Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 18
Nielsen Ranks Buffalo No. 1 NFL Fan Market With 208 Index, Ahead of Kansas City and Green Bay
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 18

Nielsen Ranks Buffalo No. 1 NFL Fan Market With 208 Index, Ahead of Kansas City and Green Bay

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 18

Summary

  • Buffalo topped Nielsen’s new Local NFL fandom index at 208, with Kansas City at 194 and Green Bay/Appleton at 172 in a ranking of 30 NFL markets released Monday.
  • Eight metrics drove the index — including apparel purchases, attendance, betting intent, social engagement, radio, streaming and TV viewership — and the strongest scores clustered in smaller and mid-sized markets.
  • Nielsen said cities such as Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland benefited from high local listening, viewing and attendance relative to market size, while Detroit and Green Bay also ranked in the top five for merchandise purchases.
  • Large or transplant-heavy markets lagged: Miami scored 87, Los Angeles 86 and New York 85, reflecting heavier entertainment competition and more divided local loyalties.
  • Philadelphia stood out at No. 5 with a 151 index despite its large market, while sustained winning appeared to lift teams such as Kansas City, Buffalo and New England.

Insights

If small markets dominate NFL loyalty rankings, how did a massive city like Philadelphia manage to score so exceptionally high across the board?
Are Nielsen's hidden metric weights unfairly penalizing mega-markets like New York and Los Angeles to artificially boost smaller sports cities?
Is Buffalo's top ranking driven by deep-rooted local loyalty, or simply the massive national merchandise appeal of superstar quarterback Josh Allen?