African-American Teens Name Michael Vick Their Favorite NFL Star

NORTHBROOK, Ill., Nov. 13  /PRNewswire/ -- Despite Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick's legal tumult, the suspended NFL superstar is among African-American teens' favorite athletes -- ranking ahead of such sports luminaries as Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Reggie Bush, Peyton Manning, and Tim Duncan, among many others.

The TRU Study asked teens to name their two favorite athletes (professional, amateur, active, or retired). African-American teens ranked Vick their favorite NFL player and fifth-favorite athlete overall. The study was conducted after his indictment but prior to his guilty plea.

In a separate survey question, teens were asked to rate a list of 63 athletes based on familiarity and liking. Results yielded athletes' "TRU*Scores," showing the percentage of teens who are both familiar with an athlete and like that athlete "very much." While Vick's TRU*Score among African Americans (40) was still higher than that of Jeter (37), A-Rod (35), and Kobe Bryant (39), among others, it was dramatically lower than the watermark 72 TRU*Score he earned from African-American teens in the Fall 2005 survey, and even his 64 from the previous Spring 2007 study.

"Clearly there are conflicting perceptions of [Michael] Vick at play among African-American teens," says TRU Trend Manager Blair Fischer. "His low TRU*Score-both overall and among African-American teens-indicates that when it comes to Vick these days, familiarity breeds contempt. The fact that his score is still significantly higher among black teens indicates that some don't consider dog fighting a serious crime, or believe his involvement in it is minimal."

Another explanation for Vick's relative popularity among black teens lies in the fact that survey data show that significantly fewer African-American teens pass judgment on star athletes under suspicion of wrongdoing. In fact, 23% of white teens and 26% of Hispanic teens say they 'don't like' suspected steroid-user Barry Bonds, compared to only 9% of African-Americans who say the same. Likewise, more than one-fourth of white and Hispanic teens (both 27%) say they don't like Kobe Bryant, acquitted of sexual assault earlier this decade. Only 12% of African-American teens, on the other hand, say the same.

"While the 'stop snitchin' mentality remains a source of contention among leaders in the black community, Vick's popularity among African-American teens indicates it may be alive and well," Fischer says. "Shortly after the survey was conducted, Vick's co-defendants turned on him. Will black teens consider Vick a disgraced convict or a 'snitching victim'? The next TRU Study will tell the tale."

Among other TRU Study findings, future NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan tops the write-in list of teens' favorite athletes, even though he retired (for the third time) five seasons ago. Active NBA star, LeBron James, claims second place with half as many votes as Jordan.

Retired skateboard legend Tony Hawk earned the top TRU*Score (46), narrowly beating Shaquille O'Neal (45) and James (44). (Jordan was not included on the list of 63 athletes for the TRU*Score ratings.) As TRU has noted, teens today respect those athletes who have changed the game.

Former World Cup soccer star Mia Hamm was named the favorite athlete by 2% of teens-making her tops among all female athletes. However, boxer Laila Ali -- likely on the strength of her "Dancing With the Stars" appearance -- earned the highest TRU*Score among all female athletes (35).

The TRU Study survey measuring the popularity of athletes was based on the responses of 1,035 nationally representative U.S. teens aged 12 to 19. The TRU Study is the largest of its type, surveying teens on attitudes, values, lifestyles, consumer behaviors, and trends. Last year, TRU, a Research International company, conducted nearly 1,000 qualitative-research sessions, in addition to numerous quantitative studies. Over the past 25 years, TRU has interviewed nearly one million teenagers. 

TRU, a Research International company