The 2022 Happy Fan Index

Which US sports teams have the most supportive fans online?

For many of us, the sports team we support is an integral part of our identity, often supported by our parents, family members, friends, and loved ones. Sports teams create communities of people who come together to share their passion for the sport and the camaraderie of sharing the highs and lows of victory and defeat. 

However, not all fandoms are created equal. While the largest and most successful teams often generate the most public interest, which in turn can translate into a larger community of fans, they aren’t necessarily the most enthusiastic or committed groups. Smaller teams often benefit from having close ties to their local community, hiring local talent, and hosting community events.

We at OLBG decided to find out which top sports teams in the USA have the happiest fans based on their social media activity. So, which team will come out on top, and where will your favorite team place in our rankings?

The NFL teams with the happiest fans

1. New Orleans Saints                Fan Happiness Score: 7.18

The New Orleans Saints have the happiest fans in the NFL with an overall fan happiness score of 7.18. They’re closely followed by the New England Patriots on 7.10, while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are tied for third place on 6.92.

The NBA teams with the happiest fans

1. Memphis Grizzlies                Fan Happiness Score: 8.53

The NBA team with the happiest fans is the Memphis Grizzlies, having received a fan happiness score of 8.53. The Grizzlies are followed by the Chicago Bulls on 8.10 and Miami Heat on 7.92.

The MLB teams with the happiest fans

1. Milwaukee Brewers            Fan Happiness Score: 7.82

The Milwaukee Brewers have the happiest fans in MLB with a score of 7.82. The Atlanta Braves claim second place with a fan happiness score of 7.51, while the Seattle Mariners placed third with a score of 7.10.

The NHL teams with the happiest fans

1. Colorado Avalanche            Fan Happiness Score: 7.31

The team with the happiest fans in the NHL is Colorado Avalanche, who received a fan happiness score of 7.31, the only score higher than 7. The Edmonton Oilers follow in second place with a score of 6.29, while the Pittsburgh Penguins claim third place with a score of 6.02.

The MLS teams with the happiest fans

1. Austin FC        Fan Happiness Score: 7.25

Austin FC is the MLS team with the happiest fans having received a fan happiness score of 7.25, which is far higher than any other team in the league. Atlanta United FC claims second place with a score of 6.39, while Inter Miami FC placed third with a score of 6.35.

Overall fan happiness ranking across different sports

Here we can see how these top-tier US sports teams compare against one another regardless of their specific sport or league. Scroll through to see how well your favorite team from each sport engages with their fans online.

Which sport fans are showing the most love online?

The NBA has the happiest fans overall with an average fan happiness score of 5.81. This is followed by MLB with an average score of 5.40, while the NFL took third with an average score of 5.09. 

Methodology

We wanted to find out which US sports teams have the happiest fans. To do this, we looked at the average likes received by team on their Twitter and Instagram accounts, as well as taking the ratio of “love” reactions to “angry” reactions on content published about them on Facebook from BuzzSumo. 

We used Social Blade to assess each team’s account’s number of followers, the number of posts or videos, and the number likes or views. We divided the number of likes by the number of posts to find out the average.

We then combined these three factors into a single score to reveal allow us to compare the overall happiness of each team’s fans.

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