A new report from Nielsen has attempted to quantify the level of passion among fanbases for National Football League teams. The company's "Local NFL Fandom Index" tracks eight key metrics, including apparel purchases, live event attendance, and social media engagement, across all 30 NFL markets.
The rankings show that smaller- or mid-market teams tend to have more invested fans, which is not surprising given their advantages over larger cities. For example, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland scored well due in part to the high number of local radio listeners, television viewers, and game attendees relative to the size of their markets.
Local television viewership was also found to be higher in smaller markets such as Green Bay, Buffalo, and Kansas City compared to larger ones. Detroit and Green Bay were noted for ranking among the top five in merchandise purchases, which may be attributed to the Lions' recent success and the Packers' consistent track record.
In contrast, teams in larger markets like Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tampa, and New York tend to fare worse due to increased competition from outside entertainment options and a significant transplant population. Despite this, Philadelphia Eagles fans ranked among the top five fanbases, even with their team's lack of recent success.
The importance of winning was also highlighted in the report, with teams like Kansas City and Buffalo benefiting from consistent playoff appearances and Super Bowl contention.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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