Best and worst NFL fans

[DBR96]

I was wondering who all you guys thought the best and worst fans in the NFL to be. I usually divide "fan quality" into two areas: LOYALTY and ATTITUDE. The LOYALTY deals with attendance and road support, and the ATTITUDE deals with the demeanor of the fans. So here's my list:

BEST FANS (loyalty):

1. Packers
2. Steelers
3. Broncos
4. Chiefs
5. Bears
(Honorable mentions: Browns, Cowboys, Titans.)

BEST FANS (attitude):

1. Bills
2. Chiefs
3. 49ers
4. Buccaneers
5. Rams
(Honorable mentions: Colts, Jets, Titans.)

WORST FANS (loyalty):

27. Chargers
28. Seahawks
29. Bengals
30. Cardinals
31. Falcons
(Dishonorable mentions: Eagles, Lions, Patriots.)

WORST FANS (attitude):

27. Vikings
28. Dolphins
29. Bears
30. Eagles
31. Raiders
(Dishonorable mentions: Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers.)

[Marc]

Excellent topic, DBR96.

One thing's for sure: Philly definitely has the worst fans. Who can forget how they booed Michael Irvin when he had a career-ending back injury on their turf? (And don't get my started on their stadium...)

I agree with Dallas - they fans also get dishonorable mention for being "bad". They booed Troy Aikman when he had a few bad pocessions - despite all he has done for them. I mean, show some respect.

All I can say is, Pack, Pack, Pack! We have the best fans! :)

[big o]

Best fans(I'm a Bills fan)...but Chicago takes it..Those fans are down to earth....Worst fans would be those EAGLES, would never intend on watching my BIlls there...NO THANKS!

[Marc]

How does Chicago have the best fans? Do they even sellout games?

[big o]

Who cares if they sell out???IF my team wasn't a contender, YOU want me to pay and watch the game...That's what the owners want...Doesn't make me a BAD fan but a WISE fan forget about Loyal..Loyal only to my hard earned cash$$$$.... still they go on the road to support the other teams owner's .......Plus Chicago looks like a high school team this year....though they did beat Indy..later

[DBR96]

Some of the rationale behind my rankings:

BEST FANS (loyalty):

I had to put the Packers, Steelers and Broncos at the top of this list because the Packers have a 20-year waiting list for tickets; the Steelers have a 10-year waiting list for tickets, and the Broncos have sold out every game since 1976 or so. As for road support...I saw more Steelers fans than Falcons fans at the Georgia Dome in 1996, and I heard chants in Mesa, AZ of "Here we go STEELERS here we go!" as I was watching the Steelers win in OT against the Cardinals in 1997. You will always see traces of Green and Gold in the stadiums of all of Green Bay's NFC Central opponents. The Chiefs not only have Arrowhead Stadium packed, but they also have an enormous parking lot packed with tailgaters. The Bears have always packed Soldier Field, even when they haven't done so well. (See 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons. *lol*)

BEST FANS (attitude):

I have never had a problem with Bills fans, even when we (Steelers vs. Bills) faced each other in the playoffs and on Monday Night Football. They've always congratulated us when we've beaten them, and they've never gloated when they've beaten us. Chiefs fans use their loudness to become almost a 12th player for their team. And even though they're loud, they generally are not anti-social. Oh, and did I already mention the tailgaters they have? 49ers fans are an interesting breed. They throw the most elaborate tailgate parties (hey, it's San Francisco for cryin' out loud!), and they generally don't hate any teams other than the Packers and the Cowboys. Buccaneers fans are generally newcomers, but with the old uniforms they had, I don't blame them for being mostly newcomers. They're the best tailgaters in Florida, and they're generally among the least dangerous fans in the NFL. (You never hear of any Buccaneers fans, say, beating the crap out of a lone Packers fan in the parking lot.) Rams are newcomers too...but most importantly, Rams fans generally have not let their recent success go to their heads. (Much of that might be because it's impossible to take a Super Bowl victory for granted when you think about the way they used to look. *lol*)

WORST FANS (loyalty):

Are there any Chargers fans outside of San Diego? If so, they need to make a lot more noise. Even the Jets fans made noise and let people know that there were Jets fans out there in 1995 and 1996, in spite of the 3-13 and 1-15 records they had, respectively. Where are the Seahawks fans? They won their division last year and they still can't draw flies. Something tells me most Bengals fans have jumped ship and joined up with either the Colts or the Browns. Whenever I can hear "Here we go STEELERS here we go!" through the TV as I watch the Steelers play the Cardinals in Arizona, I can't help but wonder where all those Steelers fans got those spaces. Are there any Falcons fans...anywhere? There were MORE Steelers fans than Falcons fans at the Georgia Dome in 1996! At least the Cardinals fans had a slim majority in 1997! But the saddest part is, the Falcons went 14-2 in 1998 en route to the Super Bowl, and they only had two sellouts there the whole year! On top fo that, they didn't have a single sellout --- NOT ONE --- in 1999 when they were defending their NFC championship. And really, it's not just the Falcons. Atlanta as a whole is a lousy sports town.

WORST FANS (attitude):

With the way the Vikings fans talk, you'd think they've won the last two Super Bowls. Hell, you'd think they won AAA Super Bowl period. On top of that, any time I hear the fan of one team light another person's hair on fire just because that person's hair was dyed with the opposing team's colors, your whole fan base will automatically lose 25 points. Dolphins fans support their team well, but I don't believe I've ever heard a Dolphins fan say anything good about any other team. It's almost as though they're moreso anti-opponent than they are pro-Dolphins. Whenever the Bears aren't playing well, sometimes I wonder if Bears fans wind up hating themselves more than they hate any of their rivals, or more than any of their rivals hate them. As well, if you buy a new car, drive it into Soldier Field and slam it into a concession stand just because your team lost...your whole fan base will automatically lose 25 points. (See Vikings fans above.) Where do I begin with Eagles fans? I have a friend in Philadelphia who told me that only half the people who pack into sterile, decrepit Veterans Stadium are true Eagles fans, while the rest of them are just there to get wasted and break stuff. Now I loathe the Cowboys just as much as many other people do, but when I saw Michael Irvin get hurt the way he did, my heart skipped a beat, and then I had to listen to the fans cheering for five solid minutes! Even Charles Johnson (Eagles receiver) was trying to tell his own fans to shut up! AND HOW THE HELL CAN YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF WHEN YOU'RE BOOING SANTA CLAUS!!! But the fans I find to be the worst are the Raiders fans. First of all, supporting a guy like Al Davis subtracts 50 points. On top of that, attendance was lousy last year, and even with their 9-2 record right now, fan support still isn't that great. Thirdly, they probably have the highest ratio of fan arrogance to number of wins in the past five seasons of any team in the NFL. At least the Vikings are able to walk the walk as their fans talk the talk; until this season, the Raiders were not able to back up the bold, arrogant statements made by their fans. As well, Eagles fans can be as obnoxious and anti-social as they come, but Raiders fans are downright violent, and I'd rather see an Eagles fan sling trash onto the field than see a Raiders fan draw blood. But above all else...ANY TEAM WHOSE FANS GANG UP ON TWO STEELERS FANS AND SEND THEM BOTH TO THE HOSPITAL LOSES 100 POINTS!!!

As Colin Quinn would say, "That's my story and I'm stickin' to it." :)

[Marc]

Well, I can say one thing: those Cardinals fans aren't very good. They recently passed a bill to get a new stadium, it should be interesting if it rejuvenates their franchise. If you remember, they were actually a promising playoff team a few years ago.

[iFroggy]

Dolphins that far down? Come on.

Stop kissing up to Marc and do some research. :D

[Pgoodman]

DBR- I disagree with you about Seahawks fans be one of the worst in loyalty. That is completely false. Maybe it is because the Hawks aren't really a big time franchise team but i go to 3-4 games a year and Hawk fans are some of the best. It takes guts to stick with a losing team like us Hawk fans.