Bedlam bombshell? Shocking revelations that Oklahoma fans also cheer for Oklahoma State
John Saxton cheers on the Sooners as they take the field for warm-ups, while his nephew, Theo Harrison, 15, boos before the Bedlam college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners ( OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys ( OSU) at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Which of these survey findings is most interesting to you?
– That nearly eight in 10 Oklahoma adults say they are OU fans, or:
– That almost half of them say they also cheer for Oklahoma State.
Your answer could identify you as a Sooner or a Cowboy, but there’s apparently more of you than we thought who would say “both.”
I’ll go with the Bedlam angle as the most interesting results of a survey released today. The fact that three-fourths of adults would identify themselves as OU fans is bit surprising. I’d always thought, been told, been lectured by some readers that it’s 2 to 1 (two OU fans for every OSU fan. Remember, we’re talking about fans not alums).
The survey, conducted on behalf of the University of Oklahoma by Williams Perkins Allen Opinion Research, involved phone interviews of 650 Oklahoma adults last spring. Margin of error was plus/minus 3.8 percent.
Here’s the data:
– Almost eight in 10 Oklahoma adults surveyed (77 percent) said they are OU fans. By comparison, 40 percent of Texans said they were University of Texas fans when the firm did for the Dallas Morning News before the 2004 OU-Texas game.
One-third of those surveyed in Michigan said they were Michigan Wolverine fans, according to another poll cited by Brian Smith of Williams Perkins Allen Opinion Research. The firm is based in Washington, D.C. and has an Oklahoma City office.
– As for the Bedlam rivalry, 45 percent of those who identified themselves as OU fans said they are also fans of Oklahoma State.
Drains a little bitterness out of Bedlam, don’t you think? Maybe this is why you don’t see poisoned trees in Stillwater. Maybe this is why we’re seeing stories and reactions to Texas A&M’s decision to bolt the Big 12 that conveying the feeling the Bedlam buddies are bosom buddies who will be together, forever, wherever they end up.
And maybe I’m reading too much into this.
While it’s possible those OU fans will root for Bob Stoops and Mike Gundy’s teams on Saturday, Smith said it’s also possible they’re fans of, say, OU football and OSU wrestling.
I’m curious about the percentage of OSU fans who say they are also OU fans. Smith, an OU fan and Casady graduate, said the study focused on Sooner fans. Those who didn’t identify them as such were not asked subsequent questions, he said.
Perhaps we’ll get those scientific results when OSU commissions a study. (Do you think it would be higher or lower than the 45 percent of OU fans who say they promote Bedlam peace?)
Until then, here’s a little more from the survey about who OU fans are:
– OU fans are home owners (83 percent).
– OU fans are more wealthy than the average Oklahoman (mean average household income of OU fans: $60,519; average Oklahoma household income $41,800).
–OU fans are more likely to use Facebook (35 percent) to Twitter (5 percent)
– OU fans are more likely to use a smartphone (37% carry one) than to spend a few hours daily online or checking email (19 percent).
- Mike Sherman, Sports Editor
Twitter: @MikeSherman
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Michael.O.Sherman
email: msherman@oklahoman.com
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Comments
If only the sports coverage would reflect this. Why should OSU get 50% coverage when it doesn’t reflect the population’s interest.
As an OU grad married to an OU grad who works at OU medical center, I love the fact that we draw fans that aren’t just alumni. I think the only fans that align themselves as Pokes are those that feel obligated to do so since they went to school there.
I find it hilarious that someone would think it a postive that the majority of their fans DID not attend the university. We call those Band Wagon fans.Unfortunately alot of those fans lately have started to pach thier bags for the wagon up North. We love our REAL fans and thats all we need.
At some point, we’re going to have to stop relying on polls that are based on land-line phone calls. There is an increasing number of households– particularly among younger people– who don’t have land lines and who are thus never consulted in these polls. The results of this poll sounds like it’s skewed older, and I suspect that it doesn’t paint a truly accurate picture of the state.
[...] is interesting how these numbers conflict with this survey done by Williams Perkins Allen Opinion Research that said 8 in 10 (or almost 3 million) [...]
“The survey, conducted on behalf of the University of Oklahoma by Williams Perkins Allen Opinion Research, involved phone interviews of 650 Oklahoma adults last spring. Margin of error was plus/minus 3.8 percent.”
Funny how the survey was conducted ‘on behalf of the University of Oklahoma’
No bias there…
[...] there are clearly more OU fans than OSU fans. Nonetheless, The Oklahoman’s Mike Sherman is fascinated (sort of, I think that’s an ironic headline) by this, and other things, like the fact that OU [...]