LO VE OF THE GAME
With the Super Bowl today and Valentine’s Day Monday, we look at the NFL’s passionate fans
Where’s the love?
In 2016, 65% of U.S. adults said they follow the NFL in some form with 56% watching games on television and 9% tuning in via the internet.
Globally, 38% of adults are fans, with particularly notable peaks in Mexico, India and China. Overall, that means there are four times as many NFL fans in the rest of the world as there are in America. American men (74%) are more likely than women (56%) to be fans with 25-34s the leading age group.
Favorite league
Home Team Sports, a leader in sports marketing, commissioned a joint study with Wakefield Research Partners and YouGov to better understand the roots of fandom. They surveyed 2,462 fans representative of the U.S. adult population who selected a favorite league.
NFL (45.3%)
MLB (21.9%)
NBA (18.9%)
NHL (10.3%)
MLS (3.5%)
Putting money where your heart is
The Super Bowl’s prices are setting records. As of Wednesday, a report by CBS said the average ticket price is $8,772 and top VIP suite level tickets were priced at $100,000.
The regular season
The average cost for a family of four to attend an NFL game in the 2021 season was $568.18, an increase of $14.05 over 2020, according to Team Marketing Report's NFL Fan Cost Index. The average NFL ticket was about $107.
The Raiders, in their new Las Vegas home, topped the list for average ticket price at $153.47. The lowest average ticket price was for those watching the Buffalo Bills, at $74.95.
Ratings game
The 2021 NFL regular season averaged 17.1 million viewers (TV and digital), which is the highest regular-season average since 2015 and up more than 10% from 2020. The Cowboys accounted for five of the top 10 ratings. Throughout the season, there were 370 billion total minutes consumed, which is up 18% more in 2020. The NFL added one more regular-season game, stretching to 17 games.
Generation Z
According a 2021 Next Gen Fandom Survey from Emory University, Generation Z has the least amount of avid fans for the NFL and all sports. Young women express a higher level of fandom for all sports except Esports.
Female
All sports
Super fans
Jimmie Foster
Rams: Amanda Filimon Filimon, a 15-year combat veteran who served in Iraq and currently serves as a registered nurse with Cedars-Sinai. Filimon continues to put the needs of others above her own and takes care of COVID-19 patients during surgery.
StatSocial, a social media data company, used IBM Watson Personality Insights to rank NFL fans on emotions using factors that included language people use to express themselves, frequency of communication and interaction with others.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Cowboys Steelers Saints Texans Packers Ravens Panthers Broncos Patriots Eagles Raiders Seahawks Colts Giants Bengals Lions Falcons Chiefs Bears 49ers Browns Vikings Titans Washington Bills Chargers Cardinals Jets Jaguars Rams Dolphins Buccaneers
Male
Each NFL team selects a fan of the year in November. The contest celebrates extraordinary fans who inspire others through their love of football and show what it means to be a fan. NFL collected nearly 35,000 submissions from fans vying for the chance to represent their team as a nominee.
In partnership with the league, each club has now selected their 2021 Fan of the Year, who will attend Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium and represent their team in the stands.
Cincinnati Bengals:
NFL.com/fanoftheyear
Thirsty and hungry?
Levi’s Stadium, where San Francisco plays, has the most expensive beer at $14. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Atlanta plays, has the cheapest beer — the only team that charges just $5 for a beer, according to OnlineGambling.com’s Gameday Calculator. Atlanta’s stadium is known for its low-price food, with hot dogs about $2. M&T Bank Stadium, where Baltimore plays, sells hot dogs for $3.
Most emotional fans