NFL Fan Rankings: Washington Worst?!

Losing, drama, and branding mishaps have torpedoed what used to be a Top 5 fan base

Fanbases are an interesting look into focused populations in our society and, believe it or not, even the Washington Commanders' reduced community of celebrators outshines the groups following a lot of other major sports organizations and programs. 

Washington Commanders

Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

Washington Commanders

Sky Sports

Washington Commanders

The NFL is the king of all sports leagues in America and because of it, even some of the least-enthused fans of football franchises still outnumber the membership numbers of other, more successful athletic organizations. 

This is good, because the Commanders have the 32nd-ranked fanbase among NFL teams according to the website Fandom Analytics.

"The Commanders represent a true fall from glory," says the site. "The Washington Football Franchise was a top 5 or 10 brand when we began these rankings (nearly 10 years ago). Two decades of losing, poor talent acquisition, and a long-term name controversy have pushed the club to the bottom of the list...This offseason has probably made things worse as the Commanders name was poorly received. The Commanders feel like an expansion team that started by offending the local market."

As simple as it might be to explain why enthusiasm around the franchise has taken a sharp downward turn in the last decade, the metrics used by the site to figure out these rankings aren't. 

Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders linebacker, Cole Holcomb

Washington Commanders vs New York Giants

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Fans of the Washington Commanders

Using three separate categories of data, Fandom Analytics measures Fan Equity, Social Equity, and Talent Equity to get their overall rankings.

"We combine the three metrics into an overall ranking using a weighting system that primarily emphasizes the Fan Equity (revenue premium) and Social Equity measures," says the site. "The Talent Equity component is given only a 5% weight."

The Top 5 fan bases according to this evaluation belong to the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tennessee Titans join the Washington Commanders in the bottom five.