There are plenty of sports fans who just enjoy the games, watch them when it’s convenient and use seeing games as a good reason to meet up with friends and spend some time together. And then there are super fans. The season ticket holders, the ones who watch every game and religiously follow every bit of news about the team. The ones who make being a fan of a team a part of their personality.
One way that many fans show their devotion is by betting on their team, even when the odds are against them. It’s less about the money and more about showing love for their team. The promo codes and bonuses that some sportsbooks offer almost make up for knowing you’re betting on the losing team sometimes. And when they win? Well, then a bet paying off is just the icing on the cake.
For some reason, there are some teams that just can’t seem to inspire this kind of emotional connection or loyalty. Maybe they’re seen as sellouts or maybe they’ve won so much that they have more hangers-on than truly devoted fans. There are also always going to be fans who jump to whichever team is winning at the moment or having a surge in popularity.
And then there are teams that inspire true, red-hot devotion in their fans. The kind of fans who show up in any kind of weather and watch the games no matter how badly the team has been doing. They aren’t always the best teams that have these fan bases, but there is usually something special about them.
We’re going to look at the five NFL teams with the most devoted fans.
Seattle Seahawks
This might be a controversial team to include, but there’s a good reason the 12th Man — as Seahawks fans are collectively known — is on the list. The Seattle Seahawks had maintained a small but devoted following for decades, and then in 2010, Pete Carroll appeared on the scene and hired some big personalities with major talent. This shot the team to major popularity.
Seahawks fans have made the list not only because they’re dedicated but also because they’re loud. So loud it has triggered Richter machines and been registered as a small earthquake. That’s a special level of loud. Say what you like about late comers and fair-weather fans, any fan base that can make that much noise for their team has something special.
Philadelphia Eagles
The United States doesn’t have the same sort of culture of violent hooliganism as soccer does in other countries. If it did, however, the Philadelphia Eagles could always trust that their fans would be the first into the fray. The love that Eagles’ fans have for their team is an aggressive kind of love that can be really intimidating for rival teams and their fans.
Eagles’ fans have a well-deserved reputation for booing. They love to cheer and show their appreciation for their team, but they’re also not afraid to let the players know when they’re disappointed. It’s a passionate, crazy kind of love.
Cleveland Browns
The loyalty of Cleveland Browns’ fans is all the more impressive because they haven’t exactly done much to deserve it. The Browns have the worst record of any team in the NFL and in 2017 only managed to win one game. They are a team that seems to constantly struggle with every aspect of the game except one — maintaining the loyalty of their fans. The rest of the sporting world might not understand their love, but they admire it.
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers fans are the easiest to identify — it’s hard to ignore the giant cheesehead hats they wear. The team is one of the oldest in the NFL. A big part of what drives the fans’ deep devotion for the team is that it is community-owned, not just a millionaire’s little investment. It really is the fans’ team.
One factor that can stoke devotion in fans is an intense rivalry. The rivalry between the Packers and the Chicago Bears is one of the longest-lasting and most intense in the entire NFL. As much fun as it is to cheer for your team, booing their rivals feels just as good.
New Orleans Saints
New Orleans is a city known for its love of partying and having fun, so it makes sense that they’d also want to go all out for their favorite sports teams. Football is as big a part of the fabric of New Orleans as music and good food, and the fans make that clear.
