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.
Taking first place with a score of 55.37 was none other than our very own Dallas Cowboys fan base just ahead of the San Francisco 49ers fans who came in 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.
Dallas Cowboys fans won out largely due to having the highest average attendance at home (93,465) and the highest total attendance (82,915).
With an average away attendance of 71,046, however, they were below a few other fanbases including Chicago Bears fans who came in at #1 for their away 74,107 average away attendance.
They were also beaten to the top spots in the annual average money spent on merch and annual average money spent on food and drink metrics.
Cowboys fans were also one of the largest fanbases on social media though, with a grand total of 4,494,617 coming in second to the New England Patriots whose social media following came in at a whopping 4,913,263.
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
“A survey conducted on fans of every NFL team found that Dallas Cowboys fans are some of the biggest spenders, spending an average of $279.81 on merchandise, and $147.68 on food and drink inside the stadium,” read the study.
“This shows fans willing to not just turn up in droves to support their team at games, but also wanting to represent their team by wearing their merchandise. ”
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.”
The full study can be found here.