Troubled by the daily threat posed by the coronavirus, Californians seem to be taking one loss in stride – sports.
According to polling done by Competitive Edge Research & Communication, residents may miss professional baseball and basketball, but they especially regret the Olympics’ fate.
The Games had been set to begin in Tokyo on July 24. They will now kick off July 23, 2021.
Guidance from public health officials around the world led to mass postponement or cancellation of major events. They include the NCAA Tournament, the SXSW Festival in Texas, and more.
Owners put the NBA season on hold. Major League Baseball closed spring training without setting a date for the season to begin.
The poll, of 542 state voters, conducted March 26-27, found that:
- Californians grieved the loss of the Olympics the most. Almost 45% expressed some level of disappointment at the delay to next summer.
- Half of the respondents didn’t care about the suspended NBA season or late start to MLB’s. About a third each, though said they felt somewhat, very, or extremely disappointed about the lost games.
- Those bullish on investments, however, showed more concern about losing baseball and basketball.
- The largest number of respondents statewide expressed no concern about canceling the NCAA Tournament – 54%. But many San Diegans would disagree, due to the lost San Diego State March Madness run.
- Overall, less than 10% of respondents described themselves as extremely disappointed about the loss of any of the events.
- Los Angeles County residents, though driven by the Los Angeles Clippers’ and Lakers’ success, felt the loss of the NBA season most keenly.
– Staff reports