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Baseball Fans Divided on Barry Bonds' Eligibility for Hall of Fame

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A recent AP/AOL Sports poll indicates that nearly half of baseball fans have an unfavorable opinion of Barry Bonds, with opinions on his eligibility for the Hall of Fame divided along the lines of when the steroid use occurred. The poll, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, surveyed a representative national sample of 2,006 adults, including 793 self-described baseball fans.

Key Takeaways:

  • 49% of baseball fans have an unfavorable opinion of Barry Bonds, with opinions on his eligibility for the Hall of Fame divided along the lines of when the steroid use occurred.
  • 37% of baseball fans believe Barry Bonds should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame if he is found to have used steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.
  • 57% of baseball fans believe Barry Bonds should be allowed into the Hall of Fame if he was found to have used steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs, but only prior to 2002 when Major League Baseball enacted rules against those drugs.
  • 65% of baseball fans believe Barry Bonds is being treated fairly by MLB when it comes to the steroid allegations against him.
  • 45% of baseball fans in a previous poll (April 2005) thought that players found to have used steroids or other performance drugs, but only prior to 2002, should be allowed into the Hall of Fame.

Statistics:

  • 53% of baseball fans feel that Major League Baseball is not doing enough to curb the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.
  • 39% of Americans consider themselves fans of professional baseball.
  • 49% of self-identified baseball fans follow their favorite team's live broadcast or personally attend a baseball game at least once a week.
  • 43% of Republicans are more likely to be baseball fans than Democrats (36%).

Sources:

  • AP/AOL Sports - "Poll Reveals Nearly Half of Baseball Fans Have Unfavorable Opinion of Barry Bonds" (April 2006)
  • Ipsos Public Affairs - "The Associated Press/AOL Sports Poll" (April 10-20, 2006)
  • The Associated Press - "About The Associated Press" (www.ap.org)
  • AOL LLC - "About AOL LLC" (www.aol.com)

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