Nashville Predators Middle Tennessee's Most Popular Pro Team: MTSU Poll

MURFREESBORO, TN — A newly released poll from Middle Tennessee State University shows the NHL's Nashville Predators are the Midstate's most popular pro sports team, outpacing the NFL's Tennessee Titans.

Statewide, the Titans remain the best loved pro team, but the Predators run to the Stanley Cup Final vaulted them into the lead among Middle Tennesseans, according to the poll which was taken June 10 through 19. The Cup Final ended with a Game 6 loss for the Preds against the Pittsburgh Penguins June 11. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

The survey from the Office of Consumer Research at the Jones College of Business at MTSU asked 210 Middle Tennesseans which of the state's three pro sports teams — the Preds, Titans or the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies — was their favorite. Thirty-three percent said the Preds, 29 percent the Titans, 1 percent the Grizzlies and 30 percent said none of these. In the statewide survey, which include 627 people, the Titans came in first with 27 percent, followed by the Preds at 16 percent and the Grizzlies at 12 percent, with 36 percent saying none of these. The Grizzlies were the most popular choice in West Tennessee at 32 percent and the Titans most popular in East Tennessee at 34 percent, although both answers in those Grand Divisions were outpaced by the "none" choice, at 38 percent and 40 percent, respectively.

Football is still king in a general sense, however, as 42 percent of Tennesseans and 45 percent of Middle Tennesseans said it was their favorite sport to watch. Basketball was second statewide at 13 percent and hockey second in Middle Tennessee at 16 percent.

Check out the full results.