According to this year’s iteration of an annual study conducted by an Emory University professor, the Green Bay Packers do not have one of the NFL’s five best fan bases.
The good news: The Packers ranked No. 6, up three spots from last year.
Michael Lewis of Emory’s Goizueta Business School used economic and marketing theory to rank the NFL’s 32 teams in three categories, highlighted by spending, social media engagement and willingness to travel.
The Packers lost out to the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers in the top five.
Overall, the Packers ranked No. 8 in “fan equity,” No. 7 in “social equity” and No. 17 in “road equity.”
The surprising number of the three is the middle-of-the-pack finish in “road equity,” given the Packers’ national following and the popularity of the team away from the Green Bay area.
The study accounts “for factors like market size and short-term changes in winning and losing.”
Even without a top-five finish, the results are clear: The Packers have one of the NFL’s best overall fan bases and one of the game’s best brands.
