How passionate are Philadelphia Eagles NFL fans?
The National Football League is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world, attracting millions of fans across the United States and beyond. The 2021 NFL season saw an average attendance of 67,288 fans per game, with over 17 million people watching the sport at home.
NFL games count for 82 of the top 100 US telecasts of 2022, making for one of the most invested and passionate fanbases. But which fans are the most passionate about their team and how do Philadelphia fans compare?
To find out, analysts at BetPhilly compiled more than 10,000 social media comments from fans for each NFL team. Comments were gathered from official game day posts from each franchise. These posts were then analyzed for the strength of their sentiment and passion to uncover how Eagles fans compare to the rest of the NFL fanbase.
The passion rankings: which NFL team’s fans are the most passionate?
| Team | Compared to NFL Average | Passion % |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 11.2% | 41.34% |
| Giants | 6.9% | 39.74% |
| Dolphins | 3.5% | 38.50% |
| Packers | 3.5% | 38.47% |
| Eagles | 3.2% | 38.37% |
| NY Jets | 2.8% | 38.22% |
| Ravens | 2.6% | 38.15% |
| Browns | 2.4% | 38.07% |
| Seahawks | 2.4% | 38.07% |
| Titans | 2.1% | 37.98% |
| Cowboys | 1.3% | 37.66% |
| Buccaneers | 0.8% | 37.50% |
| Chargers | 0.3% | 37.28% |
| Chiefs | 0.2% | 37.24% |
| Broncos | 0.1% | 37.21% |
| NFL- Average | 0.0% | 37.19% |
| 49ers | -0.2% | 37.11% |
| Steelers | -0.5% | 36.99% |
| Bengals | -0.6% | 36.95% |
| Jaguars | -0.8% | 36.88% |
| Bills | -1.0% | 36.80% |
| Panthers | -1.9% | 36.47% |
| Bears | -2.0% | 36.46% |
| Lions | -2.2% | 36.37% |
| Raiders | -2.5% | 36.25% |
| Commanders | -3.4% | 35.92% |
| Cardinals | -3.5% | 35.90% |
| Colts | -4.6% | 35.47% |
| Falcons | -5.0% | 35.34% |
| Rams | -6.4% | 34.82% |
| Texans | -7.4% | 34.44% |
| Saints | -7.8% | 34.29% |
| Vikings | -11.6% | 32.86% |
New England tops the lists, with Philadelphia in 5th
The analysis found that Philadelphia’s local team, the Eagles, ranked fifth for fan passion on social media. Their fans were 3.2% more passionate than the league average, with their social media comments being 38.37% passionate.
The Eagles have a long history of success, including three NFL championships and numerous division and conference titles, which has created a strong sense of pride and tradition among fans. As the current NFC Champions and Super Bowl contenders in 2023, there is a lot for Eagles fans to be passionate about.
Of the 32 teams in the NFL, the New England Patriots came in at number one. As one of the most successful teams in NFL history and with six Super Bowl wins, it follows that the team would have a loyal and passionate fanbase.
Many of the most legendary players like Tom Brady and John Hannah, each with their own fanbase, have also played for the team. Patriots fans were more than 11% more passionate online than the average NFL fan, with their social media comments being an average of 41.34% passionate.
Following the Patriots were the New York Giants. Their fans were 39.74% passionate – 6.9% more passionate than the average across all NFL teams. The Giants also had one of the highest attendance at games in the 2022 season, making the fans’ passion evident both online and in the stands.
In third place were Miami Dolphins fans, with their comments being 3.5% higher than the league average at 38.5% passionate. Despite not winning a Super Bowl since the early 70s, Dolphins fans remain loyal and have demonstrated this on social media, even through the ups and downs of the team’s performance.
Next came the Green Bay Packers. Fans of the Wisconsin team scored just below the Dolphins with a 38.47% level of passion in their social media comments. The Packers are one of the oldest franchises in the NFL, helping them to build a supportive and passionate fanbase.
How do the Eagles compare to their rivals?
Rivalries amongst NFL teams have existed for as long as the league and often extend beyond the football field. We’ve taken a look at how Eagles fans compare to their rival teams’ fans when it comes to demonstrating passion online: the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Washington Commanders.
| Team | Compared to NFL Average | Passion % |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | 6.9% | 39.74% |
| Eagles | 3.2% | 38.37% |
| Cowboys | 1.3% | 37.66% |
| Commanders | -3.4% | 35.9% |
Eagles vs. Giants
New York has some of the most dedicated fans in the NFL, and so outranks Philadelphia when it comes to fans’ passion for their team. Whilst the Eagles were able to generate slightly more enthusiasm from their fans on social media, they only ranked above Eagles fans by 1%, so the passion of both teams is still evenly matched and every comment makes a difference.
Eagles vs. Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles have a more than 60-year rivalry that is one of the oldest in the NFL. The Cowboys hold the edge in terms of victories, with 57% of their head-to-head matchups ending in their favor. However, when it comes to fan support, the Eagles reign supreme. Ranking six spots higher, Philly takes the passion prize between the two NFC East franchises.
Eagles vs. Commanders
Whilst the Eagles and Commanders are known to be rivals, when it comes to fan passion, there is no contest. The Eagles fans were the fifth-most passionate team on social media, whereas the Commanders only ranked 25th – well below the league average.
Methodology
We compiled more than 10,000 comments per team from fans on official Reddit game-day posts from each football franchise. For each of these posts, we analyzed the strength of their sentiment using a natural language toolkit model which gave a passion value between 0 and 1.
We then calculated the average level of passion of all comments for each team. This score was converted into a percentage to give the final passion percentage for the team.