Who Has The Smallest Fan Base In The NFL? Unpacking The Numbers

Kade Schaefer Jr. 29 Jul 2025

Have you ever wondered about the true size of an NFL team's loyal following? It's a fascinating question, really, and one that sparks a lot of conversation among football enthusiasts. We often hear about the biggest fan bases, the ones that fill stadiums week after week or dominate social media feeds. But what about the other end of the spectrum, the teams that might, in a way, fly a little under the radar when it comes to sheer numbers?

Figuring out which NFL team has the smallest fan base isn't always as straightforward as it seems. There are so many ways to measure something like fan support, and different studies can, you know, come up with very different answers. It's a complex picture, shaped by things like team history, recent performance, and even where the team plays.

This article takes a closer look at what the data suggests about the smallest fan bases in the NFL, drawing from recent studies and various metrics. We'll explore some of the teams often mentioned in these discussions and consider why their fan numbers might be on the lower side, while also noting that these things, like, change over time. So, let's get into it.

The Pittsburgh Steelers: A Surprising Contender?
How Fan Bases Are Measured
The Challenge of Quantifying Fan Support
Teams That Have Struggled to Draw Fans
The Green Bay Packers: A Market Anomaly
Different Studies, Different Results
What Makes a Fan Base Truly Small?

The Pittsburgh Steelers: A Surprising Contender?

You might be a little surprised by this, but a recent study actually pointed to the Pittsburgh Steelers as having the smallest fan base in the NFL. This particular research, conducted by Emory University professor Michael Lewis, looked at a few different things to figure out which team had the lowest fan numbers. It's a pretty interesting finding, considering the Steelers' long history and their, you know, reputation for having passionate fans.

The study’s findings for the Steelers were based on several factors, and they really painted a picture. For instance, the team apparently had the second smallest social media presence, which is a big deal in today's digital world. They also saw the third lowest home attendance rate this season, and their revenue last year was the seventh lowest across the league. So, in many ways, they were, like, in the bottom ten for almost every category you could use to measure a fan base.

How Fan Bases Are Measured

So, how do these studies even figure out something as tricky as fan base size? Well, it's not just about counting heads at a game. Researchers consider a bunch of different factors, aiming to get a really comprehensive picture. It's not just one thing, you know, but a combination of elements that paints the whole picture of a team's reach and popularity.

TV Ratings and Stadium Attendance

One of the most obvious ways to gauge a team's popularity is by looking at how many people tune in to watch their games on television. High TV ratings generally mean a lot of people are interested in that team. Similarly, stadium attendance is a pretty clear indicator. If a team consistently fills its seats, it's a good sign they have a strong local following, at least. The Emory study, as a matter of fact, used these very metrics to help form its conclusions.

In our modern world, social media is a huge part of how fans connect with their favorite teams. The number of followers a team has on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and how much those followers interact with the team's content, can tell you a lot. It's a way to measure a team's digital footprint, you know, and its broader appeal beyond just game day. Some studies even focus solely on this digital presence to rank teams by their fan support.

Revenue and Market Size

A team's revenue can also give clues about its fan base, though it's not always a direct measure of fan numbers. Higher revenue often means more merchandise sales, more sponsorships, and better TV deals, which can be linked to a larger or more engaged fan base. Market size, too, plays a part. A team in a huge city might naturally have access to more potential fans, even if their local stadium isn't always packed. For instance, the Chargers, despite having a smaller fan base, actually do pretty well in revenue, largely because they are in the Los Angeles TV market, which is a huge benefit.

The Challenge of Quantifying Fan Support

It's important to understand that figuring out which NFL team truly has the smallest fan base is, you know, pretty difficult to quantify definitively. There's no single, perfect way to measure it, and what one study considers "small" another might not. Fan bases are also incredibly dynamic; they can grow or shrink based on team performance, new star players, or even just general trends in the league. So, the results you see one year could look totally different down the road, as the NFL landscape continues to shift.

Teams That Have Struggled to Draw Fans

While the Emory study pointed to the Steelers, other discussions and analyses often bring up different teams when talking about smaller fan bases. It's a topic that comes up a lot among fans and analysts, actually, trying to figure out which teams have, like, a harder time filling seats or generating buzz. Here are a few teams that are frequently mentioned in these conversations, showing just how varied the situation can be across the league.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are one team that, in some respects, has struggled to draw a massive fan base in recent years. Living in a market with a lot of transplants and competing sports interests can make it harder to build that deep, generational loyalty that some older teams enjoy. It's a common challenge for teams in newer or more spread-out markets, really, to capture the full attention of potential fans.

Jacksonville Jaguars: A Loyal Bunch?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are another team often brought up in discussions about smaller fan bases. However, it's a bit more nuanced with them. As someone who lives in Jacksonville, I can tell you that it's absolutely not a college football town in the way some people think; they just host a big college game there with two of the area's largest teams. In fact, the Jaguars have an incredibly loyal and loud fan base. So, while they might not have the sheer numbers of, say, the Cowboys, their existing fans are, like, incredibly dedicated and passionate, which is a very different kind of measure of support.

Los Angeles Chargers: A Unique Situation

The Los Angeles Chargers are often cited as having one of the smallest fan bases, especially since their move to Los Angeles. Despite being in a huge market, they've had challenges establishing a dominant presence there, competing with the established Rams and other sports teams. Yet, interestingly enough, the Chargers are actually 14th in revenue stream when you consider the difference between their revenue and operating budget. This is mostly due to being in the massive LA TV market, which provides significant financial benefits even with a smaller in-person following. So, their situation is, you know, quite unique.

The Green Bay Packers: A Market Anomaly

When we talk about fan bases, the Green Bay Packers are a truly fascinating case study. They play in, arguably, the smallest market in the NFL, ranking 139th in the country for city size. To give you some perspective, the city of New Orleans, which has the 51st highest population in the country, ranks just one spot above Green Bay in terms of market size. Yet, despite this incredibly small market, the Packers' fans have sold out every single home game since 1960! It's an astonishing display of loyalty and dedication, showing that market size doesn't always equal fan base strength. In fact, a Green Bay Packers fan base led all NFL fan bases as of 2022, which is, like, truly remarkable given their small city.

Different Studies, Different Results

It's important to remember that fan base rankings can vary widely depending on who is doing the counting and what criteria they use. For instance, while the Emory University study pointed to the Steelers having the smallest fan base, other analyses might tell a different story. Some studies, like those from FandomAnalytics.com, have crunched numbers for over 20 years before revealing their rankings, offering a different perspective on how all 32 teams' faithful stack up, from worst to first, as they put it in 2023. You can, for example, find articles like "Ranking All 32 NFL Fanbases From Worst to First for 2023" on sites like Total Pro Sports, which offer their own take.

What's more, some rankings, like one from 2022, actually place the Green Bay Packers fan base at the top, followed by the Patriots, Cowboys, Eagles, and, surprisingly, a Steelers fan base among the leaders. Most NFL fans would, like, agree with this result, with the Eagles possibly being an exception for some. This really highlights that "smallest" or "biggest" depends heavily on the specific metrics and timeframe of the study. It's not always a clear-cut answer, you know, and different approaches can lead to very different conclusions about fan base size and loyalty.

What Makes a Fan Base Truly Small?

So, when we talk about a "small" fan base, what are we really getting at? It's more than just raw numbers. It can involve lower engagement across social media platforms, as seen with the Steelers in one study. It might also mean struggling to consistently fill stadium seats, even if the team is performing well. For some teams, it's about the challenge of drawing new fans in a crowded sports market, where there are, like, many other entertainment options competing for attention. Ultimately, it often comes down to a combination of these factors, painting a picture of a team that simply doesn't command the same widespread devotion as some of the league's giants.

Understanding these dynamics helps us appreciate the unique characteristics of each NFL fan base. Whether a team has a massive following or a smaller, intensely loyal group, the passion of football fans is, you know, a huge part of what makes the league so special. To learn more about fan engagement across sports, you might want to explore resources like NFL.com stats for a deeper look into various team metrics. You can also Learn more about fan loyalty on our site, and we have more insights on team popularity trends.

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Who Has The Smallest Fan Base In The NFL? Unpacking The Numbers

Table of Contents

The Pittsburgh Steelers: A Surprising Contender?