Are Californians great sports fans? Spending data suggests no

California is hosting back-to-back Super Bowls, with the championship football game played in the Bay Area in 2026 and Los Angeles in 2027.

The Golden State will be home to 14 of the 104 World Cup soccer matches this summer.

And in 2028, Los Angeles will host the Olympic Summer Games.

It’s quite the sports-hosting resume for one state. But does that mean Californians are great sports fans, too?

It’s difficult to quantify such intangible passions. Still, I’ll let my trusty spreadsheet test the thesis with a relatively simple set of statistics: detailed state-by-state consumer spending data through 2024 from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

We’re invoking the “Show me the money” mantra from the football rom-com “Jerry Maguire” from 1996. Let’s start with overall spending on sporting events.

Californians spent $5 billion on sports entertainment in 2024, ranking it No. 1 among the states and accounting for 12% of the nation’s $41.5 billion spent on athletic events.

That huge cash flow is what sports promoters love, and it’s why California gets to host many of the biggest games. No. 2 was Texas at $3.7 billion, followed by New York at $2.6 billion.

Personally speaking

California’s status as the most populous state may make it a great place to host a major sporting event.

However, California’s enthusiasm for sports appears muted at the individual level. That’s fandom measured by how many dollars go toward game tickets per person.

The typical Californian spent $128 on sporting events in 2024. That per-person rate ranked only 20th among the states and was only $6 higher than the $122 per person spent nationally.

Using this metric, the best live-event sports fans are far from the coast: No. 1 was West Virginia at $223 per person, then Iowa at $218 and Minnesota at $211. High-profile college athletics is one thread among these sports markets.

And the least passionate fans are a New England crowd, according to this tally: Connecticut at $8 per person, New Hampshire at $35, and Vermont at $43.

Slow growth

Alternatively, we could also define a good fan by their growth in spending. Ponder the 2023-24 average sports expenditures contrasted to the pre-pandemic 2018-19 pace.

California sports event spending grew modestly over five years. Its 20% increase was the 15th slowest expansion among the states and one-third of the nation’s 30% upswing.

Where were the best fans, as measured by who’s upping their spending game?

Nevada topped the states with 117% growth. A pair of new pro sports teams likely helps. Then there’s Wyoming at 86% and Rhode Island at 82%.

Sports spending fell in three places, led by the District of Columbia, off 32%, Vermont, down 25%, and Montana, minus 8%.

Cost of living

California’s relatively modest sports spending may be influenced by the state’s high cost of living, which makes it harder for many households to set aside funds for game tickets.

Ponder sports event spending as a share of overall consumer expenditures. It’s a small amount, $1.96 for every $1,000 spent by Californians in 2024.

That’s No. 27 among the states and 9% below the national average of $2.15 per $1,000 of spending.

The largest share of spending went to sports in West Virginia ($4.65 per $1,000), Iowa ($4.57), and Minnesota ($3.77).

The least? Connecticut at 13 cents per $1,000, New Hampshire at 53 cents and Vermont at 73 cents.

The competition

Many California sports team operators admit that tickets are a difficult sell when there are so many other things to do.

Contemplate a big competitor for sporting events: Other live entertainment, such as concerts and theater shows.

In 2024, Californians spent $12.7 billion on non-sporting live events, the highest among states and 24% of the nation’s $53.2 billion. New York ranked second at $4.4 billion, followed by Virginia at $3.9 billion.

Golden State spending on this kind of entertainment appears substantial, even accounting for its massive population. It’s $322 per Californian, more than double the national average of $156. Only Virginia at $446 per person and Hawaii at $408 had more.

Where are non-sports events least popular, by this metric? Mississippi at $25 per person, Kansas at $30, and West Virginia at $37.

Slice of the pie

What if we define the intensity of sports fandom by the slice of live event dollars going toward sports?

Athletic events were only 30% of a Californian’s entertainment budget during the 10 years ending in 2024. That’s the eighth-smallest share among the states. It’s also roughly one-third below the national average of 44%.

The nation’s lowest rates were in Connecticut (4%), Hawaii (9%), and Virginia (21%).

And where might you say has the most intense sports culture, using this yardstick that assesses who attends events?

West Virginia is tops, with 86% of entertainment dollars going toward sports. Then there are Iowa at 84% and Mississippi at 82%.

Let’s politely say that compared with the rest of the nation, Californians love live entertainment – occasionally at a sporting event.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com