Dallas Cowboys popularity map; Jaylon Smith pegged as social media leader

The Dallas Cowboys being America’s Team has more to do with history than winning. But their popularity is undeniable. And another metric confirms it.

We’ve all heard this question before. How can the Dallas Cowboys possibly be considered America’s Team after recording just four playoff victories since 1995? But the reality is, the moniker was given to the Cowboys because of their successes in the 1970s and the nation’s fascination with the team at that time.

The successes of the early 1990’s Cowboys only further cemented that moniker, with the Triplets leading Dallas to three Super Bowl wins in four years. And despite Dallas’ lack of postseason success ever since, the label of America’s Team remains.

That’s unfortunate for the other 31 teams in the NFL, as they’ll never be able to earn the honor of that name, no matter how many Super Bowls they win. Being America’s Team isn’t some sort of traveling trophy like the Stanley Cup. The reality is the Cowboys will always be America’s Team, and it has nothing to do with their current popularity, playoff wins, or the team’s value (which is now estimated to be $5 billion).

Speaking of popularity, the Cowboys’ fandom still stretches far past the Lone Star State. That according to VividSeats.com. The ticket marketplace recently unveiled its latest interactive NFL fan map. In order to determine the most popular NFL teams in each county, Vivid uses proprietary sales data.

And as you’d expect, the Cowboys possess one of the biggest fanbases in the country with an overwhelming presence in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Louisiana. But America’s Team also won counties in Nevada, California, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, North Dakota, South Dakota, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Alaska.

Remember, this isn’t some smattering of fans. This is across entire counties. And it’s the reason the Cowboys have some of the strongest support across the country as fans pack opponent stadiums in order to cheer for their beloved franchise.

This year’s map from VividSeats.com also adds a new wrinkle to the metric as it now includes social media data gathered from Opendorse. And according to the social publishing platform, Cowboys’ linebacker Jaylon Smith actually leads the way when it comes to social media. 

"“Although quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott light up the stat sheet for the Dallas Cowboys, it’s linebacker Jaylon Smith who wins with fans on social media. The former Notre Dame linebacker has engaged with fans on Twitter since his high school days … “"

As of the publishing of this post, Jaylon Smith has 558.3K followers on Twitter and 415k followers on Instagram. Both Prescott and Elliott have well over a million followers on each of those platforms, with Zeke topping out at 2.7m followers on Instagram.

The Dallas Cowboys are undoubtedly one of the most popular teams in the country. And it makes sense their players follow suit on social media. This is just another metric that proves the Cowboys’ popularity is nationwide. And with America’s Team preparing to field one of the most talented rosters in the NFL this season, it’s unlikely to change anytime soon.