TORONTO — Just in time for the NBA and NHL playoffs, a new report released today from Solutions Research Group (SRG) finds the two leagues are the most popular professional sports leagues among new Canadians.
According to SRG’s Newcomers to Canada 2021 report, 56% of Canadian newcomers follow the NBA on TV or via online or social media feeds and the NBA ranks first among all newcomer groups. The NHL is followed by 41% of newcomers to Canada, making it the second most-popular pro sports league, according to the report.
The NBA is significantly ahead in popularity among all newcomer groups except for those from South Asian backgrounds where the NBA is statistically tied for the top spot with the NHL, finds the report.
Other leagues followed by new Canadians include the National Football League (38%), Major League Soccer (37%), Major League Baseball (33%), the Canadian Football League (33%), ATP/WTA Tennis (31%) and PGA Golf (24%).
SRG’s Newcomers to Canada 2021 study covered newcomers from five major groups and geographic areas which account for a majority of immigration to Canada, including: South Asian; Chinese; Filipino; West Asian, Arab and Persian; and Latin and Central American newcomers. Participants had to be 18 years or older and new to Canada, having arrived in 2015 or more recently, and currently living in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto or Montreal.
A total of 850 online interviews among newcomers were conducted in multiple languages in March 2021. In addition, a total of 600 interviews were conducted among general population respondents aged 18 and older in the same five markets to provide a general point of comparison for selected results.
When newcomers who participated in the study were asked to identify their favourite pro teams from North American leagues for any sport, the NBA’s Toronto Raptors were voted as the leading sports franchise, followed by the Maple Leafs and Blue Jays. The Raptors and the Leafs were the top two franchises for Chinese, South Asian and West Asian newcomers, while Filipino newcomers picked the Los Angeles Lakers as their second favourite team behind the Raptors, according to the study.
SRG’s study also included research on youth participation in sports among newcomers with children. The top five participation sports for newcomer children, in order, were swimming, basketball, soccer, badminton and hockey. According to the study, 16% of newcomer parents said their kids participated in hockey, compared to 27% of children among the general population.
The main reason newcomer children are not in hockey or skating programs is because 59% of them don’t know how to skate, according to the study. However, the intent to learn how to skate is high, at 44%.
Parents said they would be motivated to register their children in learn-to-play hockey programs if their kids expressed interest or if they could access programs at a lower cost or be provided incentives such as low-cost gear, says the report.
For more, please visit srgnet.com.
