Although the Dallas Cowboys – for years dubbed “America’s Team” – haven’t won a Super Bowl in 18 years, their fans were deemed the most loyal in the NFL according to recent study by Emory University’s Sports Marketing Analytics program.
Eschewing non-factual opinion polls, this study aimed at finding the most loyal and supportive fan bases. Rather than simply finding the team with the most tickets sold, the students involved in compiling the study factored in team win/loss record, area population, and median income. This method resulted in a “Fan Equity” ranking for each NFL team.
Here’s the complete list:
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New England Patriots
3. New York Jets
4. New Orleans Saints
5. New York Giants
6. Indianapolis Colts
7. Chicago Bears
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Pittsburgh Steelers
10. Tennessee Titans
11. San Diego Chargers
12. Denver Broncos
13. Washington Redskins
14. Green Bay Packers
15. Carolina Panthers
16. Houston Texans
17. Philadelphia Eagles
18. Minnesota Vikings
19. Cincinnati Bengals
20. Cleveland Browns
21. Kansas City Chiefs
22. St. Louis Rams
23. Seattle Seahawks
24. Buffalo Bills
25. Miami Dolphins
26. San Francisco 49ers
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
28. Detroit Lions
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30. Arizona Cardinals
31. Atlanta Falcons
32. Oakland Raiders
It’s surprising to see the 49er fan base at No. 26 since the team was in the Super Bowl last season and was the premier franchise in the NFL for nearly 20 years from 1981-1999.
According to the study, this is how the results were determined:
“We adjust for these complicating factors using a revenue premium model of fan equity. The key idea is that we look at team box office revenues relative to team on-field success, market population, stadium capacity, median income and other factors. The first step in our procedure involves the creation of a statistical model that predicts box office revenue as a function of the aforementioned variables. We then compare actual revenues to the revenues predicted by the model. Teams with relatively stronger fan support will have revenues that exceed the predicted values, and teams that under perform have relatively less supportive fan bases.”
According to the study, Cowboy fans came out on top due to the team’s ability to create a passionate and supportive fan base.
“We think it’s a long legacy of success, a football mad Texas culture, and a state-of-the-art stadium,” the report noted. “Over the last three seasons (the time period used to calculate fan equity) the Cowboys have played sub .500 football but generated above capacity attendance (at least according to ESPN).”
The New England Patriots and New York Jets checked in at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
“New England has an all-around strong fan base, while the Jets are somewhat similar to the Cowboys in that they draw consistently well, regardless of the on-field product,” according to the report. “In fourth and fifth place we have the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants. The Saints are a more recent success story, but the team’s new success combined with limited professional sports options in New Orleans has created a very strong fan base. Two New York teams in the top five is an interesting result when viewed in relation to our college football fan base analyses. New York is (no surprise here) a pro sports town.”