The Chicago Bears are a proud franchise rich in tradition and overflowing with Hall of Famers, but it's the fan base that separates the team from most other clubs in the NFL.
And that's not just my opinion. There's actual evidence to support the claim.
A recent study conducted by Emory University found that the Bears have the sixth-best fan base in the NFL, behind only the Cowboys, Patriots, Eagles, Giants and Steelers. Yes, Bears fans rank higher than Packers fans. And Lions fans. And Vikings fans.
What variables were used to determine who ranked where? Here's the breakdown used by Emory's Dr. Michael Lewis, according to Yahoo Sports:
Fan Equity: How much fans spend on their team, at the ticket office and on memorabilia/regalia. (Best: Cowboys, 49ers, Patriots; worst: Rams, Raiders, Jaguars)
Social Equity: How passionate fans are in following their teams on social media across all channels. (Best: Patriots, Cowboys, Steelers; worst: Rams, Jaguars, Titans)
Road Equity: How well teams draw on the road, adjusting for their win-loss record. (Best: the NFC East, Pittsburgh; worst: Texans, Titans, Browns)
Bears fans deserve a ton of credit for ranking this high despite only 14 wins over the last three seasons. The teams ranked in the top five have all had much higher levels of success in recent years, including the Giants who won 11 games in 2016.
If Chicago can string together a few winning seasons, a jump from No. 6 to No. 1 is well within reach.
------------------
Have we become the Pre World Series winning Cubs..lovable losers..?
Study reveals Bears have one of the NFL's Top Fan Bases..
Moderator: wab
-
The Marshall Plan
- Hall of Famer
- Posts: 8423
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 11:47 am
- Location: Parts Unknown
- Has thanked: 910 times
- Been thanked: 1294 times
As Bears fans look what we've been through over the past couple of decades. It is a wonder that anybody buys tickets to the games anymore.
-
UOK
- Site Admin
- Posts: 25166
- Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:07 am
- Location: Champaign, IL
- Has thanked: 109 times
- Been thanked: 936 times
Aside from the obvious bias, the Bears fan base is on the whole very welcoming and good-humored. There's a massive segment of jaded, bitter fans who feel like the franchise owes them an undefeated streak lasting several decades, but there's a core group that keeps things in perspective, enjoying the long tradition and novel perks of being a fan of this franchise, all without being a dick.
-
Z Bear
- MVP
- Posts: 1668
- Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:45 am
- Has thanked: 21 times
- Been thanked: 143 times
The Eagles would be father down the list if they did not just win the Super Bowl. The study is kind of skewed toward Super Bowl teams since more people will be buying their gear and commenting about them on social media. I think the true list on fan following would be Cowboys, Steelers, Bears, Giants, Patriots based on the people I have known in my life and seen at sports bars. Also, look in the stands at away games and you always see tons of Cowboys, Steelers, and Bears fans at every away game.
-
Boris13c
- Hall of Famer
- Posts: 15969
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:30 am
- Location: The Bear Nebula
- Has thanked: 41 times
- Been thanked: 113 times
well we are certainly the most resilient fans ... years of suffering and we still enter each season with hopeful optimism (which has not been adequately fulfilled in most seasons)
maybe my time in the USAF actually helped me be more dedicated ... traveling around with folks from all over the states, we each always had our home town teams to cling to and argue about
maybe my time in the USAF actually helped me be more dedicated ... traveling around with folks from all over the states, we each always had our home town teams to cling to and argue about
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
George Carlin
George Carlin
-
IotaNet
- MVP
- Posts: 1513
- Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 11:04 am
- Location: Minneapolis (Chicago Native)
- Has thanked: 284 times
- Been thanked: 212 times
I have an easy verification on that one. There is another message board for NFL fans that many people here also frequent. (I won't name it because I don't want to break any rules.)
All you have to do is look at the number of posts in the other team forums and you can see a clear difference. During the coaching hire period and the draft, I was visiting some of the other forums and they looked like GHOST TOWNS compared to the Bears spot.
We are pretty fanatical fans, no doubt.
All you have to do is look at the number of posts in the other team forums and you can see a clear difference. During the coaching hire period and the draft, I was visiting some of the other forums and they looked like GHOST TOWNS compared to the Bears spot.
We are pretty fanatical fans, no doubt.
“Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego falls with it.”
- Colin Powell
- Colin Powell
-
Bears Whiskey Nut
- Hall of Famer
- Posts: 11040
- Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:06 am
- Location: Oak Park, IL
- Has thanked: 79 times
- Been thanked: 517 times
Well...duh!!
-
Bears Whiskey Nut
- Hall of Famer
- Posts: 11040
- Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:06 am
- Location: Oak Park, IL
- Has thanked: 79 times
- Been thanked: 517 times
We're fanatical, but we're smart. I have found that most Chicago sports fans are smart. Bears, Cubs, Blackhawks...it doesn't matter. Chicago fans are always situationally aware of what's going on, and cheer for the right things.IotaNet wrote:I have an easy verification on that one. There is another message board for NFL fans that many people here also frequent. (I won't name it because I don't want to break any rules.)
All you have to do is look at the number of posts in the other team forums and you can see a clear difference. During the coaching hire period and the draft, I was visiting some of the other forums and they looked like GHOST TOWNS compared to the Bears spot.
We are pretty fanatical fans, no doubt.
The thing is, before Brady they were prob in the bottom 5.Z Bear wrote:Also, once Brady retires and the Patriots take a step back their fair weather fans will go back to rooting for the Red Sox full time.
The Bears though, have sucked for a long time now. Even with their last run, it was short and wasn't like they had a killer offense. Shit, I would go out on a limb and say it's the #1 fan base considering it's this strong without winning. All those teams have a good amount of wagon fans right now....