Sports media company and odds comparison site Sidelines.io analyzed the behavior of NFL fans based on a variety of metrics in order to rank how they demonstrate loyalty to their team. While the Dallas Cowboys fan base came in at #1 with a score of 55.37, fans of the San Francisco 49ers were close behind at #2 with a score of 54.08. Here’s how they ranked each NFL team’s supporters.
The study analyzed eight metrics for each of the 32 NFL teams in order to determine how each fan base showed their support. They were social media followers; engagement and average likes; the average home, away and total attendance; the average money spent on merchandise annually; and the average money spent on food and drinks at games annually. Each metric was ranked on a 10-point scale and then combined to create each fan base’s supporter index score.
49ers fans were found to have the highest social media engagement at 2.96%, and decent annual spending on merch at $210.31. They also have one of the highest attendances at away games at 70,571 with average total attendance coming in at 71,131.
Dallas Cowboys fans just beat out the 49ers fanbase with the highest average attendance at home (93,465) and in total (82,915). Cowboys fans also spend an average of $279.81 annually on merch and $147.68 on stadium food and drink.
The Los Angeles Rams fan base also made it into the top five of the list, making for double the California representation (or triple if you count the loyalty of Raiders fans after the Oakland-Las Vegas move!). Rams fans ranked highly for their social media engagement rate at 2.3% and merch spending which came to $332.08 annually.
The top ten NFL fanbases ranked as follows:
- Dallas Cowboys – 55.37 supporter index
- San Francisco 49ers – 54.08 supporter index
- Kansas City Chiefs – 47.96 supporter index
- Los Angeles Rams – 46.25 supporter index
- Seattle Seahawks – 45.34 supporter index
- Las Vegas Raiders – 43.82 supporter index
- Pittsburgh Steelers – 43.81 supporter index
- Buffalo Bills – 43.69 supporter index
- New England Patriots – 42.67 supporter index
- Houston Texans – 42.50 supporter index
As a Sidelines.io spokesperson said, “Fans are the heartbeat of the NFL, providing an electric energy and unwavering support that fuels the game’s passion and excitement. Their dedication and loyalty are the foundation of the league, without the fans there is no football.”