A magazine survey confirms what Augustans have known for years: The Masters Tournament is the most prestigious event in American sports.
The Turnkey Sports Poll of more than 800 senior-level sports industry executives from professional and college sports, reported in the current issue of SportsBusiness Journal , ranks the Masters first with 41.8 percent of the vote and the Super Bowl second with 34.84 percent.
A steep drop to third has the World Series at 6.15 percent. College basketball's Final Four and the Kentucky Derby round out the top five.
The Masters has long been considered one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world for several factors: its connection to Augusta National Golf Club and tournament co-founder Bobby Jones, its status as one of the game's four major events, and the lack of commercialism during the event and its television broadcast.
Reach John Boyette at (706) 823-3337 or john.boyette@augustachronicle.com.
SURVEY SAYS
A Turnkey Sports Poll asked more than 800 sports executives, "Which event is the most prestigious?"
Masters..........41.8%
Super Bowl..........34.84%
World Series..........6.15%
Final Four..........4.92%
Kentucky Derby..........4.51%
Stanley Cup Finals..........2.46%
Indianapolis 500..........1.64%
Daytona 500..........0.82%
NBA Finals..........0.82%
U.S. Open tennis..........0.41%
Source: SportsBusiness Journal
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