The poll numbers are in, and Beamer's a winner

Every night on every news show, someone refers to the latest polling data.

It might be on the president's approval rating or what voters think of the U.S. Congress.

Ugh. Neither result has been pretty lately.

Rarely do we see poll results concerning sports.

However, Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling company based in Raleigh, N.C., threw some sports questions into a survey of 500 Virginia voters.

First came the political questions. Voters like Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell a lot, giving him a 50 percent approval rating. The voters like Democratic Sen. Mark Warner a bit more, giving him a 54 percent approval mark.

But Frank Beamer, coach of the Virginia Tech football team, has an approval rating that dwarfs McDonnell's and Warner's. Beamer has an approval rating that money, campaign promises and appearances on Fox or MSNBC can't buy.

Beamer checks in with a 70 percent approval rating from those who answered as Tech fans in the survey. Voters were asked if they were a fan of Tech (32 percent), Virginia (21 percent) or neither school (46 percent).

"That's good to know, but it would be interesting to know when that poll was taken," Beamer said, laughing. "After we won? After we lost? It must have been after we won."

Beamer's on to something. The poll was conducted July 21-24. Since Virginia Tech's first game is Sept. 3, the Hokies are, at the moment, undefeated for 2011.

Not one bad play has occurred on offense. There have been no breakdowns on defense or special teams.

With a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent, Beamer might even be hugging close to a 75 percent approval rating.

"That would be fantastic," said Beamer, a Virginia Tech graduate. "I can honestly say this job has special meaning to me. I like it when we're having success. It bothers me a lot when we don't have success.

"I like it when our fans are happy. Trying to keep the fans happy is a priority."

In that regard, Beamer has something in common with politicians. Keeping constituents happy for long is a difficult, if not impossible, proposition.

U.Va. football coach Mike London drew a 39 percent approval rating in the Public Policy poll, which doesn't sound stellar. But London's disapproval rating was just 7 percent. Fifty-three percent of Cavaliers' fans in the survey were "not sure."

London is in his second season at Virginia, attempting to bring the program out of the Atlantic Coast Conference basement.

Virginia fans seem to think he and his staff will reverse the Cavaliers' fortunes. But, as Beamer knows so well, winning is what pushes "not sures" into the "approve" category.

The 500 Virginians also were asked about Major League Baseball. The state's most popular team is, wait for it — the Atlanta Braves, at 19 percent.

This, no doubt, is a remnant of the days when Ted Turner owned the A-Braves and practically every game was televised on the "Superstation," also owned by Turner.

Fourteen percent of those surveyed like the New York Yankees.

Braves? Yankees? Where are the Washington Nationals?

They're tied for third with the Boston Red Sox at 11 percent.

The Nationals' average attendance this season is 23,741 in their 41,222-seat stadium.

Nationals' games are regularly available on cable. Braves' games are not. Washington should be on Virginians' radar, not Atlanta.

Maybe the Nationals are OK with losing a popularity contest to a team three states away from Virginia.

If not, they might want to consider corrective action, such as putting another farm team somewhere in the Old Dominion. Richmond comes immediately to mind.

Or, someone from the Nationals could give Beamer a call. He seems to have a handle on how to drive up those poll numbers.