Pro Sports Teams Massachusetts Fans Watch the Most

Massachusetts is a sports state.

We take our sports seriously in Massachusetts, and our teams enjoy a large and loyal fan base.

Perhaps we appreciate sports so much in the Commonwealth because we are the home of champions.

The Boston Celtics have 18 NBA championship banners. The Boston Bruins have won the NHL’s Stanley Cup title six times. The New England Patriots have collected six NFL Super Bowl trophies. The Boston Red Sox are nine-time MLB champions.

It’s no wonder we are nuts about sports in Massachusetts.

There was a time when the Massachusetts sports fan base was dominated by men. Times have changed, and many women are as passionate about the home teams as ever.

So which teams are Massachusetts sports fans most passionate about?

The Institute for Immigration Research (IIR) at the Virginia-based George Mason University took a look at sports viewership in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area.

IIR found that “Overall, and among men, the top two professional teams watched are the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots. For women, the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics ranked first and second in terms of viewership.”

The institute identifies sports fans as “individuals who watch professional/and or college sports at least several times a month and/or follow athletes or coaches on social media.”

The study finds white respondents were most likely to watch the Red Sox, Bruins and Patriots, while Black respondents tended to favor the Celtics.

The Institute for Immigration Research says, “International soccer was more likely to be watched by respondents who identified as another race.”

IIR’s survey results can be found on its website.