Fans of WWE star Roman Reigns are the smartest sports fans. (Photo credit: WWE Network).
Have you ever wondered who the smartest sports fans are? Well, now a study has been done and you might be surprised by the results.
Now, horse racing fans were not part of the study. I have often maintained that horseplayers are amongst the smartest, but after a few recent Twitter conversations with a couple of horseplayers, I am starting to have my doubts.
Howtobet.com administered a remote IQ test to 1,006 U.S. sports fans to determine the most and least intelligent sports fans.
Working with a team of professional psychologists, Howtobet.com administered a 4-part IQ test to 1,006 U.S. sports fans, who supported at least one sport and team across: Football, Baseball, Hockey, Basketball, Motor Racing and Wrestling.
The questions were designed to measure four key indicators of intelligence:
Verbal Intelligence
Reading, writing and comprehension tests to measure capacity for learning and problem solving.
Mathematical Ability
Problem solving and arithmetic tests provide a good base for general intelligence.
Logical Reasoning
Puzzle based questions designed to measure lateral thinking and creativity.
Visual Reasoning
Visual based questions (such as spotting the odd one out and finding identical images in a collection) to measure capacity to process visual material.
Before taking the remote test, participants were asked a series of demographic identifiers which enabled Howtobet.com to calculate the results of the study.
Believe it or not, the data found that Wrestling fans were the smartest overall, with participants earning a collective IQ score of 112.6.
Hockey fans came second, with a collective IQ score of 112.3, while NASCAR fans were found to be the least intelligent, with an average IQ score of 95.2.
With high scores across Verbal Intelligence, Mathematical Ability, Logical Reasoning and Visual Reasoning, it would appear that those fond of Wrestling (WWE) are an intelligent group of sports fans.
Most Intelligent Sports Fans
To dig deeper into the intelligence analysis, Howtobet.com looked at average IQ scores for specific teams and individuals (where one can’t support a team). And in line with the findings grouped by sport fanbase intelligence, fans of the wrestler Roman Reigns were found to be the most intelligent overall, with a very impressive IQ score of 126.4. For context, IQ scores over 116 are considered above average.
Daniel Bryan (WWE) fans ranked second and fans of the Boston Bruins were third, followed by fans of the Detroit Red Wings, Houston Texans and New York Rangers.
Fans of Brad Marchand are smart? Yeah, as a Capitals fan this one I find hard to swallow.
Least Intelligent Sports Fans
Examining the data for specific teams reveals that fans of Joe Gibbs Racing are officially the least intelligent in the country, with an average IQ of 78.2. This score is considered below average. Looking specifically within the NFL, it would appear that fans of the New England Patriots are the least intelligent in the US, with an average IQ score of 85.1.
The least intelligent NBA fans were those who supported Miami Heat.
Male vs Female Sports Fans
The analysis found that female sports fans had a higher IQ on average than their male counterparts, but across the four sections of the intelligence test men and women were tied. Women did, however, vastly outperform men within mathematical ability and logical reasoning.
Well, this part of the study I have to agree with.
Do you agree with this survey? I’m going to wait for a possible recount by the My Pillow Guy.
