Do You Plan On Watching the Olympics? – Survey of the Day

As a sports fan I get excited every four years to watch some sports that you only watch every four years. I mean, how often do you get to watch race walking, badminton, or pentathlon? Maybe it's the fact that you are competing for nothing but the pride of your country and a shiny gold medallion, but to me the Olympics are important. Do you plan on watching the London 2012 Olympic Games?

Attention will be across the pond on Friday for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and 80% of Americans say they’ll follow at least some of the events, according to a new Marist Poll. This includes 19% who plan to check out a “great deal” of them, 23% who think they will follow a “good amount” of the events, and 38% who believe they will follow them a “little bit.” Other findings show:

• 50% of adults say it’s more interesting to see if U.S. athletes win the most medals; however, 43% think it’s more interesting to witness records being set regardless of which country the athlete represents.
• When it comes to the nation’s most fierce competitors, 41% believe China will be America’s strongest challenger; 15% percent said Russia; and 8% say Canada will be the country’s toughest rival.
• 30% of Americans say gymnastics is the event they’re looking forward to watching the most, while, 23% are pumped up about swimming, and 18% are hyped about the track and field events. Basketball is the most anticipated event for 11% of watchers, while soccer received 10% of the vote; 4% said diving.
• 50% of Americans planning to watch the Olympics say swimming sensation Michael Phelps will make the biggest male splash in London while 17% believe basketball phenom LeBron James will be the biggest male star of the Games.
• When it comes to female athletes, 43% are most hyped about watching tennis great Serena Williams. Soccer’s Hope Solo comes in a distant second with 11%, followed by track athlete Lolo Jones with 9%.