A study conducted by Emory University found the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the 23rd best fan base in the National Football League.
A study by Emory University conducted an NFL Fandom Report that dissected the league’s fanbases through quantitative analysis and finished with ranking them. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fanbase ranked as the 23rd best fanbase in the entire league.
The categories that were scored and analyzed in this report included attendance, revenues, their social media following, and road attendance. In the end the report measured three vital statistics and categories: fan equity, social media equity and road equity.
"“Fan Equity focuses on the home box office revenues… Social Media Equity focuses on fan willingness to engage as part of a team’s community… Road Equity focuses on how teams draw on the road after adjusting for a team performance” (Michael Lewis via Emory)."
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The report found that the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers have the best fan bases in the entire NFL. Good news for the Buccaneers, they did not rank in the bottom five of the league, maybe almost to a surprise to some.
The Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Rams are the five worst fanbases in the league. Not surprising are the Rams, who just uprooted their franchise and moved, and the Jaguars and Titans who are among the newest teams in the league.
The Buccaneers finished nine from the bottom, directly above the likes of the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, and Los Angeles Chargers. If there is anything the league may not know about the fans in Tampa Bay, it is that, even if they are not among the top in the league, they are some of the most fiery. After back-to-back 5-11 seasons, however, it is no surprise to see a bit of a dip in the rankings.
Should Bruce Arians bring the Buccaneers back to life in 2019, then the fan base will come back to Raymond James Stadium and travel with the team on the road. With a new head coach and a re-energized fan base, it will be interesting to see where the Buccaneers fall in 2020.