A new report by YouGov titled “Star Power: The role of individual athletes on sports fandom” explores how high-profile athletes influence team allegiance, consumer purchasing behaviour, and brand engagement in Australia.

Sport remains deeply embedded in Australian culture. According to the report, a majority of Australians say they are interested in sports (extreme to a little interest), while only 25% express no interest at all.

Football tops the list of most-watched sports

When it comes to sports viewership, Australian Rules Football emerges as the most popular among Australian sports fans (those who are interested in sports), with 39% choosing it as their favorite to watch, closely followed by football (soccer) at 37%. Other much-loved sports include tennis (33%), cricket (28%), and rugby league (23%).

Team loyalty drives fan engagement

For more than half of Australian sports fans (55%), allegiance to a team is the most significant reason they follow a particular sport — more than twice the number who are influenced by an athlete (21%). However, younger fans (Gen Z and Millennials) are more likely to follow a sport because of a favorite athlete.

Other motivating factors include ease of watching the sport (44%), having played the sport personally (35%), and family traditions (31%).

Despite strong team loyalty, 31% of Australians say they would support both their current and a new team if their favorite athlete switched. This sentiment is strongest among Gen Z (46%) and millennials (43%).

Meanwhile, 28% Australians would follow the athlete but not support the new team, and 9% would support the new team instead. Gen Z fans were most likely to switch allegiance, with 15% saying they’d support the new team entirely if their favorite player made a move.

Social media fandom and brand influence

Social platforms remain important for sports engagement. 61% of Australians say they are extremely or somewhat likely to follow a team on social media, while 53% say the same for athletes.

In terms of brand influence, athletes are the most trusted public figures, with 67% of Australians expressing trust in their endorsements — ahead of singers (58%), actors (56%), and social media influencers (43%).
Gen Z and millennials exhibit higher trust in athletes compared to older demographics.

Top athletes in Australia: A mix of global icons and local Heroes

When asked about their favorite male athletes, global football icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo lead the list. Among Australian athletes, tennis player Alex de Minaur ranked highest at fifth place, with cricketer Steve Smith and F1 driver Oscar Piastri also making the top ten.

In contrast, the list of favorite female athletes skews heavily toward local talent, indicating a strong preference for homegrown stars. Footballer Sam Kerr stands out prominently, cited by 23% of respondents as their favorite.

Download the full report here.

Methodology

The insights in this report have been sourced via YouGov Surveys – providing rapid answers from the right audience. The survey was conducted from February 14 – March 6, 2025, with 1,005 respondents in Australia.

Additional insights are available for 14 other markets: Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the UAE, and the USA.

The target group “Sports fans” refers to respondents who answered extremely interested, somewhat interested, or a little bit interested to the question: “How interested, if at all, would you say you are in sports?”