Study shows Raiders have worst fans, Cardinals biggest bandwagoners

A new study analyzing NFL fan quality has Raiders fans at the bottom and Cardinals supporters most likely to jump the bandwagon.

A new study analyzing NFL fan quality places Raiders fans at the bottom and Cardinals supporters most likely to jump the bandwagon.

Based on the 2014 season, Emory Sports Marketing Analytics used advanced statistical metrics to rate fan bases in terms of “Fan Equity,” “Social Media Equity” and a bandwagon ranking (based upon how discerning fans are when buying tickets relative to a team's winning percentage).

The Raiders sit in last place on the Fan Equity scale, based on the average of scores from the past three seasons which take into account how willing fans are to support their team financially. The Dallas Cowboys are first, a title they've held the last five years by these metrics. The Seattle Seahawks, somewhat surprisingly, rank 27th. 

Pittsburgh came in first in the Social Media Equity ranks, and the Cardinals last. Arizona also came in first in the bandwagon rankings, suggesting their fans are most responsive to winning percentage when purchasing tickets. To be fair, they may not all be bandwagoners in the strongest sense of the word – perhaps they just better understand when the on-field product is watchable. New Orleans, Buffalo, Oakland and Washington round out the top five.

You can read the full report here.

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- Jeremy Woo