Football was the clear favorite spectator sport, selected by more than a quarter of respondents ages 45+ in this short telephone survey conducted for the AARP Bulletin.  Baseball and NASCAR racing came in second and third place, with less than one-fifth of respondents mentioning them as their favorite spectator sport. 

Similarly, when asked about their favorite sporting event, football again came in as the clear winner with more than one-quarter of respondents giving the nod to the NFL Super Bowl.  The Olympics or Major League baseball were the only other sporting events to garner double-digits.

Tiger Woods was the favorite living professional athlete, selected by more than ten percent of respondents. 

When asked about their own behavior, more than six in ten respondents said they had been physically active on a regular basis for a year or more, while one in twenty said they had been physically active on a regular basis for less than one year.  Among those regularly active, more than four in ten said walking was their favorite type of exercise.  Even though many respondents reported being physically active, only three in ten said their current level of activity is more than it was five years ago. 

This telephone survey of 510 adults ages 45 and older was conducted for AARP by ICR of Media, Pennsylvania, from August 27 to August 30, 2009.  For more information about this research, please contact Teresa A. Keenan, Ph.D., at 202-434-6274. (17 pages)