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New eDreams Survey Reveals How Far Americans Will Go for Live Sports

Business Wire

A new eDreams study* released today pulls back the curtain on the extraordinary lengths American sports fans will go to watch their favorite athletes live. The data reveals a consumer base highly dedicated to domestic travel, fiercely loyal to American football, and uniquely willing to make lifestyle sacrifices to cross “bucket list” sporting events off their agendas.

The findings highlight a distinct “sports tourism” profile for US consumers, characterizing them as passionate, highly organized early-bird planners who favor domestic travel but aren’t afraid to spend the equivalent of a full summer vacation on a premier sporting event.

Key Findings Breakdown

1. Travel Distance Willingness & Global Benchmarks

  • National Travel: 46% of American respondents are willing to travel nationally for a sporting event.

    • Global Context: The US has the highest percentage of national travel willingness in the world, significantly outpacing the global average (34%) and countries like Portugal (24%).

  • International Travel: 21% of Americans would travel internationally.

    • Gender Split: Men are more likely to cross borders for sports, with 26% willing to travel internationally compared to 16% of women.

2. Top Sports Driving Long-Distance Travel

When asked which sports they would travel furthest to watch live, Americans ranked their top three choices alongside clear generational divides:

  • American Football: 57% (Peak demographic: 69% of 55–64 year-olds).

  • The Olympics: 38% (Peak demographic: 44% of 25–34 year-olds).

  • Basketball: 35% (Peak demographic: 51% of 18–24 year-olds).

  • The Global Soccer Disconnect: Americans are the least interested in soccer/football (25%) compared to the global market, where it ranks first (53%). By comparison, 74% of Portuguese respondents would travel furthest for soccer.

3. Fan Sacrifices: What Americans Give Up for a Ticket

Securing a trip to a major game requires tradeoffs. Americans are highly likely to sacrifice personal comforts, leading global averages in lifestyle cutbacks:

  • Lifestyle Sacrifices (37%): Cutting back on “daily luxuries” (eating out, streaming subscriptions, new clothes).

    • Demographic & Global Context: Women (40%) are more likely to cut back than men (34%). This 37% metric is the highest in the world, beating the global average (31%) and drastically outpacing Germany (18%).

  • Financial Sacrifices (19%): Dipping into long-term savings or emergency funds.

  • Professional Sacrifices (14%): Utilizing all remaining annual paid leave for the year.

    • Gender Split: Men (18%) are notably more willing to exhaust their vacation time for sports than women (11%).

4. “Sports-Cations”: Combining Games with Leisure

Americans prefer to maximize their travel by turning a game into a mini-vacation, opting predominantly for short destination extensions:

  • 1–2 Extra Days: 45% of Americans add this to explore. This is the highest percentage globally for this duration, compared to a 39% global average. (Favored by 49% of women vs. 41% of men).

  • 3–4 Extra Days: 40% of Americans extend by this length. (Favored by 43% of men vs. 36% of women).

5. Booking Styles and “Bucket List” Budgets

The American sports tourist is highly proactive and prepared to spend big on landmark events:

  • The “Early Bird” Style (60%): The vast majority of Americans book their travel the exact moment their team or athlete is officially confirmed.

  • The “Last Minute Pro” Style (20%): A smaller segment waits for a last minute deal or a secondary market ticket.

  • The “Summer Vacation” Budget (53%): More than half of Americans view an ultimate bucket-list sporting event as worth the cost of a full summer vacation (e.g. flights and a high-end hotel).

  • The “Staycation” Budget (29%): Nearly a third cap their bucket-list sports spending at the cost of a local experience or quick road trip.

An eDreams spokesperson comments: “Our study confirms that for Americans, live sports are a top travel priority, not just entertainment. US fans are highly proactive ‘Early Birds’ who will book their trips the exact second their team qualifies, and many are completely willing to sacrifice daily luxuries to cross these bucket-list games off their list.”

*Methodology: Poll conducted by One Poll for eDreams ODIGEO of 9,000 respondents in international markets including France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the USA. 2,000 respondents were from the USA. The poll was conducted between 10th to 24th March 2026.

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