The U.S. is a nation that loves sports, and this was proved when 115.1 million viewers tuned in to the 2023 Super Bowl to set a new record.
The millions of sports fans across America are not distributed equally among the teams, with some franchises enjoying immense levels of support.
Defining the most popular teams can be challenging as there are so many factors to consider. The number of people who own season tickets, watch teams play live, buy merchandise, or follow on social media all go towards determining the most popular U.S. sports teams.
Of course, the most populous states or cities can expect bigger support, especially if teams have a history of success. The popularity of sports also makes a big difference.
No matter how you measure popularity, the New York Yankees are widely regarded as the most popular baseball team in the U.S., thanks to strong attendance and a large social media following. The Yankees average 35,220 fans for their home games and have around 15 million social media followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
The NBA is hugely popular nationwide, and there are a number of teams that have a huge fanbase. The Miami Heat have a strong history despite not winning a division title since 2018.
The team’s social media following is over 25 million with more than 14 million of those on Facebook. Their fans are able to get the latest team news by following their social pages and exploring the excellent selection of Florida sports betting news providers. In fact, with the recent re-legalization of sports betting in the state, following for the Heat is only likely to get bigger and bigger.
Other popular NBA franchises include the Chicago Bulls, who dominated the sport in the 90s thanks to Michael Jordan and a whole host of top players. The Bulls have a following of over 30 million even though their glory days are well behind them.
The Golden State Warriors are one of the country’s most valuable sports franchises and have over 45 million followers. However, it is the LA Lakers that take the crown as the most-followed NBA team with around 52 million followers. Another important aspect of their popularity is the interactions and mentions they get online, with the Lakers numbering in the millions for such.
American Football is the country’s number one sport, and the LA Dodgers are one of the most popular teams with an average home attendance of almost 40,000. The San Francisco 49ers average home attendance of over 71,000.
However, the team with the highest average home attendance in the NFL is the Dallas Cowboys who welcome more than 86,000 to their home games.
Of course, these metrics never show the full picture with some teams enjoying popularity on social media from fans around the world who don’t support the team by going to games or buying merchandise.
Home attendance figures are also limited by stadium capacities and will typically fluctuate based on the recent success of the team.
One thing is for sure, capitalizing on this popularity is down to a lot of hard work from the marketing teams as well as the team that takes to the pitch.
It will come as no surprise to see teams from New York and Los Angeles with the most fans, as they are the two most populated cities in the United States. This makes it significantly easier to enjoy strong support.
