Dallas Cowboys dominate NFL fandom with No. 1 ranking
Not breaking news. The Dallas Cowboys have the best fans in the NFL. And a recent study done by Emory University has confirmed it.
Despite only posting two playoff wins in over twenty years, the Dallas Cowboys are still the most popular team in the NFL. Just don’t ask a non-Cowboys fan to confirm that.
Along with being the most beloved franchise in the league, Dallas is also the most hated team in the NFL. Cowboys haters bristle at the nickname “America’s Team”. They want to give that label to whatever team is winning at the time. The fact is that moniker belongs to the Dallas Cowboys … and no one else.
Dallas earned that nickname in the 1970’s when superstars like quarterback Roger Staubach, defensive tackle Bob Lilly and wide receiver Drew Pearson were winning ballgames and fans alike on a weekly basis. Their nationally televised games and success throughout the decade garnered the Cowboys a massive fanbase across the United States.
That legacy carried over into the early nineties, where the Triplets in quarterback Troy Aikman, wide receiver Michael Irvin and running back Emmitt Smith bolstered that fandom by winning three Super Bowls in four years.
The momentum from those past glories has continued to lift the Cowboys fanbase above all the others, even now. Third-year quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott are household names despite not even having won a single playoff game yet.
In a recent study by Emory University, the Cowboys were ranked as the best fanbase in the NFL. They used three different metrics to determine the ranking. Those categories being fan equity, social equity and road equity.
Fan equity is defined as fan spending via memorabilia and tickets. Social Equity is how passionately fans on social media follow their teams. Finally, road equity is how many fans attend games on the road.
According to the study, the Cowboys were number one in both fan equity and road equity. That means their fans spend the most money on their team and attend the most away games. Dallas was also ranked second in social equity, which is not a surprise for anyone reading this story.
"“The Cowboys excel on all the metrics. They win in terms of Fan Equity (a revenue premium measure of brand strength), Road Equity and finish second in social media,” wrote Michael Lewis for the Emory University website. “The Cowboy’s average home attendance usually leads the league, fans are willing to pay high prices, and the team’s twitter following is exceptional. The Cowboys are America’s team.”"
Next: Dallas Cowboys - 30 greatest players in franchise history
The Dallas Cowboys have a loyal fanbase. One that has survived despite the various ups and downs the franchise has experience since last winning a Super Bowl in 1996. Whether it be through ticket sales, merchandise, jerseys, social media or packing stadiums during away games; you’ll find Cowboy fans everywhere. They are the NFL best fanbase after all.