Which better applies to your favorite team? Using NCAA basketball data collected by Facebook, I’ve thrown together a scatterplot of the teams which elicit most passion (measured by number of opinions expressed), contrasted with the favorability with which each team is viewed. Unsurprisingly, several of the larger state schools rank among the top in terms of number of opinions expressed, and just as obviously, Duke elicits the greatest number of opinions. Princeton, Yale and Harvard all rank toward the bottom in terms of favorability, although this is likely not due to their fearsome basketball reputations. I have to feel sorry for the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, who appear to have a small, but hateful, following. The most beloved team appears to be the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, followed closely by St. John’s Red Storm. Between Wake, NC State (also well-liked), UNC and Duke, North Carolina is well represented at the extremes. Enough prologue, Here’s the graphic:
NCAA Men’s Basketball Fans and Haters [pdf]
And, for those interested, here is a listing of teams by percent favorable opinions:
NCAA Men’s Basketball Favorability
I would love to see crosstabs for the fans/haters. If one wanted to operationalize “greatest rivalry” I think this would be an excellent way to do so.
