Czaban ranks all 32 NFL fanbases

http://onmilwaukee.com/sports/articles/czaban012605.html

Not too many complaints about it, but I just don't see how the Eagles rank 10th according to his system. The Eagles are around 5th or 6th in terms of pure numbers, have always sold out in the Reid era, and he admits himself that the Eagles fans are fiercely loyal.

I'm kinda surprised that we ranked #3. Nice.

http://onmilwaukee.com/sports/articles/czaban012605.html

Not too many complaints about it, but I just don't see how the Eagles rank 10th according to his system. The Eagles are around 5th or 6th in terms of pure numbers, have always sold out in the Reid era, and he admits himself that the Eagles fans are fiercely loyal.
I think he's talking about national fan base, because if it was local no way would Miami be #3, not even close.

#9's pretty damn good for a rather up-and-down team :yo:

oakland should be #1

Jacksonville: Had trouble selling out games this year early, despite a team that was hot out of the gate and with one of the league's best young QBs. Maybe the market size just isn't big enough, and the league made a mistake here. Crushing AFC title defeat to Titans didn't help either.

Nah, look at the stadium, way too much seats for a small market. No mistake done here, Jaguars have fans up here in Canada!

(I only know of Steadfast and I. I guess that makes two Canadians cheering for Jacksonville!)

IMO Green Bay and Miami are way too high.

Dolphins have trouble filling their building. Jet fans routinely fill the place when they play, last year their must have been 15,000 Eagles fans for the game in Miami, and they took over the whole place.

I equate Packers fans to Red Wings fans. You never saw anyone wearing a Red Wings jersey during the 70's and 80's ... and you never saw any Packers jerseys or cheeseheads during ht 70's & 80's.

IMO Eagles and Bills should be higher on the list.

I'd have the Raiders, Steelers and Cowboys 1-3 .... flip a coin to determine the order.

I like how he accuses Chargers fans of being gangbangers, when the infamous tape clearly shows a Raider fan stabbing a Charger fan in the ribs. Anyone who has lived in So. Cal knows that in general the lowlifes tend to be rooting for the Raiders.
Not to say all Raiders fans are lowlifes, but rather the Raiders tend to attract a certain questionable element in their fanbase, as the article does correctly mention.

GP

oakland should be #1

Nah. Steelers and Packers have fanbases with similar numbers in terms of pure amount of fans, and their fans are definitely more knowledgable on the average compared to the Raider fans.

Cleveland is too high on the list as well. Their fanbase is tiny as hell....I don't care how much they love football, it can't be MORE than people in Philadelphia.

IMO Green Bay and Miami are way too high.

Dolphins have trouble filling their building. Jet fans routinely fill the place when they play, last year their must have been 15,000 Eagles fans for the game in Miami, and they took over the whole place.

I equate Packers fans to Red Wings fans. You never saw anyone wearing a Red Wings jersey during the 70's and 80's ... and you never saw any Packers jerseys or cheeseheads during ht 70's & 80's.

IMO Eagles and Bills should be higher on the list.

I'd have the Raiders, Steelers and Cowboys 1-3 .... flip a coin to determine the order.
No actually it's about accurate, again this is outside the Miami area, not inside it. And their are probably more Cowboy fans but he nailed on the head about them being frontrunners and I would say the same number of Raider fans as Dolphin fans but apparently he has taken a dislike to the Silver and Black followers, hence our higher rating.

22. Carolina: Fair weather like you can't believe, and winning so much in just their second season didn't help expectations. Still, I was happy to see the core group of Panthers fans rewarded by a trip to the Super Bowl last year. Insanely tight restrictions on behavior at home games (like no removing your shirt, among others) just crushes passion.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'd rank them even lower.

Titans seem a little low, but oh well.

No actually it's about accurate, again this is outside the Miami area, not inside it. And their are probably more Cowboy fans but he nailed on the head about them being frontrunners and I would say the same number of Raider fans as Dolphin fans but apparently he has taken a dislike to the Silver and Black followers, hence our higher rating.

The Cowboys fans in the Dallas area are frontrunners, but their fanbase all over the nation is pretty dedicated, even in crappy times like all of this decade has been.

I'd bump the Dolphins down a few spots, probably around 10th.

#1 :yo: :yo: :yo:

Definitely believe it. I spent the summer in western Colorado and came across more Steeler fans than I did Bronco fans. Granted most of them are former Pittsburghers(like my brother who still bleeds black and gold after 13 years in Colorado). That's the thing though, Pittsburgh can't seem to keep people past their high school graduations and so you get these giant pockets of Steeler fans everywhere in the country.

What I want to do with my career will take me out of Pittsburgh so you can count me as another transplanted Steeler fan in a couple years(probably to either Vancouver or LA).

The Cowboys fans in the Dallas area are frontrunners, but their fanbase all over the nation is pretty dedicated, even in crappy times like all of this decade has been.

I'd bump the Dolphins down a few spots, probably around 10th.
A few spots, that's about seven! I live in New Jersey and there are tons of us around here and I'm sure it's the same nation wide and alot has to do with Dan Marino as alot of the twenty and thirty year olds always tell me he is the reason they became a fish fan and even the fatman on FAN 660 in NY raves about how impressed he is with how big it is. And like the guy said we really stay on top of our team.

"or some reason, I just never seem to meet an obnoxious Steelers fan"

Somebody needs to visit HF. Just ONCE.

Chiefs at no 12? wtf, you guys can call me a homer but Arrowhead is the toughest place to play in on the road. Its the loudest stadium, and even when the team sucks they are tough to beat at home.

Chiefs at no 12? wtf, you guys can call me a homer but Arrowhead is the toughest place to play n on the road.

Maybe if you actually read the criteria on the top of the page, you'd see it's not just ranked by attendance.

Maybe if you actually read the criteria on the top of the page, you'd see it's not just ranked by attendance.
the only thing I could see is the lack of a huge national fan base, but the guy even said he didn't know how they were calculated.

the only thing I could see is the lack of a huge national fan base, but the guy even said he didn't know how they were calculated.
I think I have only know three Chiefs fans in my life and two were not what you call die hard, but I'm sure they are huge across the Midwest.

I equate Packers fans to Red Wings fans. You never saw anyone wearing a Red Wings jersey during the 70's and 80's ... and you never saw any Packers jerseys or cheeseheads during ht 70's & 80's.


my dad was one of the few who caught on with the packers in the 60s and was a fan of them up through today...i started following in the early 90s and kept with them ever since and im a lifelong fan, hell i think i am the packer fanbase on HF.

I'd put the raiders #1...an entire half of my family loved the raiders ever since the AFL days (not a lot of my family cares for philly teams---only i do and that's just the flyers)...the raiders won a lot of people with their renegade reputation, every time theyre in the meadowlands or philly my uncles and a few other relatives go...there's even a lehigh valley chapter of the raiders booster club...right in the heart of eagles territory mind you--they're even my AFC favorite...though not with the passion i follow GB.

...the only teams that can be labeled with a 'nation' status are the raiders followed by the cowboys

13th?Weak.

With Red McCombs running the team, Minnesota should be last. He is killing the team and pissing on Bud Grant's grave (if he is dead).

I think I have only know three Chiefs fans in my life and two were not what you call die hard, but I'm sure they are huge across the Midwest.
I only know one, and he's questionable.

I only know one, and he's questionable.


My friend was one once....now he's a Charger fan (behind the steelers)...and thats cause coach Marty is his uncle :joker:

Nah, look at the stadium, way too much seats for a small market. No mistake done here, Jaguars have fans up here in Canada!

(I only know of Steadfast and I. I guess that makes two Canadians cheering for Jacksonville!)

The stadium is way too big for Jacksonville... and they're going to tarp a certain portion of the seats next year I think. I'm actually surprised they put Jags fans as high as 23.

Pittsburgh: For some reason, I just never seem to meet an obnoxious Steelers fan. (I know, there's a guy in your office I need to meet first.) These guys know their current team, they know their history, and they keep it all in pretty good perspective. If I've got to choose one "fan base" to sit down and drink a beer with, the "Stillers" fans get the nod.
WTF? I don't think this guy has never met a single Steelers fan. Seriously, how the hell do you write "they keep it all in pretty good perspective" after this year? And then in the next one he says that Favre-worship bothers him? What?

5. Oakland: Flat out, the biggest bunch of jerk fans in the NFL.
I'd have to go with the Eagles.

However he has an outstanding take on Dolphins fans. It seems to be the ones not in Miami are the best Fish fans. Ditto the Giants, who have fans far and wide in NJ. I think he lists Bills fans a little too low, I would put move down Denver to (well) below Buffalo and bump everyone else up. The Bills don't have a huge fan base compared to the other teams, but they're just as loyal as anyone, if not more.

You could argue that Cardinal fans are good fans. They shouldn't pay money to see that trash, and they don't.

You could argue that Cardinal fans are good fans. They shouldn't pay money to see that trash, and they don't.

LMAO :lol:

The stadium is way too big for Jacksonville... and they're going to tarp a certain portion of the seats next year I think. I'm actually surprised they put Jags fans as high as 23.they averaged 69,000 fans this season

the stadium seats 73,800 :dunno:

theyll have no problem selling the place out in the future when theyre contenders again

25. Detroit: These fans are really, really loyal and still show up to take it in the shorts year after year after year. I know this fan base exists, but it is harder to find than Osama Bin Laden right now outside of Michigan.

That's not even true, get up into the U.P. and most everyone is a Packers fan (strangely, they remain loyal to the Wings). People around here are big into the Lions, but U of M and MSU really cut into their fanbase (mostly U of M).

they averaged 69,000 fans this season

the stadium seats 73,800 :dunno:


I wasn't aware that the average attendance was that high.. but they do blackout games on TV in Jacksonville to try to get fans to attend the game. The empty seats are usually quite noticeable every Sunday, especially in that critical week 16 game against Houston where they laid an egg.

According to the Jags website, ALLTEL's capacity is 76,877. I guess that could be just for the Super Bowl though.

Kansas City's fanbase is definitely a more midwest phenomenon...although I'd rank our stadium atmosphere with 78,000 sold-out seats and the best tailgaiting BBQ around right up there with anybody, including Green Bay. Just makes all the early round home playoff losses all the more painful though because the atmosphere is so good leading up to the eventual collapse at the end of every season we play well.

Given the way this guy explains his rankings though, can't say I really have a beef. #12 is still upper tier and all the teams on the fast page have hardcore fanbases in their homes.

To be fair, in the past couple of years, both Snoop and 50 have made videos sporting Priest Holmes jerseys... :yo:

I wasn't aware that the average attendance was that high.. but they do blackout games on TV in Jacksonville to try to get fans to attend the game.yea

i cant remember the last time the raiders DIDNT black out a regular season home game

Nah, look at the stadium, way too much seats for a small market. No mistake done here, Jaguars have fans up here in Canada!

(I only know of Steadfast and I. I guess that makes two Canadians cheering for Jacksonville!)

One right here :)

One right here :)

That makes 3 of us. :thumbu:

I'm neither surprised by the Pats being 15th, nor do I have any complaints. Plain and simple, New England isn't a big football area(we have one significant college football program in BC, which is probably a better showing of a region's love for the sport). Another thing is the fact that Bob Kraft has spoiled us, so it almost feels like our tailgate may as well be hors-d'ouvres and cocktails compared to the big football areas' raw steak and beer.

17. San Francisco: Utterly spoiled by the Greatest Long Term Run any NFL franchise has ever had, and they now have no clue how to act or think. Here's a hint. Just sit there and suffer, like the rest of us usually do.

That's beautiful.

As for my team, #31 out of 32. :thumbu:

I'm kinda surprised that we ranked #3. Nice.


Come on Lou no problems with that? Being a Fins fan I can't see how we're ranked number 3. Maybe I could see it if it was knowledge of the game, but when I think of diehard fans I definitely dont' think of Miami.

I cant say Im surprised the Steelers fans came it at number 1. But the reasons kinda surprise me.

Anyone that hasnt met an obnoxious Steelers fan hasnt met very many of them. Every team has obnoxious fans and the Steelers have plenty.

These guys know their history cause they live in the past. Its all they ever talk about. The 70's this, the 70's that.

The Steelers fans are #1 because they are huge homers who never think their team should lose. Theyll leave and boo when the team isnt doing so great but when the team wins they will make more noise then anyone. They love to chant "Here we go Steelers, here we go" no matter when or where they are. Their backups are better then anyones starters, even their own. One for the thumb is their birth right.

That makes 3 of us. :thumbu:

:handclap:

Come on Lou no problems with that? Being a Fins fan I can't see how we're ranked number 3. Maybe I could see it if it was knowledge of the game, but when I think of diehard fans I definitely dont' think of Miami.
No I don't see a problem with that, like I said before this guy's rankings are outside the local areas and up here in New Jersey I can honestly say I have come across at least hundreds Dolphin fans and if you go into any sports bar up here on a Sunday afternoon you would see them well represented and diehard indeed.

If this was based on the south Florida area then yeah they would drop significantly, but for some reason outside it they are plentiful and I think alot of that has to do with Marino during the eighties and early nineties, he's responsible for alot of that.

How the hell is Miami ranked 3th?!?!? :eek: They sold out for two games this year, and most people at those games were Jets/Pats games. They hide when their team sucks, they are not loyal at all.

The Steelers shouldn't be #1, they love their team, but they get blinded by homerism.

The Giants at #8 is good, IMO, even though I think that we should be #1. :yo: Most of us are very knowledgeable, and we rarely get on the nerves of other fans. And their is rarely an empty seat, even with these two horrible years.

The Cowboys fans in the Dallas area are frontrunners, but their fanbase all over the nation is pretty dedicated, even in crappy times like all of this decade has been.
The fans in Dallas mostly don't attend because they still don't like Jerry Jones and don't see the point of paying $100 to sit in the worst stadium in football. It is cool when they travel to play the Cardinals. It's like having a home game in another stadium.

How the hell is Miami ranked 3th?!?!? :eek: They sold out for two games this year, and most people at those games were Jets/Pats games. They hide when their team sucks, they are not loyal at all.

The Steelers shouldn't be #1, they love their team, but they get blinded by homerism.

The Giants at #8 is good, IMO, even though I think that we should be #1. :yo: Most of us are very knowledgeable, and we rarely get on the nerves of other fans. And their is rarely an empty seat, even with these two horrible years.
Did you read the article and this is third and last time I'm going to say this.

THIS IS A ONE GUY'S PERSONAL RANKING BASED ON NATIONAL FAN BASE!!!!!!

It has nothing to do with the local fan base, nothing. Christ.

Another thing, you say Dolphin fans are not loyal and hide when their team sucks, like how and what examples do you have?

Another thing, you say Dolphin fans are not loyal and hide when their team sucks, like how and what examples do you have?
In other words, his favorite team wasn't ranked high enough, so he's pissed.

Did you read the article and this is third and last time I'm going to say this.

THIS IS A ONE GUY'S PERSONAL RANKING BASED ON NATIONAL FAN BASE!!!!!!

It has nothing to do with the local fan base, nothing. Christ.

Another thing, you say Dolphin fans are not loyal and hide when their team sucks, like how and what examples do you have?
I haven't seen many nation-wide Dolphins fans.

I can only give a local example:

The opener was nearly blacked out because their were not enough tickets sold. They sold out 2 games all season, and one of them was half Jet fans.

And this is only generalizing the fans, I have a friend who is a Phin's fan, and all he does is rag on the team and say how bad they are, and doesn't hide that he is a fan like I've seen some Phins fans do.

In other words, his favorite team wasn't ranked high enough, so he's pissed.
That's not true. I would obviously like to see the Giants fans ranked #1, and I think that we are very passionate fans, knowledgeable and aren't blinded by homerism (Well, except for me :innocent: ). But I could see where the Giants can be put 8th, we really don't have a huge tradition like the Browns fans (Dawg Pound) and the Packers fans (Cheeseheads) do. We are fans that really don't do something that makes you say that we are the best fans in the NFL, but their is nothing bad to say about us, and we are very knowledgeable and we love our team.

I haven't seen many nation-wide Dolphins fans.

I can only give a local example:

The opener was nearly blacked out because their were not enough tickets sold. They sold out 2 games all season, and one of them was half Jet fans.
What part of "national fan base" aren't you getting? Whether or not games are sold out is in no way indictative of a team's national fan base.

What part of "national fan base" aren't you getting? Whether or not games are sold out is in no way indictative of a team's national fan base.
What part of "I can only give a local example" don't you get? :help: :dunno:

What part of "I can only give a local example" don't you get? :help: :dunno:
The part that goes on to describe that they didn't sell out all their games.

5. Oakland: Flat out, the biggest bunch of jerk fans in the NFL. Not altogether very knowledgeable, rational or employable. They obviously take their cues from the Greaser In Charge, Al Davis. What did you expect? Commitment to Excellence is easily the most pretentious slogan in sports, and their fans quote it as if it were Holy Scripture. Sadly though, like ants at a picnic, Raider fans are everywhere.

thats right ...The Raider Nation might find this clown one day... :madfire:

28. Cincinnati: These fans do exist outside of southwest Ohio, in fact I know one of them. One. That's all.

What? Are you joking? He must not get out of his office. There are at least 10-15 on this board. I don't even know if there are that many Hawk fans on this board (no offense but not a lot of activity over there)

We've only not made the playoffs for 13 years and we sold out every single home game, handily. This guy doesn't pay attention to football I don't think. Bengals fans are loyal people, who are just a little jaded at the moment. A playoff appearance will bring us out in full force, of that I am sure.

These must be based on the last 10 years as a whole. Which I don't think anyone cares about. Live in the now pal. Pats, Eagles, Jets, Giants, Bills, and Raiders fans are hardcore that's for sure.

:)

Pats, Eagles, Jets, Giants, Bills, and Raiders fans are hardcore that's for sure.

:)

Pats? Are you kidding? They had a mediocre fanbase before this "modern dynasty" thing came into picture.

Did you read the article and this is third and last time I'm going to say this.

THIS IS A ONE GUY'S PERSONAL RANKING BASED ON NATIONAL FAN BASE!!!!!!

It has nothing to do with the local fan base, nothing. Christ.

Nothing? Perhaps you should read closer.

So here's my list of the best fan bases in the NFL. This is not just home attendance. Not just a national fan base that shows up at bars and road games. Not just knowledge or dedication. All of the above. And weighted.

It appears that local fanbase was indeed a consideration.

What part of "national fan base" aren't you getting? Whether or not games are sold out is in no way indictative of a team's national fan base.

Are you guys reading a different article? He makes note of the local fans for virtually every team.