Americans LOVE the NFL.  Love it.  But you should enjoy it now.  Because we're about 10 years and two more damning brain damage studies away from a day when NO PARENTS will allow their kids to play.  Harris Interactive just released the results of their annual poll on the most popular sports in the U.S.  And for the 27th year in a row, pro football came in first.

In their first survey, in 1985, 24% of Americans said pro football was their favorite sport, and 23% said baseball.  In this most recent survey, the 2012 edition, 34% said pro football is their favorite, and only 16% said baseball.

College football came in third, with 11%.  If you add up college and pro football, and at this point, the line is VERY blurred anyway, that means almost half of Americans say football is their favorite sport.

Auto racing came in fourth, with 8% of the vote.  It's been consistently beating the NBA since 2003.  Pro basketball came in fifth and hockey came in sixth.  Even with the NHL strike, hockey beat out men's college basketball, which came in seventh.

Women's pro basketball, women's soccer, and women's golf all tied for last, getting less than 1% of the vote.

(Harris Interactive)