Ohioans love their Buckeyes best

By Marc Kovac

The preference for OSU over the pros is more than just a winning record.

COLUMBUS — No surprises here: Ohioans officially love their Buckeyes.

That’s according to a survey taken by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, the Connecticut-based group that regularly gauges residents’ attitudes about issues and candidates.

Momentarily turning its attention from presidential politics, Quinnipiac asked 1,342 Ohioans earlier this month which sports team they preferred.

The biggest margin of victory was for the Ohio State football team, which outpaced its NFL counterparts in the state 58 percent to 28 percent.

They were still keen on the Buckeyes when asked whether they rooted for OSU basketball or the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, though by a smaller spread (42 percent to 38percent).

“Ohio is the Buckeye State, and Ohio sports fans give their heart to the college team, unlike some states where college football isn’t strong and professional sports are what matters,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the institute, said in a release.

“This may be due partially to the Buckeyes being more successful than the pro franchises, but the margin shows that it is more than just winning and losing.”

On the professional side, those polled preferred the NFL’s Cleveland Browns (24 percent) when asked to name their favorite Ohio team.

They were followed by the Cavaliers (17 percent), the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Bengals (15 percent) and the Cincinnati Reds (14 percent).

Also, the Indians proved more popular than the Reds, 51 percent to 34 percent.

The widest margin within the baseball poll was among Democrats, who preferred the Indians, 55 percent to 30 percent.

The Browns outpaced the Bengals, 55 percent to 30 percent. Again, the widest margin was among Democrats, who preferred the Browns, 60 percent to 25 percent.