From the Associated Press :

Nearly two-thirds of youngsters say they are less of a fan of Barry Bonds since baseball’s steroid scandal, according to a poll by Sports Illustrated for Kids.

The magazine recently polled more 1,000 youngsters, ages 8 through 15, for their thoughts on athletes as role models.

Sixty-two percent of youngsters polled said they are now less of a fan of Bonds, and 50 percent said fans should not root for the seven-time MVP to break the career home run record.

Nearly 25 percent said they are less of a baseball fan because of the steroid scandal.

The poll drew 1,086 e-mail responses from youngsters nationwide. The May issue hits newsstands Tuesday.

In happier news, a poll in the forthcoming issue of Terrorizer For Kids reveals that children between the ages of 8 and 15 are big supporters of Venom’s Mantas (above), and are rooting for him to break Hank Aaron’s all-time HR record.