"The nine teams that enjoy the best fan support play in the Northeast, Midwest or Interior West: Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, Green Bay, Baltimore, the New York Giants, Philadelphia, Denver and Buffalo."
This article didn't have a numerical break down, but you get the idea. Note that Oakland is in the bottom 5 in fan support.
Where can you find the best fans in the National Football League?
Hint: In a large stadium not far from Lake Erie, where every seat is filled regardless of the weather or the home team's record.
Additional hint: Not in Buffalo.
The Cleveland Browns hold first place in Business First's 11th annual ratings of NFL fan support, indicating that their fans are the most rabid and loyal in the league. The Browns have been at the top for four straight years.
The Buffalo Bills rank a respectable ninth out of 32 teams.
"If you're talking about overall fan support, I've got no problem with the Browns being No. 1. Their grassroots support has always been impressive," says Joe Horrigan, vice president of communications for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
But Horrigan, who grew up in South Buffalo, says that Western New York's football fans also deserve elite status. The Bills boast the NFL's sixth-best attendance since 1993 — 70,345 fans per game in Ralph Wilson Stadium — even though they're in the third-smallest market.
"New York City is so large that it shouldn't have trouble getting 70,000 for anything," he says. "But when Buffalo gets 70,000 game after game after game, that's much more significant to me."
Business First has used the same seven-part formula to measure NFL fan support since 1993. Denver ranked No. 1 until 1998, when it was passed by Green Bay. Cleveland took the lead in 2000.
The Bills finished eighth last season and ninth the two years before that. Their highest ranking was third in 1997.
Each team was rated on its performance during the past 10 seasons in seven categories. Three categories measured fan loyalty. The other four determined how difficult it is to be a fan in each market.
The top team, Cleveland, was awarded an overall score of 100 points. All other scores were based off that benchmark, with Buffalo at 87.07 points.
The Browns took first place by drawing an average of 70,934 fans per game since 1993, despite generally poor on-field performances (.393 winning percentage) and one of the league's coldest climates (average high of 36 degrees in December).
Cleveland's record combined the old Browns, who moved to Baltimore after the 1995 season because of a stadium dispute, and the new Browns, who re-entered the NFL in 1999.
"The fan support in Cleveland was never in question, despite the move. It was all about the stadium. Clearly, this (No. 1 rating) makes the case that the fans were never the problem," says Jon Morgan, Baltimore-based author of "Glory for Sale," a 1997 book about the move of the original Browns.
The Bills drew nearly as well as the Browns, and did so in a smaller market and slightly colder weather, two factors that earned them additional points in Business First's formula. But Buffalo was hurt by its above-average winning percentage of .531, since the formula gives fewer points to teams with better records, on the theory that it's easier to root for a winner.
Cold-weather teams dominate the ratings. The nine teams that enjoy the best fan support play in the Northeast, Midwest or Interior West: Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, Green Bay, Baltimore, the New York Giants, Philadelphia, Denver and Buffalo.
"I think those towns see it as a challenge," says Horrigan. "The guys on the field are playing their hearts out. The fans feel challenged to get involved to the same extent. They factor in the elements as part of their overall experience, I think."
The five teams with the worst fan support all play in warm climates, including the last-place Arizona Cardinals. The others are Tennessee, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Oakland.
Business First rated each team's fan support in seven categories. The first three were known as support factors. The other four were difficulty factors.
Support factors accounted for 60 percent of each franchise's overall score. The teams with the best performances in these three categories received the most points:
Average attendance: The Kansas City Chiefs led the NFL with a 10-year average of 76,834 fans per game. The Bills were sixth at 70,345.
Percent of capacity: The Philadelphia Eagles came close to selling out every home game over the decade, filling 99.8 percent of available seats. The Bills ranked 17th with 90.6 percent.
Attendance fluctuation: The Dallas Cowboys had the league's most consistent fans. The share of occupied seats varied by just 3.6 percentage points between the team's best and worst seasons in the past 10 years. The Bills were 13th with a fluctuation of 15.9 points.
The four difficulty factors, which measured impediments to fan support, generated 40 percent of each franchise's final score. The teams facing the worst barriers received the most points.
Winning percentage: The Cincinnati Bengals earned the highest score in this category, thanks to their miserable .294 winning percentage since 1993. The Bills won 85 of their 160 games over the same period, for a percentage of .531.
Seats per 100,000: This category compared stadium capacity to population. The NFL's tiniest market is Green Bay, with 28,485 stadium seats for every 100,000 people in the metro area. Buffalo was third-smallest with 6,360 seats per 100,000.
Ticket cost per $10,000: This category compared ticket prices to local income levels. Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars carried the heaviest burden, paying an average of $22.09 for every $10,000 in local per capita income. The Bills, at $14.01 per $10,000, were among the 10 teams with the cheapest tickets.
December temperature: Green Bay is the NFL's frostiest market by far, with an average high temperature of 29 degrees in December. Buffalo and Chicago were the runners-up at 35 degrees.
This article didn't have a numerical break down, but you get the idea. Note that Oakland is in the bottom 5 in fan support.
Where can you find the best fans in the National Football League?
Hint: In a large stadium not far from Lake Erie, where every seat is filled regardless of the weather or the home team's record.
Additional hint: Not in Buffalo.
The Cleveland Browns hold first place in Business First's 11th annual ratings of NFL fan support, indicating that their fans are the most rabid and loyal in the league. The Browns have been at the top for four straight years.
The Buffalo Bills rank a respectable ninth out of 32 teams.
"If you're talking about overall fan support, I've got no problem with the Browns being No. 1. Their grassroots support has always been impressive," says Joe Horrigan, vice president of communications for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
But Horrigan, who grew up in South Buffalo, says that Western New York's football fans also deserve elite status. The Bills boast the NFL's sixth-best attendance since 1993 — 70,345 fans per game in Ralph Wilson Stadium — even though they're in the third-smallest market.
"New York City is so large that it shouldn't have trouble getting 70,000 for anything," he says. "But when Buffalo gets 70,000 game after game after game, that's much more significant to me."
Business First has used the same seven-part formula to measure NFL fan support since 1993. Denver ranked No. 1 until 1998, when it was passed by Green Bay. Cleveland took the lead in 2000.
The Bills finished eighth last season and ninth the two years before that. Their highest ranking was third in 1997.
Each team was rated on its performance during the past 10 seasons in seven categories. Three categories measured fan loyalty. The other four determined how difficult it is to be a fan in each market.
The top team, Cleveland, was awarded an overall score of 100 points. All other scores were based off that benchmark, with Buffalo at 87.07 points.
The Browns took first place by drawing an average of 70,934 fans per game since 1993, despite generally poor on-field performances (.393 winning percentage) and one of the league's coldest climates (average high of 36 degrees in December).
Cleveland's record combined the old Browns, who moved to Baltimore after the 1995 season because of a stadium dispute, and the new Browns, who re-entered the NFL in 1999.
"The fan support in Cleveland was never in question, despite the move. It was all about the stadium. Clearly, this (No. 1 rating) makes the case that the fans were never the problem," says Jon Morgan, Baltimore-based author of "Glory for Sale," a 1997 book about the move of the original Browns.
The Bills drew nearly as well as the Browns, and did so in a smaller market and slightly colder weather, two factors that earned them additional points in Business First's formula. But Buffalo was hurt by its above-average winning percentage of .531, since the formula gives fewer points to teams with better records, on the theory that it's easier to root for a winner.
Cold-weather teams dominate the ratings. The nine teams that enjoy the best fan support play in the Northeast, Midwest or Interior West: Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, Green Bay, Baltimore, the New York Giants, Philadelphia, Denver and Buffalo.
"I think those towns see it as a challenge," says Horrigan. "The guys on the field are playing their hearts out. The fans feel challenged to get involved to the same extent. They factor in the elements as part of their overall experience, I think."
The five teams with the worst fan support all play in warm climates, including the last-place Arizona Cardinals. The others are Tennessee, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Oakland.
Business First rated each team's fan support in seven categories. The first three were known as support factors. The other four were difficulty factors.
Support factors accounted for 60 percent of each franchise's overall score. The teams with the best performances in these three categories received the most points:
Average attendance: The Kansas City Chiefs led the NFL with a 10-year average of 76,834 fans per game. The Bills were sixth at 70,345.
Percent of capacity: The Philadelphia Eagles came close to selling out every home game over the decade, filling 99.8 percent of available seats. The Bills ranked 17th with 90.6 percent.
Attendance fluctuation: The Dallas Cowboys had the league's most consistent fans. The share of occupied seats varied by just 3.6 percentage points between the team's best and worst seasons in the past 10 years. The Bills were 13th with a fluctuation of 15.9 points.
The four difficulty factors, which measured impediments to fan support, generated 40 percent of each franchise's final score. The teams facing the worst barriers received the most points.
Winning percentage: The Cincinnati Bengals earned the highest score in this category, thanks to their miserable .294 winning percentage since 1993. The Bills won 85 of their 160 games over the same period, for a percentage of .531.
Seats per 100,000: This category compared stadium capacity to population. The NFL's tiniest market is Green Bay, with 28,485 stadium seats for every 100,000 people in the metro area. Buffalo was third-smallest with 6,360 seats per 100,000.
Ticket cost per $10,000: This category compared ticket prices to local income levels. Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars carried the heaviest burden, paying an average of $22.09 for every $10,000 in local per capita income. The Bills, at $14.01 per $10,000, were among the 10 teams with the cheapest tickets.
December temperature: Green Bay is the NFL's frostiest market by far, with an average high temperature of 29 degrees in December. Buffalo and Chicago were the runners-up at 35 degrees.
