Do you watch sports with your pets? According to new research, 79% of pet owners do and 80% of them claim their pets are even bigger sports fans than they are.
A poll of 2-thousand American pet parents reveals:
- 83% think their pet has a favorite sport to watch and the most popular sports for pets seem to be ones with a lot of action and running, including football (40%), soccer (19%), and basketball (14%).
- More than three-quarters (78%) think their pet has a favorite athlete, and 87% of respondents have either named a pet after an athlete or would consider doing so in the future.
- Sports-inspired names pets have been given include: Lionel, Messi, Bolt, Fenway, Maholmes, Jackson, Hulk and Labron.
- But the pet-sport mania doesn’t stop there. Two in three pet parents (65%) have bought their pet a sports team-themed item, with the most popular choices being pet bandanas (19%), collars (19%), jerseys (18%), and stuffed toys (17%).
- So it’s really not surprising that 90% of those pet moms and dads dress their pet in that item when their team is playing.
- Many pet owners think watching sports with their team pays off, as 26% say their pets are a lucky charm and 83% swear their team has won a game because their pet was watching.
- But how do these folks know their pets are actually watching the game on TV? For 42%, it’s when pets stare at the screen, 54% say it’s when they follow the action with their eyes, and 52% say their pets get vocal.
- And it’s not just the pet owners who enjoy sharing their love of sports with their pets, 69% of them say their pets love watching sports with them.