If you listen to Patriots, Raiders, or Eagles fans (or, really, any of the NFL's mostobnoxious supporters), you’d think the definition of great fandom involves in-stadium altercations and intense chants based on spelling (P-A-T-S... Pats, Pats, Pats!). But pure obnoxiousness alone does not a great fanbase make. What about stuff like how far you’ll travel to watch your team play?
Well, the good folks at ticket resale site Vivid Seats used their customer profiles and purchase data to calculate which fanbases travel the furthest to support their teams. Here are some takeaways:
- On average, 49ers fans travel the most. Since their stadium is now an hour from San Francisco, it probably doesn’t seem so bad to drive 380 miles to a game.
- The Seattle Seahawks were second at about350 miles traveled (per game). Not surprising for a team in a far-flung corner of the country with a sizable following in Alaska.
- “Steeler Nation” apparently would rather NOT watch their team play anywhere other than Pittsburgh: the six-time Super Bowl champs rankedfourth-lowest at about 185 miles per ticket.
- And finally, to absolutely nobody’s surprise, fans in Florida aren't big into road-tripping to away games: Dolphins, Jaguars, and Bucs supporters all ranked in the bottom 10. Then again, who leaves Florida in the fall/winter?
Here's the full infographic with all 32 teams:
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Matt Meltzer is a Thrillist staff writer and Seahawks fan living in Miami. He watched two games IN Seattle last year, so you're welcome for that #2 ranking. Follow his cross-country adventures on Instagram @meltrez1.
