American football is the most popular sport in the United States by some distance. Both collegiate and professional teams have followers in the tens of millions, with devoted fans spending hours traveling to games to support their beloved franchises in person.
Even though the NFL is extremely popular as a whole, some teams do have a lot more fans than others. Most NFL Betting figures reflect those differences in popularity, as teams with more supporters tend to generate a lot more interest during the regular season and playoffs.
A team being extremely popular does not necessarily mean it has been very successful in recent history. Winning more often correlates with having a greater fan base, but there are some NFL teams that have historic support that transcends their recent performances.
Below is a rundown of the top five most supported NFL teams based on data from the past few years.
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1. Dallas Cowboys
There is no sports team in the United States that has a more significant fan base than the Dallas Cowboys. They have more than 8 million supporters on Facebook, along with nearly 4 million on Twitter. The Cowboys bring in tremendous revenue each year thanks to having so many fans around the county and the world.
Aside from social media, the Cowboys have always been one of the most popular teams in the league. They are often labeled “America’s team” as they are the football franchise that most people are likely to support, especially if they are casual fans of the sport.
Unfortunately, Cowboys fans have been suffering for many years, as the team has not made a deep playoff run or competed for a Super Bowl in recent memory.
2. New England Patriots
Success is the primary reason why the New England Patriots are the second most popular NFL franchise. While the Cowboys have historic support that allows them to generate revenue despite not winning playoff games, the Patriots have built up a fan base over the past 15 years thanks to the greatness of coach Bill Belichick.
The Patriots have around 4.5 Twitter followers and nearly 7 million on Facebook, showcasing their popularity worldwide. The presence of Tom Brady as their franchise quarterback for many years also helped the Patriots gain many fans. There are countless casual and devoted followers of the sport who see Brady as the best QB to ever play the game.
While Brady may no longer be with the team, they are still an immensely popular franchise.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
Many people may be surprised to see the Philadelphia Eagles on this list, but they are a very popular NFL franchise as well. The team has over 3.4 million followers on Twitter, along with a similar number on Facebook. The Eagles bring in revenue of nearly 400 million dollars a year, which is similar to the Patriots and Cowboys.
One of the reasons the Eagles have such a great following is the team’s appearance in the movie Invincible, which starred Mark Wahlberg. The Eagles also won the Super Bowl recently, which helped them to amass a lot of newer fans. As a result, they are one of the most popular NFL teams.
4. San Francisco 49ers
One of the most historically successful NFL franchises, the San Francisco 49ers are also extremely popular. There are countless fans of the team who have been supporting them for decades, back when they had the great Joe Montana donning their shirt every week.
The 49ers have around 2 million Twitter followers and almost 4 million fans on Facebook. They have a very competitive team in general, even if they have not gone all the way to win the Super Bowl for a few years. The 49ers are always in the conversation to make a deep playoff run.
5. New York Giants
Considering they are situated in one of the most populous areas of the United States, there is no surprise that the New York Giants have a huge following. The team has around 3.5 million followers on Twitter and close to 2 million followers on Facebook.
The Giants are a significant franchise that can bring in roughly 350 million dollars in revenue each year. The Giants also have a total franchise value of over 4 billion dollars, which puts them up there along with the Patriots and Cowboys.
Aside from their large fan base, the Giants are also a very successful team, having won four Super Bowl titles. The most recent of those wins came in 2011 against the New England Patriots.