Talk about a three-peat: Badminton is apparently now the most popular Olympic sport in Oregon, Kansas and Rhode Island.
The revelation of Oregon's romance with badminton has been spotlighted by Frontier Communications, which studied Google Trends to determine each state's favorite Olympic sport. In many cases, the results of the project are surprising, with swimming and track and field being slighted in most states and table tennis scoring a win in Utah.
While the study shows that badminton is the most popular in several states, none of them include Oregon's closest neighbors. Washington favors soccer, California is into water polo and Idaho loves beach volleyball (Montana, meanwhile, has a fondness for trampolines.)
Oregon's love of Badminton isn't shocking. The state has multiple badminton clubs and Beaverton is home to the Oregon Badminton Academy. There's even an Oregon badminton competition called the OBA Friendship Cup Tournament.
So what's next for badminton in Oregon? Will Kate Brown and Bud Pierce test each other's mettle in the Friendship Cup Tournament? Will badminton fever continue to overtake Oregon like a flurry of birdies being battled through the air? Better get your racquet ready just in case.
Willamette Week