The correlation between state government output and the performance of local sports teams is used to assess the degree and direction of the relationship. The goal is to identify a nationally preferred sport using granular data (state level vs national level) and to determine whether different sports have different effects on state government productivity, e.g. football increases productivity. The methodology for identifying the strength and direction of the relationship analyzes data collectively, using various subsamples, lags, and measures of sports. The findings suggest no clear national trends prevail.