You could be watching Raider Nation bouncing around in their eccentric, gothic, war-ready outfits or seeing a bunch of Red Wings fans hurl octopuses onto the ice. Either way, there are thousands of loyal fans across the major sports teams of North America. Ask around, and you might think that just about everyone in a team jersey is an unshakable fan.
However, new research has revealed that loyalty in sports fandom isn’t always as it seems. The most loyal sports fans did score very highly within the research, but in some leagues, loyalty is fleeting. This could be down to new audiences just wanting to be part of the winning conversation online, or maybe sports globalisation making fan bases much larger than their naturally loyal local areas.
Now we have hard data delving into fan optimism, fan delusions, and which teams and leagues have the most loyal sports fans.
Most Loyal Sports Fans of North America Found
A recent survey of 500 sports fans in the US and 500 sports fans in Canada asked about expectations for the coming NHL, NFL, MLB, and NBA seasons. The eight questions were about their expectations for their team and if their loyalties have ever wavered. The core focus of this Betano sports fan research and analysis piece is to discover where the most optimistic and most delusional fan bases are, and which fan bases have given up.
After comparing these scores for Canada and the US on optimism, delusion, and giving up, the study looked at individual leagues and teams and combined the respondents from Canada and the US. The findings show a noticeable lack of loyalty across even the most loyal fans of the NFL. However, near-devout levels of loyalty are seen in the NHL, NBA, and MLB. Impressively, some NBA and MLB teams registered maximum fan loyalty.
NFL Fandom is Fleeting
The NFL is the most intense of the four major leagues. Each season, teams have a comparatively small sample size to perform and find success. Those who narrowly miss out on meeting expectations are seen as having failed. With so few playoff spots and with how the wild card places work, failure comes to the majority of teams each year. This might add to how fleeting loyalty is in the NFL.
Kansas City Chiefs fans — despite their team’s recent dominance — posted a surprisingly modest loyalty score. According to the research, Chiefs fans are the most loyal NFL fans. However, they still only get a 74 per cent score. That may see a dip after they were proven mortal after their Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. This might not be a bad thing for the league, as many pundits and onlookers have explained that predictability is rarely fun.
Behind the team that has gone to five of the last six Super Bowls, winning three of them, are Houston Texans fans. With a 69 per cent score, it is not an overly high score compared to the most loyal sports fans seen across the major leagues. Given the team’s performances in recent years, and the current NFL environment, it is an admirable score. Since their opening season in 2002, the Texans have gone to the playoffs eight times, never getting past the divisional round. Despite this, the team has won over what is perhaps the most impressively loyal NFL fan base.
NHL Commands the Most Loyal Sports Fans
When looking at the top five loyalty scores across each league, the NHL emerges as the clear leader. Thanks to the high percentages put up by the Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets, and New Jersey Devils, the average score is 88.4 per cent. If you want to compare this number, the top NFL fan bases average 67.4 per cent, the MLB gets an 80.1 per cent score, and the NBA jumps into second with its 83.3 per cent score.
Despite the survey drawing from equal parts US and Canadian sports fans, only one Canadian sports team made it into the top five of the NHL’s most loyal fan bases. The Winnipeg Jets team and fan base has always had an underdog mentality. It is one of the younger teams, and the Conference Finals is its furthest postseason run so far.
Their particularly small market is always pointed at for potential financial issues, but the Jets have built a strong team that competed for the Presidents’ Trophy last season. It’s a unique atmosphere for players in the city, but those who embrace the tight-knit fandom earn a lot of loyalty. With all of this in play, the 88 per cent the Jets scored only ranks third among the NHL teams with the most loyal sports fans.
Success Doesn’t Generate the Most Loyal Sports Fans in the NBA
The NBA’s top five loyalty scores come in at 83.3 per cent. This is only a few points below the NHL score. However, the highest score for the NHL was 91 per cent. In the NBA, there is a team with a perfect fan loyalty score. That team is the Portland Trail Blazers. In the NBA since 1970, it took the team seven seasons to win the NBA Championship. They’ve only been to the Finals twice more since, never taking the crown.
Portland has missed the playoffs 11 times since 2000, including in each of the last four seasons. The team has also exited in the first round 11 times. Only four series were won in those three other postseason runs. Despite years of struggles, Portland Trail Blazers supporters rank as the most loyal fan base in the NBA — and among the most loyal across all major leagues. You can look at the incredible sense of community that the team makes and the resulting “Rip City” culture that continues to create an engaging fan experience.
MLB Fan Loyalty Also Boasts a 100% Fan Base
Ranging from 100 per cent to 75 per cent, seven teams ranked with the top five loyalty scores. Some of the franchises that struggle the most made it into this top bracket, like the Cleveland Guardians. However, way out in front and level with the score of fan loyalty shown by Trail Blazers fans is the Kansas City Royals fan base. The difference here is that Kansas City has championship success in their recent past – it won the World Series in 2015.
That was its second-ever World Series win, and came on the 30th anniversary of its first championship. Since 1969, the Missouri ball club has battled to be the hometown team, engaging in community outreach and embedding itself in the Kansas City scene. The Royals stuck the landing early to encourage a generational passing down of fandom.
Interestingly, Kansas City boasts the strongest fan loyalty in two leagues: the Chiefs in the NFL and the Royals in MLB. The two are neighbours in the city, but the specific scores are drastically different. This could be because the Chiefs and the NFL have a more widespread presence and are less reliant on a local following than the Royals and baseball. In theory, this could create more fickle, far-flung fans on the continent.
As the results show, the top NHL teams have the strongest levels of fan loyalty, and the NFL has the weakest ties. Overall, the most loyal sports fans across the big four North American major leagues belong to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Kansas City Royals.
