Football or  athletics! Poll finds high passion for sports among Jamaicans

Sports is  generally a great way to unite a community, but with a recent survey showing that men tend to prefer football, while females are more up for seeing some action on the track, much compromise is necessary when planning family time.

According to a Sporting Issues Poll released recently by Association of Media Professionals (AMP) research consultants Paul Andrew Bourne and Conroy Julian, more that half of Jamaican males prefer football to any other sporting activity. In stark contrast to this finding, only 21 percent Jamaican females consider football their favourite sporting passtime. 

Females are instead more looking forward to the next Athletics World Championship which is slated to take place at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary from August 19 to 27. According to the research findings, more that 26 per cent of Jamaican females prefer athletics to Jamaican males, 8 per cent.

A descriptive cross-sectional survey research design was used by the researchers to collect data from Jamaicans across the 14 parishes. A sample size of 2,660 resident Jamaicans took part in the survey, which the researchers feel conveys Jamaicans perception of selected sporting issues. The results they believe, can be used to aid policy makers in their decision making process.

“The contribution of sport to health and wellness is immeasurable, speaking broadly.  It fosters fellowship on one hand, creativity and the competitive spirit on the other. The various sports compete for active participants, spectators and scarce resources,” the researchers  noted.

Currently, major sports such as football, track and field, cricket and netball receive significant funding from the private sector. The last Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) /Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships were sponsored to the tune of over 170 million Jamaican dollars, for example. Other large, medium and small firms have consistently contributed to sports in Jamaica.

“Jamaica currently has over 40 national sports associations, with close to half of them affiliated with the Jamaica Olympic Association.  In 2023, the Jamaican government has budgeted to spend in excess of 700 million dollars on sports; the figure is more than double that which was spent ten years ago.  Most of these funds are administered through agencies such as the Chase fund (Culture, Health Art, Sports and Education)  and the Sports Development Foundation. The Jamaica Social Investment Fund, (JSIF) has financed much physical infrastructure including multipurpose courts.