Daniel Snyder Effect: How Loyal Is Washington Commanders Fan Base?
If you're a sports fan (short for "fanatic''), support and loyalty to your team can be something just short of a religious experience. To other sports fans, your very identity can be likened to the team you associate yourself with.
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But it's not just a personal experience. Cheering for a team gives fans the opportunity to share the emotional roller-coaster that comes along with loving a sports team.
Washington Commanders fans have certainly been subjected to ups and downs over the years, and not just on the field. Team owner Daniel Snyder is currently under investigation for both sexual misconduct and for hiding team revenue from the league.
Does that have an effect on the loyalty of Commanders fans?
The website OLBG studied data surrounding 121 American professional sports team's attendance, ticket prices, and social media following. According to the study, Washington ranks No. 111 with a support index of 2.7. The Commanders drew 1.08 million fans in 2021 with an average attendance of 63,691. The Commanders boast just 100,000 Instagram followers.
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By comparison, Washington's NFC East rivals fared much better. The New York Giants rank No. 23, the Philadelphia Eagles are No. 17, and the Dallas Cowboys are best in the division at No. 6 overall, and third only to the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 5 overall) and the New England Patriots (No. 2 overall) in the NFL.
The most supportive fans belong to the NBA's Golden State Warriors, with a 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.
The NHL's Florida Panthers are dead last on the list with a support index of 1.4.
These numbers, of course, are not an indictment of "you''; it can easily be argued that your passion for this team is "successful'' because of what a poor job the franchise has done in earning it.
