NFL Fans in the Smallest Markets Are Buying the Most Merchandise
Kansas City and Buffalo top the list.
Nielsen's new Scarborough NFL Fandom Index provides insight into the level of NFL fandom across the 30 league markets. The study, based on a nationwide consumer survey of over 200,000 adults, assesses eight key metrics including apparel purchases, event attendance, streaming, social media following, TV viewership, radio listening, betting intent, and overall interest level.
The top five markets for NFL fandom are Buffalo, Kansas City, Green Bay, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia. Surprisingly, the league's largest media markets like Los Angeles and New York ranked last in the index. The top 10 markets for NFL apparel purchases, excluding Philadelphia and Detroit, are all outside the top 30 designated media areas.
Buffalo and Kansas City lead the apparel category, with index scores of 280 and 272 respectively, indicating that residents in these markets are nearly three times more likely to purchase NFL apparel compared to the average U.S. adult. The top three teams on the NFLPA's 2025 Top 50 Player Sales List - Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Detroit - also rank highly in apparel purchases.
The popularity of licensed jerseys is substantial, with NFLPA's Top 50 List accounting for nearly 20% of total jersey sales. The findings suggest that even in smaller markets, NFL fans remain highly engaged, with some markets punching well above their weight in terms of fandom.
Written by urgent.news from Front Office Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
