Study Shows Phillies Have Second Most Loyal Fanbase In MLB
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Phillies fans are loyal. Not quite as loyal as Yankees fans, but very loyal none the less.
The Brand Keys Sports Loyalty Index was released for 2013, giving the five most loyal and least loyal fanbases in baseball. The Phillies ranked second on the list, behind only fans of the New York Yankees. The rest of the top five includes fans of the San Francisco Giants, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Atlanta Braves.
The bottom five in baseball are fans the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros.
According to Brand Keys, the Sports Loyalty Index gives an "apples-to-apples comparison of the intensity with which fans support the home team vs. corresponding values for the fans in the other teams in the market."
It would seem odd that Braves fans would be in the top five, and that Red Sox fans are missing.
In their NBA study, fans of the Miami Heat topped the list, followed by the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and a tie between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Brooklyn Nets.
The bottom five are fans of the Cleveland Cavs, Washington Wizards, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Bobcats.
The Sixers did not rank among the top five or bottom five in the NBA.
Fans of the Kings are currently in danger of losing their team to Seattle, but have put up quite a fight to keep them.
