example of Namath with Jets, etc.
• Sports stereotypes as "elite," "popular," or "folk" games
• Language of sports important, as is the deeper meaning of their myths and rituals