Study: Cowboys, Patriots, Eagles, Giants Fans Ranked Best in the NFL
June 24, 2019
Every fanbase will argue its own merits, but which NFL team really has the best fans?
According to professor Michael Lewis, the Emory University's Goizueta School of Business provided a full report breaking down the best and worst in the league, using three tools of evaluation: fan equity, social equity and road equity.
The result was the Dallas Cowboys ending up on top, followed by the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
Here is the full list of teams in the latest rankings (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk):
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New England Patriots
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. New York Giants
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
6. Green Bay Packers
7. Denver Broncos
8. Chicago Bears
9. San Francisco 49ers
10. New Orleans Saints
11. Washington Redskins
12. Indianapolis Colts
13. Atlanta Falcons
14. Miami Dolphins
15. Seattle Seahawks
16. Carolina Panthers
17. Oakland Raiders
18. Baltimore Ravens
19. Buffalo Bills
20. New York Jets
21. Houston Texans
22. Detroit Lions
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24. Minnesota Vikings
25. Arizona Cardinals
26. Los Angeles Chargers
27. Cleveland Browns
28. Cincinnati Bengals
29. Jacksonville Jaguars
30. Tennessee Titans
31. Kansas City Chiefs
32. Los Angeles Rams
The top five is apparently unchanged from last year, with the Cowboys once again ranking highly in all three categories. The team led the way in fan equity, which measures how much fans are willing to spend.
New England led all organizations in the social equity category, which measures engagement in social media communities. The Eagles had the top road equity team, drawing well in games away from home.
The results also adjust for team performance and market characteristics, which could help explain the bottom two teams, but there is still likely disappointment surrounding the placement of the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams went to the Super Bowl last season while the Chiefs were one game away, but their fans simply don't grade out well in this model.
With the Rams still relatively new to Los Angeles after moving from St. Louis, the organization will hope these numbers change going forward.