Ben Harris
Show Bio
There’s nothing like the smell of charcoal, the taste of cold suds, or the feel of a close win through the uprights – no matter what football team you’re rooting for. Solid competition and hot-blooded rivalries make fall exciting, and let’s face it: all NFL diehards know that even if there isn’t a championship trophy to celebrate, there’s a win out there for their team.
But there’s only one Lombardi given out each year. We decided to hold our own Fan Base MVP awards based on what we learned from over 3,000 hardcore NFL fans around the country (after all, everyone is the best at something).
Biggest Tailgaters: Buffalo Bills
Whether it’s their ridiculously printed joggers, a sad sea of solo cups from unfathomable losses, or inebriated bodies smashing tables, one thing is true: Buffalo Bills fans party the hardest to celebrate their underdog team. Tailgating for an average of 5.4 games, this fan base takes our medal for the NFL’s Biggest Tailgaters.
Most Watch Parties: Kansas City Chiefs
Okay, Mahomes, we get it. But understand your fans put their blood, sweat, and tears into party-planning and pre-game preparations. With Chiefs fans hosting or attending 5.5 watch parties throughout the season to see a Kelce connection, that’s something to celebrate – with our award for Most Watch Parties.
Most Beers Per Game: Green Bay Packers
True Packers fans still have feelings about Favre’s exit, Aaron Rodgers’ love of meditative retreats, or their team’s postseason inconsistencies, making it easy to love a cold beer. Or six. Consuming an average of 6.3 beers a game, followers of the Pack have drunk their way into our MVP award for Most Beers Per Game.
Spends the Most on Food for Games: Tennessee Titans
After a night out, nothing quite satisfies on a Sunday like soul food with a side of football. Eating great while watching the game is something Tennessee Titans fans know well, and they’re willing to spend $70.49 per game on average to make it happen. They devour the Spends the Most on Food for Games MVP.
Spends the Most on Game Tickets: Las Vegas Raiders
If you’re a Raiders fan, it means you likely live in Vegas – which means you know how to have a great time with your cash. Shelling out $509.43 per person for football tickets in an average year, their fun-fueled fan base easily earns our Spends the Most on Game Tickets award.
Owns the Most Team Jerseys: Dallas Cowboys
It’s one thing to say you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan, and another thing to prove it by wearing that blue star on your car, t-shirt, or bathing suit. Loving the ‘Boys means showing off your gear, and Cowboys fans make the Owns the Most Team Jerseys MVP award look good, with an average of 2.9 team jerseys owned.
Highest Average Income: San Francisco 49ers
When most people think of what life is like in San Francisco, they first think about the sheer cost to do so. With an average annual income of $143,389, 49ers fans are willing to pay the price for the bay and in doing so take our medal for Highest Average Income.
Most Educated: Houston Texans
From a state slammed for its low graduation percentages and nationwide rankings, would you believe that a whopping 90.9% of surveyed Houston Texans fans have college degrees? Even if it’s McConaughey in a Lincoln that drives these fans to get degrees in Texas, they still earned our MVP award for Most Educated.
Highest Divorce Rate: Jacksonville Jaguars
When you think of Sunday football, do you also think, “divorce”? A modest 38.8 percent of Jaguars’ fans do, saying yes to a split and taking home the “award” for Highest Divorce Rate. Speeding tickets and divorces en masse? Must be something in the Florida water.
Biggest Readers: Washington Commanders
Washington, D.C. is a hotspot for the educated, the driven, and the creative – not to mention football fans. This team’s fan base knows how to put in the work, turning the pages of 3.9 books during an average month. It’s no wonder why Commanders’ fans run away with our Biggest Readers medal.
Worst Drivers: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If you’ve driven through Florida, you know how scary revving engines blazing by in your blind spots can be. While Bucs fans are mostly couch-bound on Sundays, it doesn’t detract from their per-person average of 4.3 speeding tickets – meaning they’ve (safely) earned our medal award for the league’s Worst Drivers.
Biggest Potheads: New York Jets
Whether you call it Mary Jane, pot, or good ol’ cannabis, maintaining the love for your favorite team when and if you partake during pre-game is still key. In the case of New York Jets fans, marijuana is a regular part of life, with 46.7% answering yes to using it at least once per month. Biggest Potheads MVP? We think so.
Most Caffeinated: Indianapolis Colts
If you find yourself struggling to get through the day even after your second Red Bull or coffee – you might be an Indianapolis Colts fan. On average, they drink 3.5 caffeinated beverages per day, which makes sense for a city that’s got to fuel its sports obsession. Our Most Caffeinated award goes to you, Indy!
Most Depressed: New Orleans Saints
It’s fair to say the Saints’ fan base has endured the most hardship over the last couple of decades. From Katrina’s enduring devastation to their beloved Brees’ exit, fans have stayed loyal through it all – but battling these demons takes a toll. Sadly, they’ve earned the top spot for Most Depressed.
Most Patriotic: Pittsburgh Steelers
Although you may not think of Pittsburgh as a patriotic city, think again: it’s got a lot of gritty heart, similar to those who have served our country. With 21.5% of Steelers’ fans saying they’ve served in the armed forces, they’re more than deserving of our Most Patriotic MVP medal.
Biggest Gym Rats: New Orleans Saints
To battle the destruction their city has seen over the last 15 years, New Orleans’ fans know they have to stay in shape for the potential apocalypse. On average, they spend 10.4 hours a week exercising, amounting to nearly one and a half hours a day – and our Biggest Gym Rats MVP.
Most Addicted to Social Media: Seattle Seahawks
We all know Seattle is a city of rain, but between waiting out precipitation and another trophy, their fans apparently have 6.8 hours a day – not a typo – to spend on social platforms. Does it shock you they nabbed our Most Addicted to Social Media medal?
Most LGBTQ Fans: Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore often gets a bad rap for being rough, but they’ve got a lot of love to give, too. With 35% of Ravens fans considering themselves a part of the LGBTQ+ community, it seems like the city’s hard exterior doesn’t represent its collective empathetic heart. Way to go on that Most LGBTQ Fans award, Charm City!
Most Well-Traveled: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With a handful of international airports within driving distance to Tampa, it’s no wonder Buccaneers fans have seen the world. At an average of 6.2 countries traveled to outside the U.S., they take the MVP for Most Well-Traveled. Hope they avoid those speeding tickets on the way to the gate!
Most Female Fans: Kansas City Chiefs
It’s an old myth that women don’t love football and even more of one that women love it less than men. Kansas City Chiefs, those studs, have a female fan base of 51% – and we don’t need to tell you how great that is. For that impressive feat, they take home Most Female Fans effortlessly.
Training camp has begun, and even though there are league favorites to take it all the way, there’s no real telling who will win the whole thing. But no matter where your team is projected to go this season, remember: there’s an MVP out there somewhere to honor your fan hood and what it does best!
Methodology
To retrieve this data, we surveyed 3,200 American football fans across all 32 fandoms in July 2023. The average age of the respondents was 42 years old. The majority of respondents (73%) identify as male, while 27% identify as female.
Fair Use
Interested in sharing our data? Feel free to use any of the information or graphics above for noncommercial purposes. Please just link back to this page to give the author credit.
