How Badly Do NFL Fandoms Want a Super Bowl Win?

There’s no bigger prize in US sports than the Super Bowl. Getting your hands on the Lombardi Trophy is no easy feat unless you’re Tom Brady. There are 12 teams in the league that have never won it, which accounts for more than a third of the franchises in competition. 

So how badly do fans want their team to win a Super Bowl? We’ve surveyed over a thousand NFL fans to find out which fan base is most desperate for a Lombardi trophy and how far they’re willing to go to get their hands on one. 

The NFL Teams Most Desperate For a Super Bowl Championship 

Some teams have never won a Super Bowl, therefore you’d expect fans to be more desperate than others for success. However, there are storied franchises that are pretty keen to add to their trophy cabinets. 

The fandom most desperate for a Super Bowl championship is the New York Jets. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the most desperate, New York Jets fans scored 8.07. At least they have a trophy in their cabinet, but that was way back at Super Bowl III in 1969 and Marvin Gaye was on top of the Billboard charts.

The Dallas Cowboys are also itching badly for a win, with a score of 8. Only two teams have won more Super Bowls than the Cowboys, but their last came in 1996. On the other hand, the Arizona Cardinals’ Super Bowl drought has lasted longer than the dry spells in Glendale. Kurt Warner took them to the big game in 2009 and almost won them that elusive Lombardi. Arizona Cardinals fans scored 7.96.

Has a fan base suffered more heartache than Bills Mafia? They made the Super Bowl four years in a row from 1991 – 1994, and they never won it. No team has ever lost three Super Bowls in a row, let alone four! The overtime rule for playoff games was changed because they were dealt such a cruel end in the 2021 Divisional Round. Buffalo Bills fans scored the fourth highest in our desperation rankings at 7.00, tied with the Miami Dolphins. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans have had it good for the past couple of years, with Tom Brady and company. It might be why they’re seemingly content with their lot. They scored the lowest with 4.76. 

With more success than any other team in the past decade, it’s no surprise that the New England Patriots fans and Kansas City Chiefs (5.08 and 5.12) fans scored third and fourth lowest, respectively. 

How Much Would NFL Fans Pay if it Meant Their Team Won the Super Bowl?

Being a fan can be an expensive hobby, so how much are they willing to fork out to guarantee a Lombardi Trophy for their franchise? 

Inflation doesn’t appear to be a problem for half of the AFC North, especially in Cincinnati, as Bengals fans said they were willing to spend on average $9,347 to ensure the ticker tape is falling down on Joe Burrow. Baltimore Ravens fans came second, as they’re prepared to spend $8,529 each for a third Lombardi. 

There’s a big drop-off to third, where 49ers fans, who have lost each of their last two Super Bowls, are happy to spend $6,231 for that sixth title. 

The LA Rams got their most recent Super Bowl championship last year, which could be why their fans aren’t going to break the bank for another trophy. They came in last, only happy to spend $46 to guarantee a title. 

The Titans have never won a title, but perhaps they’ve got more hope in Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies bringing sporting success to Tennessee in this year’s NBA playoffs because they’re only spending the third-lowest for a Super Bowl, averaging $105. 

What Would NFL Fans Do to Guarantee Their Team a Super Bowl Win? 

We all know fans can do some crazy things for the love of their teams. As our research shows, some are prepared to give up more than others to guarantee a Super Bowl. 

Of the 1,004 NFL fans we surveyed, a whopping 52% said they would give up drinking for a year if it meant their team could win a Super Bowl. Nearly half (46%) will shave their heads, and 45% will give up, perhaps, their next favorite hobby for a title; saying they’d ditch video games for a year in exchange for a title. Who needs Madden when you can have the real thing? 

So, we know which fandoms are the most desperate for a Super Bowl, but what would they be willing to do for it? Here is what won out for some teams, including ties: 

• Dallas Cowboys: Give up drinking for a year
• New York Jets: Give up video games for a year
• Buffalo Bills: Give up video games OR caffeine OR drinking for a year (tied)
• Miami Dolphins: Give up drinking for a year
• Arizona Cardinals: Shave head OR give up caffeine for a year (tied)
• Green Bay Packers: Give up drinking for a year
• Philadelphia Eagles: Give up video games for a year
• Chicago Bears: Give up drinking for a year

Despite it meaning Super Bowl success for their beloved franchise, just 1% of people surveyed would be willing to go to prison. It’s more surprising anyone would do that.

Fandoms in Waiting: Do You Remember Your Team’s Last Super Bowl Championship?

While some teams have never won a Super Bowl, others have waited for generations to win another title. So who remembers their last one? 

Of everyone we surveyed, only three teams had 100% of their fans remember their last Super Bowl win. It comes as no surprise that Chiefs and Rams fans were two of those three, having each won one of the last two Super Bowl crowns. It’s been 13 years since the New Orleans Saints last won a Lombardi, but each fan we spoke to said they remembered it. The average years of fandom for Who Dat Nation is 24 years. 

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t made an NFC Championship game in 27 years, which could be seen as a bonus for their fans, who average 27 years of fandom. Though 86% can remember what a title looks like in Big D. Interestingly, 98% of Patriots fans can remember their last win in 2019. Their average number of years of fandom is 26.39, maybe they’ve won so many they lost count.

Methodology

We surveyed 1,004 Americans in April 2023 to gather the data required for this study. Each person we surveyed was a football fan.

Fair Use

Feel free to share this research with anyone you like. If you publish or refer to this content on your website, please include a link to this page.

About Pickswise

Here at Pickswise, we provide expert betting advice for all major sports COMPLETELY FREE! This means you can get daily NFL Picks and Super Bowl Predictions for the 2023/24 season without paying a penny.