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Ranking All 32 NFL Fanbases: Who's the Loudest?
January 14, 2011Ranking All 32 NFL Fanbases: Who's the Loudest?
In the midst of the NFL playoffs, where fans are generally the loudest, we at Bleacher Report decided to power rank the loudest fanbases in the NFL.
It's a tough task, given I haven't visited every NFL stadium, but I used factors such as decibel level, forced false starts, average attendance for home games and the general perception among fans and commentators throughout the Internet and TV.
It's obviously debatable, but I think the top two teams are pretty much widely regarded as having the top home crowds throughout NFL Nation.
For the rest, I used the above factors in determining their rank.
Teams who played in domes were considered highly, as the enclosed environment generally leads to louder crowds.
Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.
32. Carolina Panthers
This may be due to how often the Carolina Panthers lose, but you never hear about them being a loud crowd.
A 2-14 season will quiet any crowd.
Also, realizing that Stanford's Andrew Luck won't be going to the Panthers with the No. 1 pick, after all, will quiet the Carolina faithful.
31. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals had a chance to have a loud fanbase this season, with Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco riling them up.
But they had a 4-12 season amid constant team bickering and downcast looks.
That's enough to depress any fan.
Cincinnati has never really been discussed as a daunting place to play.
30. Arizona Cardinals
When the Arizona Cardinals were rolling, they had decent crowd noise during games.
But it's hard to have a rowdy fanbase when you go 5-11 and finish with the worst record in the weak NFC West.
I'm guessing if Kurt Warner came out of retirement the decibel level would rise by at least 25 points.
29. San Francisco 49ers
Go back to the '80s or early '90s and witness a crowd that was buzzing.
Enter 2010, maybe one of the most colossal letdowns in Niners history, and watch that pride slowly melt away.
I know. I'm a Niners fan.
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I'm guessing the crowd noise for this team will pick up as this team continues to grow.
The crowd was in shock this year after a miraculous turnaround.
Next season they'll be rearing to go.
Tampa Bay still isn't in the discussion as a top NFL stadium in terms of noise level.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars could have had one of the rising fanbases in terms of noise level this season, but they choked with the division on the line against the Indianapolis Colts.
Teams that perennially lose the division and don't play in domes can't sustain a loud buzz.
26. San Diego Chargers
San Diego is a fairly vibrant place, but the Chargers, despite always being loaded with talent, consistently let their fans down.
If they continue underachieving at this pace, they'll enter San Diego Padres territory.
25. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore can be a pretty wild place and its fans are relatively loud, but it still isn't discussed much when it comes to the loudest fanbases in football.
Why the Ravens aren't in the discussion is hard to tell. But they haven't drawn tons of false starts and the decibel level of the stadium isn't mentioned a lot.
24. Houston Texans
Texans like it big, as the saying goes.
So most Texas stadiums will have a fair amount of noise resounding from them.
But the Texans have been disappointing thus far and it doesn't appear tons of progress has been made in terms of wins.
Hard to be too excited about them.
23. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins fanbase has actually done well to make it this high, even at No. 23.
Their team hasn't been that exciting, particularly in the quarterback department, and they have a couple of aging running backs.
But they still find themselves mentioned in talks of the loudest NFL stadiums among Internet forums.
22. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are on the upswing and they play in a dome, which helps volume, well, by volumes.
But the dome still hasn't helped them get to tops in the league in terms of noise, and they ranked 29th in the NFL in average fan attendance this season.
21. St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are another team that will rank better because of playing in a dome.
They also revved up the fans this year with a possible shot at the NFC West crown. QB Sam Bradford should excite fans for years.
But they still ranked 30th in average attendance in 2010, so it's hard to rank them that highly.
20. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills have been recognized as a loud team to play against in fan forums and despite having a dismal record this season still ranked 22nd in average attendance.
Breakout receiver Stevie Johnson helps add excitement to the fanbase.
19. Tennessee Titans
This is where fanbases really start to get loud.
The Tennessee Titans, despite a disaster of a season that led to the dismissal of QB Vince Young, were 13th in average home attendance this year, and have drawn the third-most false starts of opposing offenses since 2005, with 78.
Having Chris Johnson on your team helps, too.
18. Cleveland Browns
Browns fans have been known to stick by their team through thin and thin, and continue to do so.
Cleveland ranked 20th in average attendance this season despite going 5-11.
The fans are also mentioned a lot in the NFL stratosphere as noticeably committed to their team.
17. Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia fans, similar to a lot of other East Coast fans, are just loud people.
Add to that the rise Michael Vick and a fun team to watch, and you have a boisterous stadium.
Lincoln Financial Field has gained a reputation in the NFL as being a loud place to play. The Eagles rank 12th in average attendance.
16. Oakland Raiders
"The Black Hole."
Need I say more?
There's a reason why this is the nickname of the Oakland Coliseum where the Raiders play.
If you go in there, you may never come out.
Notorious for their face paint and spiked helmets, Raiders fan are just about as crazy as you can get.
But they ranked dead last in average attendance this season, and that in itself keeps them out of the top 15.
15. Chicago Bears
Since 2005, Bears opponents have committed 74 false starts in Chicago, good for fourth in the NFL.
Any fan that can weather the conditions in snowy Chicago gets my vote as a die-hard fan.
Chicago is regularly mentioned as a tough place to play.
Bears fans are connected at the hip with their ferocious defense.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase may be ranked as one of the best in football, but they aren't the loudest collectively.
The Steelers ranked 23rd in average attendance this season, but there's no question Pittsburgh has some committed fans.
13. New York Jets
You're playing in New York.
Enough said.
New York is notorious for its sports fans, and ranks fourth in the NFL in average attendance.
If there is controversy about this team, it is sure to be taken a hold of by the New York media and spread far and wide.
12. New York Giants
The Giants play in the same stadium as the Jets in New York.
The only thing that ranks them higher in loudness factor is because they average more fans per game, ranking third in the NFL.
11. Denver Broncos
Mile High Stadium has a history to it that permeates throughout games.
It's regularly talked about as a rowdy NFL stadium to play in.
There are rumors that John Elway's presence as a player never left the stadium.
Despite having a forgettable season this year, the Broncos still ranked fifth in average attendance.
Now that's commitment.