America's Team: Cowboys No. 1 NFL Fans?
FRISCO - America's Team. America's Best Fans?
Once upon a time, the Dallas Cowboys boasted one of the NFL's best teams. With eight Super Bowl appearances and five championships, their success on the field through the 1990s was unparalleled.
Even throughout the current drought of 26 seasons without a title, the Cowboys have somehow managed to retain their popularity and profitability. Owner Jerry Jones' organization annually ranks atop the NFL in attendance at AT&T Stadium, TV ratings and in net worth in Forbes' financial valuation.
But a new study diving into "support" from teams' fanbases shows some erosion in terms of loyalty and passion for the Cowboys.
The website OLBG studied data surrounding 121 American professional sports team's attendance, ticket prices and social media following. According to the survey, the most supportive fans belongs to the NBA's Golden State Warriors, with an support index of 8.4 (out of 10). The Warriors attracted 1.57 million fans in attendance in 2021 and have amassed 21.7 million followers on Instagram.
Hockey's Florida Panthers were deemed to have the least supportive fans, with a paltry index of 1.4.
The Cowboys rank sixth with an index of 7.5, trailing the New England Patriots (7.8) and Kansas City Chiefs (7.5) in the NFL. Dallas generated a total attendance of 1.36 million, and led all of American sports with an average per game of 80,403. Its Instagram following of 3.9 million trails only the Patriots (4.5M) among NFL teams.
First a knock on the Cowboys' iconic uniforms, and now this fall from grace in fan support.
But considering they last hoisted a trophy in 1996, the Cowboys' drop from No. 1 to only No. 6 fan loyalty is actually admirable. The only teams ahead of them - Patriots and Chiefs - have both recently won Super Bowls.
