Atlanta Falcons: Fan base ranked 19 in NFL, fair or not?
By Randy Gurzi
The Atlanta Falcons strive hard to build a brotherhood with their team and fans alike, so how is it that they ranked just 19 in the recent NFL fan base study?
Atlanta Falcons fans are a passionate bunch. They love their dirty birds and are always coming out strong for any event. So how did those who love their Falcons fare in a study performed by Emory University? Not so good.
The Falcons fans finished closer to the bottom of the rankings than the top, which is a bit surprising. The full ranking is as follows:
- Cowboys
- Patriots
- Eagles
- Giants
- Steelers
- Saints
- Bears
- Broncos
- Packers
- 49ers
- Colts
- Ravens
- Jets
- Dolphins
- Redskins
- Bills
- Panthers
- Seahawks
- Falcons
- Raiders
- Lions
- Texans
- Vikings
- Chargers
- Buccaneers
- Browns
- Cardinals
- Bengals
- Jaguars
- Titans
- Rams
- Chiefs
Matthew Tabeek of the Falcons website broke down what happened with the Falcons rankings first by showing the three criteria the study focused on by Emory marketing expert Michael Lewis:
"Fan equity: 26 Social equity: 16 Road equity: 14"
Tabeek then goes on to explain the “Fan Equity” which was one of the lowest in the league for Atlanta:
"“According to Lewis, fan equity ‘”looks at home revenues relative to expected revenue based on team performance and market characteristics. The goal of the metric is to measure over or under performance relative to other teams in the league. In other words, statistical models are used to create an apples-to-apples type comparison to avoid distortions due to long-term differences in market size or short-term differences in winning rates.”’"
That sounds like the Falcons “Fan Equity” simply comes down to a dollar sign. Of course Lewis goes on to say some fan bases may be trying to keep fans rather than make a dollar, which could hurt their stock in this. For the Falcons this rings very true as they are intent on offering the lowest prices on food and beverages in their soon-to-open stadium.
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So sound off Falcons fans. Is this ranking fair or not? Should a fan base be judged on the money they bring in compared to their success? If not, what’s a better method for determining the best fans in the nation? Let us know in the comment section below.