An ESPN study reveals that fans are in favor of watching televised sports with no fans instead of waiting for sports to return with fans.
In the survey, titled the ESPN Coronavirus Lockdown Fan Study, 1004 fans over the age of 18 or older were surveyed.
Sixty-five percent of fans were in favor of sports returning without fans in the stands.
However, that number grew to 76 percent when participants were asked if they support a return to sports without fans in attendance if players were kept in hotels and their contact with others was closely monitored.
Several sports leagues, including the NBA, MLB, and NHL, are all weighing their options to return to action.
Among the options suggested is returning with teams playing and staying in a localized area or areas.
The NFL, however, is not among the leagues considering this option according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The ESPN Study surveyed fans between April 17-20.
There are plans to conduct other studies over the next few months to monitor and track any changes in fan sentiment.
Whenever sports do in fact return, 88 percent of the ESPN study participants consider themselves avid sports fans and said they plan to watch as much sports as they can.