Steelers Fans Named One of the Least Loyal Fanbases in NFL
Steelers fans are viewed as a nationwide fanbase that sticks with their team. However, according to one study, their fanbase is one of the flakier fanbases in the NFL. According to Canada Sports Betting, the Bengals rank as the most diehard fanbase in the NFL, the Browns rank as the least, and the Steelers come in at 24th among the most loyal fanbases.
The study looked at 500 keywords related to each team over the last three years and was split into different categories such as merchandise, players, stadiums, and more. From there, the group delineated ever further by each state to find which fans could be more diehard.
The Washington Commanders were not involved in the rankings due to the tumultuous situation around the team, with a low keyword volume from the team change. Here are the full results, with Pittsburgh coming in far closer to the bottom than expected.
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Philadelphia Eagles
- San Francisco 49ers
- Buffalo Bills
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Minnesota Vikings
- New York Giants
- New York Jets
- Detroit Lions
- Dallas Cowboys
- Miami Dolphins
- Los Angeles Rams
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Denver Broncos
- Houston Texans
- Atlanta Falcons
- Baltimore Ravens
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Tennessee Titans
- Chicago Bears
- Green Bay Packers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Arizona Cardinals
- Indianapolis Colts
- Carolina Panthers
- New England Patriots
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New Orleans Saints
- Cleveland Browns
In April, another study found that the Steelers had the most out-of-state fans in the NFL. Over 68 percent of the team’s fans came from outside Pennsylvania. The second-highest support concentration for the Black and Gold came from neighboring Ohio, with a share of 6.4%. Georgia was third, hosting 6.32% of the Steelers’ fanbase.
At the same time as the Super Steelers era of the 1970s, Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania were going through economic turmoil, as steel mills were closing and families were leaving the area, which plays a big part in why Steelers Nation is so spread out. The 1970s were also a boom for the NFL regarding television, thanks to the creation of Monday Night Football. Teams were being exposed to outside of just their home TV markets.
