What would MLB fans give for a World Series win?

Would you give up part of your paycheck or even a few years of your life just to see your favorite MLB team win the World Series?

PromoGuy asked 2,000 fans across the country just how far they'd go, hypothetically. The results were just as shocking as they were heartwarming. One thing’s clear: the love for the team is real.

Here’s what we found:

• Even in a purely theoretical sense, the loyalty runs deep: 1 in 5 baseball fans would be willing to give up at least a year of their life if it meant seeing their team win the MLB title. On average, they’d sacrifice a staggering 2.6 years.
• Los Angeles Angels fans would give up the most time: an average of 4.7 years of their lives.
• 1 in 3 fans would trade at least a month’s pay, with the average fan willing to give up 3.5 months’ salary for a championship win.
• Cincinnati Reds fans lead the pack financially. They’d give up 12 months’ salary to see their team win the World Series, more than any other fanbase.

The MLB season is just underway, and let's just say nerves are tight, palms are sweaty... basically, the tension hits harder than your average fastball. The big question: which team will be crowned the champion at the end of this season? One thing’s clear: baseball fans are in for a good time this year. Well, good time? That championship is no joke… it’s serious business!

MLB title worth 2.6 years of fans' lives

In fact, baseball fanatics are willing to go all in for it. If it meant seeing their team win the World Series, a solid 22% of fans would trade at least a year of their life. On average, that dream is worth a whopping 2.6 years of life to MLB fans.

Which fans are willing to sacrifice the most?

The Los Angeles Angels fans take the cake here, hypothetically willing to give up 4.7 years of their life for that season title, the most of any MLB team. Athletics fans aren’t far behind, willing to give up 4.2 years, followed by the Arizona Diamondbacks at 3.5 years. On the other hand, Pittsburgh Pirates fans are the least willing to go that far. With an average of 0.8 years, they score the lowest of all MLB teams.

Looking at it state by state, Nebraska tops the list with an average of 5 years, followed by Minnesota at 4.7, and California at 3.9 years.

Fans would give up 3.5 months of salary for a championship win

Turns out that title isn’t just emotionally valuable to fans - it’s literally worth a lot, too. More than 1 in 3 MLB fans (34%) say they’d give up part of their salary if it meant their team would take home the championship. And we’re not talking pocket change: on average, baseball fans say that win is worth a whopping 3.5 months of salary.

For Cincinnati Reds fans, that’s just the beginning. They’d be willing to give up an entire year’s salary, 12 months' worth, just to see their team crowned champions. That’s by far the most of any fanbase. Next up are Houston Astros fans, ready to part with 7.4 months of salary, followed by Detroit Tigers supporters, who would give up 5.5 months, nearly half a year’s pay, for that championship feeling.

At the other end of the spectrum, Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants fans are keeping things a bit more modest, capping their emotional investment at around one month of salary. Still impressive, but nothing compared to the diehards in Colorado. Fans there top the charts, across all teams and states, saying they’d trade in a staggering 21 months of income to see their team crowned champions.

Methodology

In April 2025, sports platform PromoGuy.us commissioned an independent survey of 2,000 baseball fans across the country. Respondents were asked which state they live in, which MLB team they support, and whether they would (hypothetically, of course) be willing to give up time from their life or a portion of their salary to see their team win the MLB season—and if so, how much. The survey sample consisted of 56% men, 43% women, and 1% non-binary, with an average respondent age of 43 years.

Excluded due to insufficient data: Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wyoming, and the Toronto Blue Jays fanbase.