Posted by: Richie Bernardo

To call yourself a true fan of football is to acknowledge that the sport is more than a game: it’s a sacred American tradition. You’re not just a spectator but also a participant. You don’t just proudly wear your team’s jersey, perfect your game-day chili or tailgate with fellow fans. You must roar like an American when your team scores a touchdown — or express supreme dismay when their asses are handed to them on a platter.

But to show your passion for the sport, you need the best seats in the house. With Super Bowl LI upon us, WalletHub’s number crunchers compared 244 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional football team across 17 key metrics. Our data set ranges from “number of NFL and college football teams” to “average ticket price for an NFL game” to “fan friendliness.” Read on for the winners, expert sports commentary and a full description of how we ranked the cities. For fun and interesting facts about the biggest sporting event of the year, make sure to check out WalletHub’s Super Bowl LI By The Numbers infographic.

1. Main Findings
2. Rankings by City Size
3. Ask the Experts
4. Methodology

Main Findings

  Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/9691/geochart-sportfans.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2juCNUv;  

Best Football Cities for Fans

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	‘NFL’ Rank	‘NCAA (FBS & FCS)’ Rank
1	Green Bay, WI	63.69	1	235
2	Pittsburgh, PA	50.45	2	4
3	New York, NY	43.30	4	18
4	Dallas, TX	41.04	3	235
5	Boston, MA	39.91	5	120
6	Seattle, WA	39.28	9	71
7	Philadelphia, PA	39.18	17	3
8	Indianapolis, IN	38.44	7	138
9	Glendale, AZ	36.94	6	235
10	Minneapolis, MN	36.82	14	31
11	Atlanta, GA	36.48	16	22
12	Kansas City, MO	36.41	8	235
13	Houston, TX	36.07	24	7
14	Charlotte, NC	35.50	12	174
15	Miami, FL	35.29	19	27
16	Denver, CO	35.24	10	235
17	Oakland, CA	34.45	11	235
18	Nashville, TN	33.34	23	74
19	Tampa, FL	33.29	26	61
20	Cleveland, OH	32.94	13	235
21	Buffalo, NY	32.89	20	150
22	Los Angeles, CA	32.57	21	145
23	New Orleans, LA	32.07	18	192
24	San Diego, CA	32.05	31	8
25	Washington, DC	31.81	30	66
26	Cincinnati, OH	31.65	15	214
27	Baltimore, MD	31.20	28	139
28	Clemson, SC	30.42	32	1
29	Tuscaloosa, AL	30.32	32	2
30	Jacksonville, FL	29.49	29	200
31	San Francisco, CA	29.21	22	235
32	Chicago, IL	28.72	25	235
33	Detroit, MI	28.60	27	235
34	Fayette, MS	23.24	32	5
35	Baton Rouge, LA	23.06	32	6
36	Cambridge, MA	21.54	32	9
37	Tallahassee, FL	21.49	32	10
38	Gainesville, FL	21.40	32	11
39	Athens, GA	21.00	32	13
40	Chapel Hill, NC	20.92	32	14
41	Huntington, WV	20.83	32	15
42	Fargo, ND	20.73	32	16
43	DeKalb, IL	20.69	32	17
44	State College, PA	20.37	32	19
45	Toledo, OH	20.29	32	20
46	Lincoln, NE	20.17	32	23
47	Jacksonville, AL	20.10	32	24
48	Grambling, LA	19.78	32	25
49	Dayton, OH	19.65	32	26
50	Princeton, NJ	19.61	32	12
51	Boise, ID	19.40	32	28
52	Boone, NC	19.38	32	29
53	Eugene, OR	19.36	32	30
54	Huntsville, TX	19.22	32	32
55	Durham, NC	19.20	32	33
56	Statesboro, GA	19.17	32	34
57	Hanover, NH	19.08	32	35
58	Harrisonburg, VA	19.00	32	36
59	Conway, SC	18.97	32	38
60	Bowling Green, KY	18.88	32	40
61	Norman, OK	18.85	32	41
62	Madison, WI	18.75	32	42
63	Cheney, WA	18.72	32	43
64	Ruston, LA	18.62	32	44
65	New Haven, CT	18.62	32	21
66	Annapolis, MD	18.53	32	45
67	Bowling Green, OH	18.50	32	46
68	Conway, AR	18.49	32	47
69	West Point, NY	18.47	32	48
70	Durham, NH	18.34	32	50
71	Norfolk, VA	18.31	32	51
72	Fayetteville, AR	18.31	32	52
73	Hamilton, NY	18.29	32	53
74	Prairie View, TX	18.27	32	54
75	Morgantown, WV	18.26	32	55
76	Youngstown, OH	18.23	32	56
77	Lake Charles, LA	18.18	32	57
78	Knoxville, TN	18.13	32	58
79	Provo, UT	18.12	32	59
80	Normal, IL	17.97	32	60
81	Stillwater, OK	17.96	32	63
81	Athens, OH	17.96	32	62
83	Colorado Springs, CO	17.93	32	64
84	Chattanooga, TN	17.89	32	65
85	Mount Pleasant, MI	17.86	32	67
86	Waco, TX	17.85	32	68
87	Fort Worth, TX	17.84	32	69
88	Richmond, VA	17.82	32	70
89	Jonesboro, AR	17.74	32	72
90	Memphis, TN	17.74	32	73
91	Brookings, SD	17.55	32	75
92	Ann Arbor, MI	17.47	32	37
93	Grand Forks, ND	17.41	32	76
94	East Lansing, MI	17.39	32	39
95	Martin, TN	17.19	32	77
96	Orangeburg, SC	17.15	32	78
97	Richmond, KY	17.14	32	79
98	Williamsburg, VA	17.11	32	80
99	Lewisburg, PA	16.98	32	81
100	Birmingham, AL	16.98	32	82
101	Charleston, SC	16.96	32	83
102	Columbus, OH	16.94	32	49
103	Pasadena, CA	16.94	32	84
104	Champaign, IL	16.94	32	85
105	Des Moines, IA	16.87	32	86
106	Louisville, KY	16.84	32	87
107	Iowa City, IA	16.81	32	88
108	Smithfield, RI	16.81	32	89
109	Spartanburg, SC	16.77	32	90
110	Hammond, LA	16.75	32	91
111	Cullowhee, NC	16.73	32	92
112	Oxford, OH	16.72	32	93
113	Boulder, CO	16.72	32	94
114	Akron, OH	16.70	32	96
115	Missoula, MT	16.63	32	97
116	Kennesaw, GA	16.63	32	98
117	West Long Branch, NJ	16.61	32	99
118	Tempe, AZ	16.58	32	100
119	San Antonio, TX	16.53	32	101
120	Murfreesboro, TN	16.53	32	102
121	Manhattan, KS	16.51	32	103
122	Macomb, IL	16.50	32	104
123	Evanston, IL	16.46	32	105
124	Flagstaff, AZ	16.44	32	106
125	Bethlehem, PA	16.43	32	107
126	Troy, AL	16.37	32	108
127	Charleston, IL	16.34	32	109
128	San Luis Obispo, CA	16.30	32	110
129	Logan, UT	16.30	32	111
130	Tucson, AZ	16.29	32	112
131	College Park, MD	16.24	32	113
132	Cedar City, UT	16.19	32	114
133	Berkeley, CA	16.15	32	115
134	Nacogdoches, TX	16.11	32	116
135	Albuquerque, NM	16.11	32	117
136	Abilene, TX	16.04	32	119
137	Piscatawayship, NJ	15.98	32	121
138	Reno, NV	15.96	32	122
139	Beaumont, TX	15.95	32	123
140	Orono, ME	15.95	32	124
141	Terre Haute, IN	15.94	32	125
142	Macon, GA	15.90	32	126
142	Pullman, WA	15.90	32	126
144	Orlando, FL	15.90	32	128
145	Lafayette, LA	15.81	32	130
146	Austin, TX	15.80	32	131
147	Providence, RI	15.79	32	132
148	Greeley, CO	15.74	32	133
149	Tulsa, OK	15.72	32	134
150	Cookeville, TN	15.66	32	135
151	University Park, TX	15.55	32	136
152	Poughkeepsie, NY	15.53	32	137
153	Boiling Springs, NC	15.44	32	140
154	Towson, MD	15.44	32	141
155	Carbondale, IL	15.42	32	142
156	Ithaca, NY	15.42	32	143
157	El Paso, TX	15.40	32	144
158	Stanford, CA	15.37	32	95
159	Greenville, NC	15.25	32	146
160	Lexington, KY	15.20	32	147
161	Lubbock, TX	15.17	32	148
162	Hampton, VA	15.03	32	149
163	Pocatello, ID	14.93	32	151
164	Natchitoches, LA	14.90	32	152
165	Easton, PA	14.79	32	153
166	Auburn, AL	14.77	32	118
167	Raleigh, NC	14.75	32	154
168	Murray, KY	14.68	32	155
169	Greenville, SC	14.67	32	156
170	San Marcos, TX	14.66	32	157
171	Clinton, SC	14.65	32	158
172	San Jose, CA	14.55	32	159
173	Oxford, MS	14.55	32	129
174	Jackson, MS	14.55	32	160
175	Vermillion, SD	14.54	32	161
176	Columbia, SC	14.53	32	162
177	Honolulu, HI	14.49	32	163
178	Ypsilanti, MI	14.42	32	164
179	Sacramento, CA	14.42	32	165
180	Syracuse, NY	14.42	32	166
181	Monroe, LA	14.37	32	167
182	Elon, NC	14.34	32	168
183	Winston-Salem, NC	14.33	32	169
184	Charlottesville, VA	14.26	32	170
184	Itta Bena, MS	14.26	32	170
186	Johnson City, TN	14.26	32	172
187	Kent, OH	14.25	32	173
188	Denton, TX	14.05	32	175
189	West Lafayette, IN	14.03	32	176
190	Springfield, MO	14.02	32	178
191	Corvallis, OR	14.00	32	179
192	Huntsville, AL	13.99	32	180
193	Fresno, CA	13.96	32	181
194	Boca Raton, FL	13.93	32	182
195	Thibodaux, LA	13.86	32	183
196	Morehead, KY	13.78	32	184
197	Portland, OR	13.77	32	185
197	Ames, IA	13.77	32	185
199	South Bend, IN	13.74	32	187
200	Las Cruces, NM	13.73	32	188
201	Davis, CA	13.57	32	189
202	Las Vegas, NV	13.50	32	190
203	Kingston, RI	13.02	32	193
204	Starkville, MS	12.90	32	177
205	Savannah, GA	12.76	32	196
206	College Station, TX	12.27	32	191
207	Lawrence, KS	12.07	32	197
208	Dover, DE	11.91	32	198
209	Clarksville, TN	11.88	32	199
210	Kalamazoo, MI	11.82	32	194
211	Greensboro, NC	11.78	32	195
212	Salt Lake City, UT	10.64	32	201
213	Loretto, PA	10.48	32	202
214	Columbia, MO	10.25	32	203
215	North Charleston, SC	10.00	32	204
216	Blacksburg, VA	9.83	32	205
217	Daytona Beach, FL	9.47	32	206
218	Newark, DE	9.41	32	207
219	Fairfield, CT	9.36	32	208
220	Fort Collins, CO	9.10	32	209
221	Cedar Falls, IA	9.01	32	210
222	Bozeman, MT	8.87	32	211
223	Lynchburg, VA	8.72	32	212
224	Buies Creek, NC	8.55	32	213
225	Hattiesburg, MS	7.95	32	215
226	Laramie, WY	7.81	32	216
227	Montgomery, AL	7.79	32	217
228	Albany, NY	7.78	32	218
229	Stony Brook, NY	7.62	32	219
230	Bloomington, IN	7.34	32	220
231	Muncie, IN	7.33	32	221
232	Mobile, AL	7.31	32	222
233	Ogden, UT	7.14	32	223
234	Moscow, ID	6.96	32	224
235	Worcester, MA	6.92	32	225
236	DeLand, FL	6.36	32	226
237	Cape Girardeau, MO	6.35	32	227
238	Valparaiso, IN	6.07	32	228
239	East Hartford, CT	6.03	32	229
240	Amherst, MA	5.74	32	230
241	Lexington, VA	5.50	32	231
242	New Britain, CT	5.37	32	232
243	Pine Bluff, AR	4.91	32	233
244	Davidson, NC	4.33	32	234

Rankings by City Size

Rank	Large City (Score)		Rank	Midsize City (Score)		Rank	Small City (Score)
1	Pittsburgh, PA (50.45)		1	Glendale, AZ (36.94)		1	Green Bay, WI (63.69)
2	New York, NY (43.30)		2	Buffalo, NY (32.89)		2	Clemson, SC (30.42)
3	Dallas, TX (41.04)		3	Cincinnati, OH (31.65)		3	Tuscaloosa, AL (30.32)
4	Boston, MA (39.91)		4	Baton Rouge, LA (23.06)		4	Fayette, MS (23.24)
5	Seattle, WA (39.28)		5	Tallahassee, FL (21.49)		5	Cambridge, MA (21.54)
6	Philadelphia, PA (39.18)		6	Gainesville, FL (21.40)		6	Athens, GA (21.00)
7	Indianapolis, IN (38.44)		7	Toledo, OH (20.29)		7	Chapel Hill, NC (20.92)
8	Minneapolis, MN (36.82)		8	Lincoln, NE (20.17)		8	Huntington, WV (20.83)
9	Atlanta, GA (36.48)		9	Dayton, OH (19.65)		9	Fargo, ND (20.73)
10	Kansas City, MO (36.41)		10	Boise, ID (19.40)		10	DeKalb, IL (20.69)
11	Houston, TX (36.07)		11	Eugene, OR (19.36)		11	State College, PA (20.37)
12	Charlotte, NC (35.50)		12	Durham, NC (19.20)		12	Jacksonville, AL (20.10)
13	Miami, FL (35.29)		13	Madison, WI (18.75)		13	Grambling, LA (19.78)
14	Denver, CO (35.24)		14	New Haven, CT (18.62)		14	Princeton, NJ (19.61)
15	Oakland, CA (34.45)		15	Norfolk, VA (18.31)		15	Boone, NC (19.38)
16	Nashville, TN (33.34)		16	Knoxville, TN (18.13)		16	Huntsville, TX (19.22)
17	Tampa, FL (33.29)		17	Chattanooga, TN (17.89)		17	Statesboro, GA (19.17)
18	Cleveland, OH (32.94)		18	Waco, TX (17.85)		18	Hanover, NH (19.08)
19	Los Angeles, CA (32.57)		19	Richmond, VA (17.82)		19	Harrisonburg, VA (19.00)
20	New Orleans, LA (32.07)		20	Birmingham, AL (16.98)		20	Conway, SC (18.97)
21	San Diego, CA (32.05)		21	Charleston, SC (16.96)		21	Bowling Green, KY (18.88)
22	Washington, DC (31.81)		22	Pasadena, CA (16.94)		22	Norman, OK (18.85)
23	Baltimore, MD (31.20)		23	Des Moines, IA (16.87)		23	Cheney, WA (18.72)
24	Jacksonville, FL (29.49)		24	Akron, OH (16.70)		24	Ruston, LA (18.62)
25	San Francisco, CA (29.21)		25	Tempe, AZ (16.58)		25	Annapolis, MD (18.53)
26	Chicago, IL (28.72)		26	Reno, NV (15.96)		26	Bowling Green, OH (18.50)
27	Detroit, MI (28.60)		27	Macon, GA (15.90)		27	Conway, AR (18.49)
28	Colorado Springs, CO (17.93)		28	Orlando, FL (15.90)		28	West Point, NY (18.47)
29	Fort Worth, TX (17.84)		29	Providence, RI (15.79)		29	Durham, NH (18.34)
30	Memphis, TN (17.74)		30	Lubbock, TX (15.17)		30	Fayetteville, AR (18.31)
31	Columbus, OH (16.94)		31	Hampton, VA (15.03)		31	Hamilton, NY (18.29)
32	Louisville, KY (16.84)		32	Jackson, MS (14.55)		32	Prairie View, TX (18.27)
33	San Antonio, TX (16.53)		33	Columbia, SC (14.53)		33	Morgantown, WV (18.26)
34	Tucson, AZ (16.29)		34	Syracuse, NY (14.42)		34	Youngstown, OH (18.23)
35	Albuquerque, NM (16.11)		35	Winston-Salem, NC (14.33)		35	Lake Charles, LA (18.18)
36	Austin, TX (15.80)		36	Denton, TX (14.05)		36	Provo, UT (18.12)
37	Tulsa, OK (15.72)		37	Springfield, MO (14.02)		37	Normal, IL (17.97)
38	El Paso, TX (15.40)		38	Huntsville, AL (13.99)		38	Stillwater, OK (17.96)
39	Lexington, KY (15.20)		39	Savannah, GA (12.76)		38	Athens, OH (17.96)
40	Raleigh, NC (14.75)		40	Clarksville, TN (11.88)		40	Mount Pleasant, MI (17.86)
41	San Jose, CA (14.55)		41	Greensboro, NC (11.78)		41	Jonesboro, AR (17.74)
42	Honolulu, HI (14.49)		42	Salt Lake City, UT (10.64)		42	Brookings, SD (17.55)
43	Sacramento, CA (14.42)		43	Fort Collins, CO (9.10)		43	Ann Arbor, MI (17.47)
44	Fresno, CA (13.96)		44	Montgomery, AL (7.79)		44	Grand Forks, ND (17.41)
45	Portland, OR (13.77)		45	Mobile, AL (7.31)		45	East Lansing, MI (17.39)
46	Las Vegas, NV (13.50)		46	Worcester, MA (6.92)		46	Martin, TN (17.19)
						47	Orangeburg, SC (17.15)
						48	Richmond, KY (17.14)
						49	Williamsburg, VA (17.11)
						50	Lewisburg, PA (16.98)
						51	Champaign, IL (16.94)
						52	Iowa City, IA (16.81)
						53	Smithfield, RI (16.81)
						54	Spartanburg, SC (16.77)
						55	Hammond, LA (16.75)
						56	Cullowhee, NC (16.73)
						57	Oxford, OH (16.72)
						58	Boulder, CO (16.72)
						59	Missoula, MT (16.63)
						60	Kennesaw, GA (16.63)
						61	West Long Branch, NJ (16.61)
						62	Murfreesboro, TN (16.53)
						63	Manhattan, KS (16.51)
						64	Macomb, IL (16.50)
						65	Evanston, IL (16.46)
						66	Flagstaff, AZ (16.44)
						67	Bethlehem, PA (16.43)
						68	Troy, AL (16.37)
						69	Charleston, IL (16.34)
						70	San Luis Obispo, CA (16.30)
						71	Logan, UT (16.30)
						72	College Park, MD (16.24)
						73	Cedar City, UT (16.19)
						74	Berkeley, CA (16.15)
						75	Nacogdoches, TX (16.11)
						76	Abilene, TX (16.04)
						77	Piscatawayship, NJ (15.98)
						78	Beaumont, TX (15.95)
						79	Orono, ME (15.95)
						80	Terre Haute, IN (15.94)
						81	Pullman, WA (15.90)
						82	Lafayette, LA (15.81)
						83	Greeley, CO (15.74)
						84	Cookeville, TN (15.66)
						85	University Park, TX (15.55)
						86	Poughkeepsie, NY (15.53)
						87	Boiling Springs, NC (15.44)
						88	Towson, MD (15.44)
						89	Carbondale, IL (15.42)
						90	Ithaca, NY (15.42)
						91	Stanford, CA (15.37)
						92	Greenville, NC (15.25)
						93	Pocatello, ID (14.93)
						94	Natchitoches, LA (14.90)
						95	Easton, PA (14.79)
						96	Auburn, AL (14.77)
						97	Murray, KY (14.68)
						98	Greenville, SC (14.67)
						99	San Marcos, TX (14.66)
						100	Clinton, SC (14.65)
						101	Oxford, MS (14.55)
						102	Vermillion, SD (14.54)
						103	Ypsilanti, MI (14.42)
						104	Monroe, LA (14.37)
						105	Elon, NC (14.34)
						106	Charlottesville, VA (14.26)
						106	Itta Bena, MS (14.26)
						108	Johnson City, TN (14.26)
						109	Kent, OH (14.25)
						110	West Lafayette, IN (14.03)
						111	Corvallis, OR (14.00)
						112	Boca Raton, FL (13.93)
						113	Thibodaux, LA (13.86)
						114	Morehead, KY (13.78)
						115	Ames, IA (13.77)
						116	South Bend, IN (13.74)
						117	Las Cruces, NM (13.73)
						118	Davis, CA (13.57)
						119	Kingston, RI (13.02)
						120	Starkville, MS (12.90)
						121	College Station, TX (12.27)
						122	Lawrence, KS (12.07)
						123	Dover, DE (11.91)
						124	Kalamazoo, MI (11.82)
						125	Loretto, PA (10.48)
						126	Columbia, MO (10.25)
						127	North Charleston, SC (10.00)
						128	Blacksburg, VA (9.83)
						129	Daytona Beach, FL (9.47)
						130	Newark, DE (9.41)
						131	Fairfield, CT (9.36)
						132	Cedar Falls, IA (9.01)
						133	Bozeman, MT (8.87)
						134	Lynchburg, VA (8.72)
						135	Buies Creek, NC (8.55)
						136	Hattiesburg, MS (7.95)
						137	Laramie, WY (7.81)
						138	Albany, NY (7.78)
						139	Stony Brook, NY (7.62)
						140	Bloomington, IN (7.34)
						141	Muncie, IN (7.33)
						142	Ogden, UT (7.14)
						143	Moscow, ID (6.96)
						144	DeLand, FL (6.36)
						145	Cape Girardeau, MO (6.35)
						146	Valparaiso, IN (6.07)
						147	East Hartford, CT (6.03)
						148	Amherst, MA (5.74)
						149	Lexington, VA (5.50)
						150	New Britain, CT (5.37)
						151	Pine Bluff, AR (4.91)
						152	Davidson, NC (4.33)

Ask the Experts

Certain qualities make a city a good environment for football fans. For more insight, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today?
2. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long-term health and safety of players?
3. What makes a good football fan?
4. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football — at home, in a bar or at the stadium, for instance — without breaking the bank?
5. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities?
6. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city?

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• Robert Boland Executive-in-Residence in the Department of Sports Administration at the Ohio University College of Business
• Patrick Walsh Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University
• Yuhei Inoue Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the School of Kinesiology at University of Minnesota
• Tim DeSchriver Associate Professor of Sport Management in the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics at University of Delaware
• Elizabeth B. Delia Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst
• William P. Putsis Professor of Marketing in the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Matt Katz Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst
• William A. Sutton Director of the Sport & Entertainment Business Program in the Muma College of Business at University of South Florida
• David Berri Professor of Economics at Southern Utah University
• Michael R. Lysko Professor of Practice and Director of the Sport Management Program at Southern Methodist University

Robert Boland Executive-in-Residence in the Department of Sports Administration at the Ohio University College of Business What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? The biggest challenge facing pro football is the overall health and well-being crisis regarding current and former players. It threatens the sport on two levels: first, it has the potential to marginalize the sport, causing fans and, perhaps more crucially, sponsors to turn away; second, it has the potential to diminish the flow of young players moving up the ranks which is a pipeline that keeps the sport growing. Boxing has endured both of these effects in the last two decades. Football's popularity hasn't ticked measurably downward but the constant drumbeat of safety concerns is having an effect on those who are playing the game and how and where opportunities to play exist at the youth and scholastic levels. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? Rules changes are helpful. Independent concussion protocols and improvement in practice and training that have been enacted also help. But a focus on transition issues for retiring professional players would do the most good and have been the most ignored. It's long been said that a pro athlete suffers two deaths, the first when he leaves the game that has shaped his life. This is sadly too true for pro football players. They retire often earlier than anticipated and with too little money and no more coming in. It is when they have to move forward without any of the support systems that they have come to depend on in college and in the pros, even losing their paid health insurance after 5 years, often, that the most serious issues begin to arise. So the solution needs to be an overarching and widely available program that focuses on post-career transition that includes deferred salary and insurance benefits, continuous medical, psychological and educational support. Many of these programs exist on a piecemeal basis and some players take advantage, but having a measurable holistic transitional management process in place is now very much a business issue for the NFL, its owners and the players union. What makes a good football fan? A very fair question because the fan of pro football is undergoing a fairly significant change. The years since World War II the NFL really built its success around the significance of football as a sport in towns, schools and in the fabric of society, and it used both the excitement of its live product and its extraordinary television capability to move those fans. But those fans typically were male and had played the sport of tackle football at some point in their life and had shared some common beliefs on the value of the sport. The present day football fan is increasingly likely not to have ever played tackle football, ever attended an NFL game in person and shares no common opinion on the meaning of the game and is now reached through an alternative means such as fantasy or video gaming. So the current fan is certainly different than a generation ago and that is a source of some disruption. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? The Super Bowl has certainly become our national watch, whether at home or in a bar. This may still be the singular power of football - that since the games are played at a time (weekends or evenings) when most of us can watch, we do come together as a nation more to watch football than to do almost anything else. Everybody has their own strategy. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities? It would be rare to say having a pro football team is an economic drain for any city. You'd have to look at a city where the stadium deal has been a particularly poor one for taxpayers to consider having a team to be any kind of a net drain; Cincinnati and Hamilton County come to mind. Most NFL cities are diverse enough that having a team is but one aspect of economic infrastructure and development for the city. But if the possibility of having a team means having a stadium that could host other major events, help support hotel and hospitality infrastructure that can bring significant visitors to the city and create recognition for the other attributes of that city, having an NFL team is a plus. How much of a plus varies city by city. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? The studies vary wildly but usually are produced either by proponents that show inflated numbers or opponents that show little, if any, net benefit. I've independently studied this and find the truth is somewhere in the middle. Typically, Super Bowls do little to displace ordinary tourism or local activities in early February; the Florida ones perhaps being the biggest exception, as Miami and Tampa do get significant early February tourism, they bring in a reliable number of visitors and people working in and around the game, although perhaps fewer than the most optimistic projections hotel operators make, and they highlight many of the best attributes of the host city so the host site can fight for future meetings and conventions and visits, apart from football. We found in New York, even with an outdoor Super Bowl in cold weather, that the game produced a positive economic impact on the city and created a very positive synergy in and around Times Square during the week long build up to the game. Certainly, corporate parties and other events generate economic impact that varies a bit by location. But few instances of hurting a city exist. The one negative note, if there is one, is because municipalities surrounding a stadium touch the event in different ways; some municipalities get more benefit while others are burdened with more cost. In the NY/NJ game, Manhattan received much of the spending and the visits, while New Jersey had a greater share of security, traffic and logistical burdens. Still, even then, New Jersey received record hotel occupancy and rates, while New York was comparatively flatter in both categories. One can expect this to be similar as San Francisco and, maybe to a lesser degree, Palo Alto and San Jose will get much of the attention and spending, and Santa Clara will have the highest costs. So the only negative note on harm is, whether the benefits and costs are shared equally by the municipalities in the region, and that is up to the organizing committee and host team to manage. Patrick Walsh Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? One of the biggest challenges the NFL is facing is in part due to their own success. As the most popular spectator sport in the United States, this market is saturated and the NFL must figure out ways to expand their fan base. The move of the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles will help gain some additional interest in that key market, and the NFL has some strides in expanding their international fan base – particularly in the U.K. In addition, the safety of the game and the long term health impact on the players remains a concern. This concern is passed down all the way to the youth level where participation in youth football continues to decline in part due to the health concerns but for a variety of other reasons as well. Regardless of the reasons for the decline, it is important that the NFL cultivates an interest in football so this younger fan base grows up with an interest in the sport and ultimately becomes a loyal fan and consumer of the NFL. What makes a good football fan? From a business perspective there is no one profile of a “good” football fan. However, loyal fans who continue to generate revenue by purchasing tickets, merchandise, and engaging in sponsored promotions are of course highly desirable. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? One of the biggest competitors the NFL, or any other sport, has right now is fans actually staying home to watch games as opposed to attending them in person. For the fan, you obviously have your own food, drinks, etc. in the comfort of your own home. In addition, you have access to all of your technology to enhance your game viewing experience (big screen HD TV, Wi-Fi, connecting to multiple devices, etc.). Many fans are opting for this experience over the in-stadium experience as it not only saves money on the game ticket, parking, gas for your car, concessions, etc., but it also saves the time of travel to and from the game. As the total cost to attend an event continues to increase, more fans are opting to watch games at home due to the comfort and cost/time savings. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities? Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? There is much debate over the actual economic benefit of hosting major sport events and having teams in the region. Depending on the calculations used to measure this impact, supporters have provided figures which have shown that hosting major events will create jobs, leave a lasting legacy for the city, positively impact the brand image of the city, and ultimately create revenue from the number of out of town visitors who travel to the events/games, eat in the local restaurants, shop in the area, and stay at local hotels. Detractors will claim that the costs to the city to actually host the event are more than the economic benefits of hosting these events, and this money may be better invested in items such as the local schools or infrastructure. Yuhei Inoue Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the School of Kinesiology at University of Minnesota What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? I would say one of the biggest challenges they are facing is the market saturation. As many cities have multiple professional sports teams, professional football teams must complete with other local teams to attract and retain consumers. Although this challenge is nothing new, it is getting more severe as people have a broader range of interests and there are more and more entertainment options. From a foreigner’s perspective (I am originally from Japan), the NBA and MLB are doing a good job of addressing this challenge by expanding into the international market. When compared to these two leagues, the visibility of the NFL in foreign countries is limited. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? I think education is the key. Players should have the opportunity to learn proper skills when they are young. What makes a good football fan? I define good football fans as those who support their team regardless of how poorly the team is performing. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities? Academic research has consistently shown that hosting sport events, regardless of their size, has minimal effects on the local economy. Based on this evidence, I would say having a professional football team does not benefit cities economically. I, however, think professional football teams can provide intangible benefits to the cities. Such benefits include an enhanced sense of community pride and identity, trusted social relationships among residents, and a better quality of life in the community. In other words, although having a professional football team is unlikely to make residents richer, it will make them happier and, in some case, healthier. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? This in part depends on how the city leverages the Super Bowl to create new business opportunities for residents. As noted earlier, hosting a sport event per se does not have a large economic impact on the community. However, mega events, such as the Super Bowl, can still increase the visibility of the host city across the nation and serve as a stimulus to new investment in the city. To maximize the contribution of the Super Bowl to the local economy, city officials and local businesses will need to work together by positioning the event as a key part of the city’s integrated development plan. Tim DeSchriver Associate Professor of Sport Management in the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics at University of Delaware What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? The issue of concussions, CTE and serious head injuries. That could affect the game for decades into the future. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? For children, it may be best to have them play flag football with no hitting until the high school years when the brain is more developed. I am unsure how you can fundamentally change the game played in high school, college, or the NFL to make it safer. The best way is probably to continue research to improve the equipment and continue to teach proper techniques. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities? There is no "yes or no" answer. It depends on the lease deal the team has with the municipality with respect to the facility where the team plays and with the tax revenue that is generated for the municipality from the games. Does the municipality generate revenue from ticket taxes, parking taxes, etc.? If yes, the team may benefit the city. Also, how much is the team receiving from the city for stadium construction? If it is a sizable amount, it could be an economic drain for the city. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? Most independent economists have found that serving as a host city is an economic wash. If it does help or hurt, the results are minimal. There are some intrinsic benefits to the increased public and media attention to the city from the Super Bowl, but those are difficult to quantitatively measure. For example, if Phoenix hosts a Super Bowl, the game is played in their prime tourism season. The rooms that are full for the Super Bowl would have most likely been sold anyway to tourists. Thus, the economic impact on the hotel industry is minimal in that case. Elizabeth B. Delia Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? Concern over the safety and long term health of football players has certainly received an increased amount of attention in the media in recent years, which has resulted in a heightened awareness of these issues among consumers. To preserve long term interest and participation in the sport, it will be critical for the NFL and other football associations to continue efforts to improve the safety of players. Failure to do so could lead to decreased participation at the youth and amateur levels. In addition, as consumers become more informed of the harm football participation can have on long term health, their attention may shift to other sports. A separate challenge is the relative lack of global presence the sport has compared to sports such as soccer. Although the NFL has taken steps to increase consumer interest in Europe with its international series, its dominance will likely continue to be restricted to the United States as long as a franchise does not exist outside of the country. Finally, from a front office perspective, professional football faces the challenge of diversity (or, lack thereof) in its coaching staff, a challenge many other professional leagues face as well. The Buffalo Bills' recent hiring of Kathryn Smith as an assistant coach illustrates the potential for the league to diversify in regard to gender, and may set a tone for greater diversity in the years to come. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? Given the numerous cases revealing the influence of the physicality of football on players' long term health, it seems eliminating tackling altogether may be an extreme but necessary change. In the interim, I think we’ll continue to see more strict rules put into place regarding hitting. What makes a good football fan? From a league perspective, especially at this time of year, a fan who is interested not only in a particular team, but the league and sport of football in general makes for a good fan. This type of fan likely remains interested in viewing and/or attending games into the playoffs and Super Bowl, even if the team they support isn't playing. In addition, as numerous studies have illustrated, fan interest in sport is often partly for social reasons, it helps if fans have friends and family who are interested in the game, as this network of fellow fans likely keeps them more interested in the sport. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? The growth of social media platforms have allowed for an enhanced at-home viewing experience for football fans. Fans who choose not to attend a game in person can watch on television while simultaneously following team, league, sponsor, and fan activity on social networking sites, which increases their sense of being part of the spectacle, all at little to no cost. This is something that leagues and teams are watching closely, as the ceiling for the at-home viewing experience only seems to be rising, which obviously has negative implications for attendance. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? Just as any large event does, hosting the Super Bowl provides a short-term economic boost to the host city. The fans that travel to the Super Bowl fill hotel rooms, restaurants, and retail spaces for a short period of time, however the impact most often is not long lasting. Nonetheless, hosting the Super Bowl can be a means for a city to showcase itself and newly developed venues, as Santa Clara will do this year with Levi’s Stadium, and Minneapolis in 2018 with U.S. Bank Stadium. William P. Putsis Professor of Marketing in the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? Unquestionably, the biggest challenge facing professional football today is the increased public focus on violent head injuries. Ranging from the movie Concussion to Tony Dorsett to Tyler Sash, the increasing scrutiny on head injuries has multiple long-term consequences. The public conduct of players ranging from Ray Rice to recently Jay Bromley is also a serious concern for the NFL. Public perception is fickle and a sport’s popularity can change very quickly; just ask NASCAR. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? Rule changes that have recently been implemented, as has newly developed helmet technology. More importantly, the NFL needs to be more supportive of the education efforts of youth – proper tackling techniques, etc. What makes a good football fan? Knowledge, interest, intensity, respect. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? This has become an ever increasing issue for professional sports in general. The cost of Super Bowl tickets this year at Levi’s Stadium have hit record levels. Even affluent fans have a difficult time affording ticket prices to top events. Unfortunately, television may be the only option for many fans and this is dependent upon broadcast availability. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities? This record is mixed. It depends, in a complicated way, upon the popularity and success of the team, concessions given for stadium and other rights, etc. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single answer to this question; it depends upon the team and the city (just ask Oakland, San Diego and St Louis, for example). Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? Economic impact studies have shown that economic impact depends upon the amount of money being spent that is coming from outside the host city. If a local resident spends $2,000 on the event that he or she would have spent somewhere else locally, the marginal impact is near zero. If, on the other hand, $2,000 (for example) is spent by someone from outside the local area, its marginal impact is far greater than $2,000, since the effect is multiplied, as those $2,000 are re-spent through the local economy. As a result, an event like the Super Bowl results in a huge windfall of the host city. Anecdotally, I just went through SFO and the TSA agent was telling me how they are “bracing” for the influx (and outflow) of people for Super Bowl weekend. This traffic all generates incremental revenue to San Francisco, Santa Clara, and the entire San Francisco Bay area. Matt Katz Assistant Professor of Sport Management in the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? Professional football, or at least the NFL specifically, has never been more profitable. The NFL reported record-level profits again this year, and thanks to their current television and sponsorship deals, the NFL should continue to push the $1 billion profit threshold. Nonetheless, the NFL is in somewhat of a precarious position in the moment. The growing narrative of head injuries and football is probably the most worrisome trend for the NFL. That current NFL players, especially younger ones, are consciously retiring and returning millions of dollars because they fear the consequences of constant traumatic contact is a major concern. What happens to the NFL if star players start retiring because of head injuries? When popular players say they won’t allow their children to play, that’s somewhat troubling for the NFL - but if visible players start retiring, that is a major problem. Another challenge that is intriguing to me is the tumultuous relationship between football and gambling, especially fantasy sports. Certain estimates place nearly $100 billion wagered on football each year – and only a small percentage through legal means. As the state-by-state debate regarding the legality of daily fantasy sports continues, could we see increased enforcement of other sport gambling laws as well? Finally, at some point I wonder about market saturation and the consumption of football. We now have football on national television almost every day from September through January. What used to be the NFL on Sunday and college football on Saturdays has transformed into “big-time” football on TV six or seven days a week. With declining subscriptions for ESPN and other cable providers, is that a signal that American consumers have reached the tipping point of watching football? Without an enhanced global presence, where are the new fans for the NFL to target and convert if the existing fan base has reached its peak? How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? This is certainly the “big” question with football right now, and not just for the NFL. Youth leagues, like Pop Warner, have reported drops in participation and are facing lawsuits about the health impacts of participating in football. I think some of the rule changes at the professional and intercollegiate levels implemented recently can help make the game safer to an extent. But to me, and this is based solely on my opinion (not data), these changes need to start from the bottom up. It is not just NFL players experiencing concussions and sub-concussive impact, so learning how to play the game safer is a behavior that needs to start at the youth sport level. Youth football starts at such a young age, I wonder if there are opportunities for starting children in a flag football or touch football setting before playing full-contact. Just as soccer is changing when players can start using their heads in games and practices, is it possible to better teach children to protect themselves if other aspects of the game are introduced prior to full-contact? I’m not sure, but I think larger structural changes like that are needed. The decline in participation, which most agree is due to the growing awareness of head injuries, is a big concern that I do not foresee disappearing naturally. It will take some significant structural changes to football at the youth and professional levels if football is to move past the growing concern of player safety. What makes a good football fan? A good football fan, at least from the perspective of teams or leagues, is someone who identifies with a particular sport entity and feels passionately towards that entity. Good fans often think of the team as a “we” – and conceptualize the happenings of the team in that regard. For instance, a good fan might say that we won the game last week or we just signed a new quarterback. There is a strong sense of connectedness between the sport entity and the fan him/herself which prevents (or at lease limits the likelihood) that a fan will stop engaging with the entity, or acting like a good fan, following disappointing on-field performance. Beyond the psychological connection with the team, a good fan also has social relationships with other fans. When cheering for a particular team or league becomes entangled with one’s friendships and social relations, a fan is less likely to abandon the team during poor performance. Consuming sport, whether attending a game at the stadium or watching from home, is inherently a social experience and exchange. When these experiences are part of one’s friendships and relationships, it becomes difficult to abandon the team without also abandoning your friendships as well. When a fan’s connection to the team is part of their social networks and relationships, they are more likely to market on behalf of the team itself. When individual fans recruit and socialize other potential fans, such a person is a truly valuable sport fan. Football teams depend on parents, siblings, partners, or simply acquaintances to do a lot of the word-of-mouth marketing needed to help build the next generation of sport fans. So to me, a good fan is someone with a strong psychological connection to the team, existing relationships with other fans, and a willingness to engage in marketing behaviors on behalf of the team. There are a number of consumption behaviors for sport fans, ranging from attendance to buying merchandise to engaging on social media – but these behaviors are more outcomes than drivers of what makes a good fan. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? Attending NFL and major college football games is expensive. I think the average NFL ticket was around $90 this year. That does not include the cost of parking, food, drinks, merchandise, etc. That also does take into account what tickets typically cost on a secondary market for popular games. Attending games is also time consuming – if you want to drive to most stadiums, tailgate before a game, and stay for the entire game, it almost takes an entire day by the time you return home. To me, the best strategy without breaking the bank involves watch parties. Sometimes teams sponsor official watch parties in parks or other outdoor locations – but most often these occur in bars or restaurants. The social experience of watching football is so integral that I have a hard time encouraging people to watch games by themselves at home. If you want to support the local team in your city, chances are countless bars and restaurants will show the games and you’ll be surrounded by other fans. If you cheer for a team from a different city, often times sport bars will cater to a particular team – especially for college football. You’ll often hear about “LSU bars” in Houston or an “Ohio State bar” in Chicago. There are some pretty creative watch parties – from watching the World Cup on the beach in Brazil to the Red Sox in movie theatres to the Little League World Series in a park in Chicago – and I hope these opportunities continue to grow in popularity. These places are typically easier to travel to than a stadium and should result in a much cheaper viewing experience - but unlike watching at home, you are still able to enjoy the social components of consuming sport. William A. Sutton Director of the Sport & Entertainment Business Program in the Muma College of Business at University of South Florida What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? The biggest challenges are:

• Improving the live experience, as the home delivery of the product is so good and readily available it could threaten live attendance.
• Fear of concussions and other long term injuries could lead moms to withhold permission to participate in football - pushing them into other share sports.
• The growth and improvement of American soccer on the world stage - the MLS is very popular right now and as the quality of play improves it will continue to grab market share.

How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players? Rule changes can help - but you run the risk of fans losing interest because the game is not the game they remember and enjoy. Also, safer helmets and improved coaching techniques. What makes a good football fan? A good football fan is an evangelist - encouraging others to follow the game and facilitating opportunities to do so. You could define a good football fan as someone who watches on television, attends live events, participates in fantasy leagues, purchases team apparel and is engaged in social media sites. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank? As virtual reality becomes more affordable and accessible, it will impact the home viewing experience significantly. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? I believe so, because the spending is “new” revenue coming primarily from outside the market, as people travel to the site. There is redirected spending as well, as local fans elect to attend the NFL experience and are probably redirecting entertainment dollars to do so. David Berri Professor of Economics at Southern Utah University What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? I think the biggest issue is the issue with player safety. Football is an immensely popular sport. But the player safety issue has to be addressed. If football cannot be played at the Pop Warner and/or high school level, than the supply of players in the future will not exist. So that clearly is huge. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city? Numerous economic studies make it clear. Football does not generate economic growth. This is true with respect to hosting a team or hosting the Super Bowl. Michael R. Lysko Professor of Practice and Director of the Sport Management Program at Southern Methodist University What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today? The NFL remains king of the professional sports landscape in North America, but there are issues the league needs to address in order to continue its momentum. 1. Player safety - The issue of player safety as it relates to concussions, is the most important challenge currently facing the NFL. Not just because of the continued litigation with its former players, or the cavalier manner in which league officials – including commissioner Roger Goodell, dismissed the issue in the past which served as the major narrative in the recent Sony Pictures release, “Concussion”, starring Will Smith. The league needs to balance its desire to maintain the excitement and physical nature of the game and keeping its players safe. The desire to address this through rules changes has led to increased confusion on the field regarding what “constitutes a legal hit”. The league and its officials need to continue to focus on player safety, but come up with a way to consistently enforce the rules. 2. Participation decline amongst youth: Between 2009 and 2014, tackle football participation declined by nearly 18% and touch football participation dropped more than 32%. This grassroots decline could affect the league’s future talent pool and studies have shown that youth sport participation leads to an increased likelihood that these participants will have an interest in following the sport as a fan. The NFL is rightfully concerned that parents (especially mothers), may discourage their sons from playing football because of increased fear of head injuries. Last year, the NFL announced a $45 million grant to USA Football, primarily in support of its Heads Up Football program, along with the millions of dollars it has provided in recent years to causes ranging from free equipment to turf for fields. The league is spending $2 million to send athletic trainers into schools to educate teachers and gym instructors on the game. They expect more that 1 million children in elementary schools to play flag football, double the number from last year. 3. Stadium Attendance - As broadcast partners continue to develop technological enhancements to more intimately connect with viewers at home, the NFL has seen the softening of demand at the gate. Cost of attending a game is one factor. According to the Adult Cost Index (ACI), the NFL’s average ticket price of $113.42 is the most expensive of the four major professional leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL). If ticket prices to attend a live game continue to increase, and the television product continues to evolve, the convenience and cost could cause additional erosion of spectators unwilling to pay for parking, pricey concessions, and expensive tickets to attend the games. While the NFL enjoys the advantage of scarcity in comparison to the number of games in basketball, hockey and especially baseball, league and club executives are keenly aware of the need to address the issue of attendance erosion. 4. The (Tarnished) Shield – The recent cases involving Ray Rice and Greg Hardy exposed the league as tone deaf to the issue of domestic violence, and the subsequent actions of NFL officials caused many to question the leadership of Roger Goodell and his suitability as commissioner. The NFL “Shield” has taken more hits as Goodell and his legal advisors allowed ‘Deflategate’ to escalate into a year-long distraction for the league. The NFL’s “independent investigation led by Ted Wells, got slapped down in federal court, in the court of public opinion, and more recently when a YouTube video of a MIT professor’s lecture made a compelling argument that the Ideal Gas Law, not human tampering, was proof that caused the footballs to lose air pressure. Roger Goodell began his career at the NFL as a public relations intern and rose to the position of commissioner in large part, because of his ability to develop relationships and political capital with the key stakeholders at the board level. By acquiescing to owners with long-time grudges against the Patriots and blindly chasing accusations, Roger Goodell not only lost a powerful ally in Robert Kraft, he lost a tremendous amount of personal credibility with NFL fans and the national media.

Methodology

In order to identify the best and worst cities for football fans, WalletHub’s analysts compared 244 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional football team across two division-based categories, including “NFL” and “NCAA (FBS & FCS).”

We examined each division-based category using 17 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for football fans.

In order to determine the weight for each division, we surveyed the top-performing five teams in each division’s Facebook account, summed the number of “Likes” and calculated the proportion that each league represented in total. Thus, the weight attributed to each division was based on its popularity.

We then calculated the overall score for each city using its weighted average across all metrics and constructed the final ranking based on the resulting scores.

We categorized each city according to the following population sizes:

• Large cities: More than 300,000 people
• Midsize cities: 125,000 to 300,000 people
• Small cities: Fewer than 125,000 people

NFL – Total Points = 70

• Number of NFL Teams: Full Weight (~9.33 Points)
• Performance Level of NFL Team: Full Weight (~9.33 Points)Note: This metric was calculated using the past three seasons’ averages and the following formula: Number of Wins / Total Number of Games Played.
• Number of NFL Championships Wins: Full Weight (~9.33 Points)
• Number of NFL Division Championship Wins: Half Weight (~4.67 Points)
• Franchise Value: Half Weight (~4.67 Points)Note: This metric measures the team(s) estimated value in millions of dollars.
• Average Ticket Price for an NFL Game: Full Weight (~9.33 Points)
• NFL Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~9.33 Points)Note: This metric measures the number of Twitter followers and Facebook “Likes” per capita.
• NFL Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~4.67 Points)Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Stadium Capacity / Total City Population.
• Attendance: Half Weight (~4.67 Points)Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Average Home-Fan Attendance / Arena Capacity.
• Popularity Index: Half Weight (~4.67 Points)

NCAA (FBS & FCS) – Total Points = 30

• Number of College Football (FBS & FCS) Teams: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Performance Level of College Football (FBS & FCS) Team(s): Full Weight (~5.00 Points)Note: This metric was calculated using the past three seasons’ averages and the following formula: Number of Wins / Total Number of Games Played.
• Number of College Football (FBS & FCS) Championship Wins: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Number of College Football (FBS & FCS) Division Championship Wins: Half Weight (~2.50 Points)
• Minimum Season-Ticket Price for a College Football (FBS & FCS) Game: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• College Football Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)Note: This metric measures the number of Twitter followers and Facebook “Likes” per capita.
• College Football (FBS & FCS) Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~2.50 Points)Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Stadium Capacity / Total City Population.

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Team Marketing Report, ESPN and each team’s website.

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