Nielsen has launched the inaugural Scarborough NFL Fandom Index, measuring fan passion across the United States. The index identifies Buffalo, Kansas City and Green Bay as the top three markets with the most passionate fans. Cincinnati and Philadelphia also ranked in the top five.
Nielsen's methodology uses eight metrics to capture fan engagement: apparel purchases, general interest levels, live event attendance, betting intent, social media activity, radio listenership, streaming habits and linear TV viewership.
A clear pattern emerged: concentrated loyalty in smaller legacy markets. The AFC North—Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cleveland—ranks as a high-intensity cluster, with all four markets in the top 10 overall.
These AFC North markets show high engagement through local radio, television and live event attendance rather than newer behaviors like betting or streaming. Radio listenership shows particular concentration in these legacy markets. Beyond Buffalo, Green Bay and Kansas City, Cleveland/Akron, Cincinnati, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Pittsburgh index highest for listening to games on the radio.
Broadcast and cable viewership data reflects a similar trend. Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh join Green Bay, Buffalo and Kansas City as top markets for watching games. This same group, along with Baltimore, also leads in live event attendance.
These markets are often characterized by having a single dominant professional team, fostering strong local identity and facing fewer competing entertainment options. This combination significantly increases per-capita engagement beyond what market size alone would suggest.
Philadelphia and Cincinnati earned their high rankings through consistent engagement across multiple behaviors. Neither led outright in any single metric, but both landed in the top five on five of the eight questions the index tracks, demonstrating broad fan participation.
Merchandise and apparel purchases reveal strong regional identities. Detroit, ranked fifth in apparel, and Green Bay, ranked fourth, both significantly outpace what their market size would predict. Detroit's high ranking is attributed to the Lions' recent on-field success. Green Bay's strong apparel sales stem from generations of Packers fan culture, which has made the team's green and gold colors a standard wardrobe item well beyond Wisconsin's borders.
Large multi-option media hubs, including New York, Los Angeles and Miami, underperformed in the Fandom Index. The abundance of entertainment choices and divided team loyalties in these saturated markets dilute per-capita fan intensity.
