Basketball was named the favorite sport to watch by 11% of Americans in Gallup's latest survey, conducted Aug. 3-24, placing it as the second-most popular sport behind football and ahead of baseball (10%) and soccer's record 9% share.

Basketball's popularity has grown steadily over time. Gallup found an average of 9% of Americans named basketball as their favorite sport between 1937 and 1981. Over the past four decades, that average has risen to 13%, including a high of 17% in a 1997 survey conducted during Michael Jordan's dominant run with the Chicago Bulls.

Basketball draws notably strong support among Black Americans, a key driver of the sport's overall numbers in the survey. Among younger adults aged 18 to 34, approximately 10% named basketball as their favorite sport, a figure similar to baseball and soccer within that age group, as football's appeal skews toward older demographics.