This weekend, I set out on a quest to find the most popular NFL team in a state with no NFL team in site, that state being Utah. I asked fans on Facebook, checked local bars, and sent texts to friends trying to determine which team rules in the Beehive State. All that was discovered with the poll method was that Utahns are fans but they truly are confused about which team to root for.
I’m sure with a lot more time and effort I could have at least narrowed it down to three or four teams but instead I copped out and remembered that a recent cnbc.com article was released last week stating who sold the most jerseys between April 1 and September 30, 2011. I decided to call up our local FANZZ store and ask which team and individual players sold the most jerseys this season, the answer came as a surprise.
Before I get into that I wanted to ask some of my friends that cheer for an NFL franchise a few questions about following an individual team. It didn’t make sense to me and an answer as to why they root for that team and why they buy NFL merchandise with that logo on it was needed.
The first person I asked was my buddy Morgan Cameron, a die-hard Denver Broncos fan, who wears more team apparel than anyone in Utah, why he started rooting for the Broncos.
“My dad is a Broncos fan,” Cameron said. “I wear (the apparel) because it’s stylish and to support the Broncos.”
Could it be that the most popular team in a state with no franchise be based on looks? There has been a lot of black and yellow roaming the streets lately, a very popular theme this past year. I asked another die-hard fan, this time a Miami Dolphins fan, a team with colors that aren’t as popular as they once were.
“I didn’t pick the dolphins, my dad picked them for me as a baby,” Stevens said. “I never changed because I loved Dan Marino. I’m pretty sure my dad jumped on the wagon when they had their undefeated season.”
Two replies isn’t a trend but I would take a wild guess in claiming that many far-away followers choose their teams based on the team their parents cheer for… which is probably the case for most sports fans.
Now this still didn’t give an answer to the question I had set out for late last week. Which is the most popular team in Utah? According to the regional manager of FANZZ in Utah, their top selling jerseys are the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos makes sense due to its vicinity but I was surprised that a conservative state would have so many Raiders fans.
As for individual jersey sales the top three in no specific order are no surprise: Aaron Rogers, who is number one in the country; Darren McFadden, the leading rusher in the NFL; and… Michael Vick? Number three in the country in jersey sales according to cnbc.com, we all love a good comeback story.
The most popular teams and players are always going to be the ones that are doing well and in this case it’s no different. Of course none of us want to be tagged with the label of bandwagon fan, but the jersey sales don’t lie. Excluding the die-hard fans like my two friends, for the most part, we all like to follow the best and based off of entertainment value – why wouldn’t we?
