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The Miller Lite Report on American Attitudes Toward Sports blog

February 25, 2014

How important is it that girls, and boys, participate in sports growing up?  When children compete in sports, do they argue with the coaches or referees?  Does watching sports bring families closer together?  Do sports reduce a woman’s femininity?  This Miller Lite Report asks a wide range questions about sports and athleticism of unusual samples of people with different types of engagement in the world of sports.  Writers, doctors, broadcasters, coaches, and the general public all provided their perspectives.  Topics include favorite athletes and teams, dream careers, sport participation and attendance, steroid usage, the roles race and gender play, and media coverage.

The data was collected in three different waves.  National adults, plus oversamples of teenagers and blacks, were surveyed from October 1st – 30th, 1982 (N=1,323).  Sports writers, broadcasters, and coaches were surveyed from November 4th – December 1st, 1982 (N=356).  Sports medicine doctors were surveyed from November 12th, 15th – 18th, 1982 (N=53).  The survey was conducted by Research and Forecasts, Inc. for Miller Brewing Company via landline telephone.  Explore the results of the study here.