Top Ten Football Towns in America

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Recently I saw a list on FoxSports.com of the top 10 sports towns in America and had some major issues with the list.

So one question arises: What makes a town a football town? Well, in my opinion, a few things. First and foremost the town needs to have a rabid fan base. Going to a game in Jacksonville or Miami isn't quite like going to a game in Oakland or Green Bay. Everything else cannot compare to a loyal fan base so I won't even try to claim that anything else really goes into qualifying a town as a top ten football town.

For this article, I will be mainly referencing to the NFL aspect of football towns, as most anywhere with a halfway decent college team one will find a rabid, drunken fan base of college students. I'm not saying that there aren't many great towns that love football and just don't have an NFL team because there are—take Austin Texas for example.

Enjoy the list.

10. Seattle

This once forgotten football town makes the list for the fact that so many people for so long wrote the Seahawks off as a joke, and yet Seahawks fans still showed up and packed the Kingdome. Seattle fans have been rewarded with not only a nice new stadium, but a much more competitive team in the last decade.

9. Denver

Denver hasn't always had such a devout fan base. Times were tough in the franchises early years, and the Broncos almost moved in 1965—just five years after having played their first game. They didn't have a winning season until 1973 or a playoff appearance until 1977 (which subsequently led to a Super Bowl loss to the Cowboys.)

Then 1983 happened. John Elway was drafted by the then Baltimore Colts. He demanded a trade and Denver is where he ended up. The rest is history. Denver fell in love with the team and has been loyal ever since.

8. New York

Jets fans must have identity issues—never really having a home stadium and all. That doesn't deter their loyal fans. J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets! is one of the most obnoxiously genius chants I have ever heard.

And that's only half of the fans for a New York football team. The Giants have the richer history, not to mention more Super Bowl victories.

All and all NYC is a big town, and a big football town.

7. Chicago

Da Bears.

The windy city is home to the NFL's most passionate fans and had it not been for teams 1-6, they would be higher on this list. Chicago Bears fans endure some of the harshest winters around in order to see their beloved Bears and for that they are known for being a huge football town.

6. Dallas

The Cowboys have arguably the best cheerleaders in the NFL. That alone makes me consider them for any list or article I write. But seriously speaking Dallas has some of the most loyal fans around—which is easy for them as the Cowboys are one of the most consistently great teams around.

5. Philadelphia

Rabid fans? How about unruly, wild, even borderline criminal?

Yes, the fans are a little nuts, but that doesn't mean they aren't a good, strong, and loyal fan base.

4. Kansas City

Chiefs fans haven't had a whole lot to cheer about lately, but that hasn't stopped them from loving their team. That's loyalty right there folks. It's easy to root for great teams but when your team sucks and you stick by them anyways, you know you're a part of a great football town.

3. Pittsburgh

The terrible towel. Genius.

Super Bowl Champs six times? Awesome.

Cold winters? Yep.

Steelers fans have been among the best forever, and they have been rewarded for being so loyal. In a region where much of the traditional steel mills and coal mines have shut down it could haven been easy for fans to cancel their outings to the stadium—but they didn't.

2. Buffalo

It's fandemonium.

Bills fans are arguably the most loyal of all fans. Some of the worst winters (and Falls for that matter) around. Lake Effect snow comes in an instant with little or no warning. The city is depressed. The teams "Glory Days" include four straight Super Bowl losses. How could this get any worse? How about nearly a decade since the teams last playoff appearance?

Gosh, I'll bet that stadium is empty. Guess again. Even with a below average product and blizzard like conditions Buffalo fans still flock to Orchard Park to see their beloved Bills play every Sunday.