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Dallas Cowboys fans can feel free to pat themselves on the back and gloat a little.
In the latest NFL Fandom Report by Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business, the boisterous Cowboys faithful rank No. 1.
The primary purpose of the study was the find the NFL’s “best” fans by studying a variety of factors. Among those were fan equity, social equity and road equity.
Professor Michael Lewis, who posted the report, gave a brief rundown of what went into the rankings.
My approach to evaluating fan bases uses data on attendance, revenues, social media following and road attendance to develop statistical models of fan interest (more details here). The key is that the models are used to determine which city’s fans are more willing to spend or follow their teams after controlling for factors like market size and short-term changes in winning and losing
NFL fandom ranks
The categories are fairly self-explanatory. Fan equity is how much fans actually invest in their team with dollars, from jerseys to season tickets. Dallas fans ranked No. 1 in that department and are showing no sign of slowing down their spending habits.
Social equity is based on social media reach of a team’s fan base. Just one quick glance around the internet’s NFL landscape and it’s noticeable how visible the Cowboys are on various social network channels thanks to the loyal fanbase.
Road equity is based off of how a team draws while away from their home stadium. Any one who has tried to buy a ticket to a Cowboys game away from AT&T Stadium knows that the prices spike when Dallas comes to town. The team is a huge draw.
Dallas Cowboys fans
The Cowboys also have the benefit of having a young, talented roster, with names like Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence and Leighton Vander Esch, among others.
The NFC East as a whole was the top ranking division, with the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 3) and New York Giants (No. 4) close behind. Washington slid in at No. 11 overall.
The Los Angeles Rams, who are entering their fourth year back on the West Coast following a relocation from St. Louis, received the worst ranks nearly across the board. Surprisingly, the Kanas City Chiefs and reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes were also among the basement dwellers.
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