Having attended college at the University of Florida and then grad school in Boston (at Boston College), I’ve had the perhaps somewhat unique perspective of seeing and experiencing some of our country’s more ardent football fans – both college and pro – up close. Without showing my age, I can tell you that my years spent at Florida were not among the finest in the university’s football history, though we did still make it to three bowl games (unfortunately all losses)…but still, the passion of the fans is second to none. I feel like much of the South is that way – loyal and unwavering in their support of their favorite college team – it’s pretty incredible to witness.
Now, when I got to back to Boston, where the NFL takes center-stage, my Patriots were so-so…but within a few years I saw them transform into an 11-5 team, and with that came an extremely excited fan base that was very fun to be a part of and watch grow. Perhaps it was so satisfying because prior to that, our team hadn’t had a very “winning” history. But fast-forward to today, and with the team’s successes over the past 10+ years…well, without gloating too much, let’s just say it’s good to be a Pats fan.
Anyway, with college football having kicked-off, and the NFL season just getting underway, I’ve noticed that extra tinge of football excitement in the air. And it got me thinking about all the college and pro football fans out there – wondering just how large our masses are, and who everyone’s rooting for this year. So we surveyed 2,499 US adults 18+ years of age on the latest VeraQuest omnibus and found out some interesting tidbits regarding America’s infatuation with the pigskin.
First, about half of Americans (51%) consider themselves to be pro football (NFL) fans. This is almost double the 28% who claim to be college football fans, which I was a little surprised about. I knew the NFL fan base would be larger than that for college football, but I had expected a number larger than 28%. Perhaps I mistook passion for numbers.
All regions of the country show a larger fan base for the NFL than college, but there are more NFL fans in the West and Midwest than in the South and East. Not too surprisingly, college football’s fan base is larger in the South and Midwest and smaller in the East and West.
Although there are fewer college football fans in the U.S., they appear to be a little more excited for the start of the season than NFL fans (67% of college fans are “very excited”, compared to 63% of NFL fans).
So who exactly are NFL fans rooting for? I’ll admit, I asked this question partly hoping to see the Patriots take over the “America’s Team” title from the Cowboys, but alas… the Cowboys still reign supreme among fans, with 9% choosing Dallas as their favorite. The New York Giants, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers all tie for second-favorite, with 6% of Americans selecting each team.
Interestingly, female fans and Hispanic fans appear to be driving the America’s Team label for the Cowboys. Dallas is the favorite team of 12% of female fans (vs. 8% of male fans), and 13% of Hispanic fans (vs. 9% of African-American and Caucasian fans).
For favorite college team, we kept it at the conference level, due to the sheer number of teams to choose from. The Big Ten – which includes the likes of Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, among others – can perhaps now be coined “America’s Conference”, as the highest percentage (26%) of college football fans indicate that their favorite team plays in this conference. One-fifth (20%) of college fans say that their favorite college team plays in the SEC, which boasts powerhouse teams such as Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M, and so forth. The ACC (10%), Big 12 (9%) and Pac-12 (9%) conferences round out the top 5.
Which is your favorite team and why? Are you feeling the excitement of the season?!
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