It’s been a rough day for Patriots fans, but here’s something that will cheer them up: They’ve now been named the best fans in the NFL by an Emory University study.
The study ranks team fanbases by metrics it refers to as “Fan Equity” and “Social Media Equity”:
Fan Equity focuses on home box office revenues (support via opening the wallet) and Social Media Equity focuses on fan willingness to engage as part of a team’s community (support exhibited by joining social media communities) … The key insight that allows for the two measures to be combined is that there is a significant relationship between the Social Media Equity trend and the Fan Equity measure. Social media performance turns out to be a strong leading indicator for financial performance.
Patriots fans were able to just beat out Cowboys fans thanks to a larger contingent of fans supporting the team on social media, with 2.4 million Twitter followers compared to Dallas’ 1.7 million.
Here are the full results of the study:
1. New England Patriots
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. Denver Broncos
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Philadelphia Eagles
6. New York Giants
7. Chicago Bears
8. New Orleans Saints
9. Baltimore Ravens
10. Carolina Panthers
11. Green Bay Packers
12. Indianapolis Colts
13. Seattle Seahawks
14. Houston texans
15. San Diego Chargers
16. Washington Redskins
17. New York Jets
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
19. Atlanta Falcons
20. Tennessee Titans
21. Detroit Lions
22. Minnesota Vikings
23. Cleveland Browns
24. Tampa Buccaneers
25. Arizona Cardinals
26. Cincinnati Bengals
27. Miami Dolphins
28. Buffalo Bills
29. Los Angeles Rams
30. Kansas City Chiefs
31. Oakland Raiders
32. Jacksonville Jaguars
The biggest surprise on the list is the Steelers falling to 18th. The write-up attributes the lower ranking to Pittsburgh’s below-market pricing on tickets (for example, the average ticket for a Steelers home game costs $84 compared to $98.69 for an Eagles home game, according to the study) and the halted growth of the team’s social media following.
“In past years the Steelers have been our social media champions. This past year did see a bit of a dip. In terms of the Social Media Equity rankings the Steelers dropped to 5th.”
The biggest flaw in this study — and there are a few — is the misguided presumption that only fans of the home team buy tickets, which is best illustrated by the Chargers’ above-average ranking here despite the team routinely playing in front of home crowds cheering for their opponents.
I’m officially putting an asterisks on the Patriots’ win, not that a questionable win has ever gotten in the way of a victory celebration in New England.
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From his humble beginnings as a late-round draft pick to his status as one of the all-time greats, Tom Brady's career reads like a storybook.
Brady spent four years at Michigan, posting 30 touchdown passe. Brady served as a backup on Michigan's 1997 title-winning team. Brady was selected in the sixth round by the Patriots, No. 199 overall.
After taking over for an injured Drew Bledsoe early in the 2001 season, Brady and the Patriots went on a Cinderella run. The Patriots shocked the heavily-favored Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI, with Brady being named the game's MVP.
Brady and the Patriots got the better of Peyton Manning and the Colts in the 2003 AFC Championship Game, the first of four playoff meetings between the two QBs.
Brady claimed his second Super Bowl, and Super Bowl MVP, title in 2003 when the Patriots topped the Panthers 32-29.
Brady and the Patriots knocked Peyton Manning and the Colts out of the playoffs in the 2004 divisional round, the second-consecutive year that they had ended the Colts' season.
Brady and the Patriots beat the 15-1 Steelers on the road in the 2004 AFC Championship Game.
Brady guided the Patriots to a third title, downing the Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Brady lost in the playoffs for the first time in his career against Denver in the 2005 divisional round.
Peyton Manning got a level of revenge against Brady and the Patriots in the 2006 AFC title game. Manning rallied the Colts to victory, handing Brady his first AFC Championship Game loss.
Brady exploded in 2007, throwing a then-record 50 touchdown passes on the way to claiming his first MVP award. He also guided the Patriots to a 16-0 regular-season record.
Brady and the Patriots' bid for an undefeated season was crushed by the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. The Giants' 17-14 win was one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.
In the Patriots' 2008 season opener, Brady was hit low by then-Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard.
Brady missed the entire 2008 season due to the hit.
Brady claimed the 2009 Comeback Player of the Year trophy after his return from knee injury.
Brady took home his second MVP in 2010, guiding the Patriots to a 14-2 record while throwing 36 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Brady guided the Patriots to Super Bowl XLVI with a win over Baltimore in the 2011 AFC Championship Game, marking Brady's fifth AFC title.
Brady and the Patriots fell to the Giants in the Super Bowl, once again a victim of Eli Manning's late-game heroics.
Brady and the Patriots lost to Baltimore in the 2012 AFC Championship Game, marking the first time Brady had lost a title game at home.
Brady and the Patriots, making their third consecutive AFC title game appearance, fell to Peyton Manning and the Broncos 26-16. The loss tied Brady and Manning's head-to-head playoff record. Posting a 12-4 record, the Patriots won at least 10 games for the 11th consecutive year.