Study: Dallas Cowboys Have 'Best' Pro Football Fans In The Country
FRISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - The Dallas Cowboys haven't finished a season "#1" in a couple of decades, but their fans are ranked #1 according to Emory University's Goizueta School of Business.
"The analysis is grounded in economic and marketing theory, and uses statistical tools to shed light on the question of which teams have the most loyal or 'best' fans," explained Emory professor and study author, Mike Lewis.
Cowboys fans are followed by Patriots, Eagles, Giants and Steelers fans in the top five.
The bottom five consists of fans of the Bengals, Jaguars, Titans, Chiefs and Rams.
Lewis judges fan bases on three criteria: Fan Equity, Social Equity and Road Equity.
Here's how Yahoo Sports broke them down:
Fan Equity is a matter of judging how well fans support their team by backing up their words with dollars — i.e., how much they spend on everything from season tickets to jerseys. If a team fills its stadium but there's not much demand past that, their Fan Equity score is lower.
Social Equity is based on a team's social media reach — i.e., how many followers the team has across various social media channels. A team that's not able to draw many followers on social isn't a team with a deep degree of Social Equity.
Road Equity involves measuring how well a team draws on the road, adjusting for team performance. People show up to watch when the Cowboys or Steelers come to town. People don't show up to watch when, say, the Bengals or Titans do.
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