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Yahoo Sports: Who are the best and worst fanbases in college football?
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:41 am
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:41 am
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quote:
College football fans, get ready to rumble. Emory University has released its latest ranking of the most passionate fans in college football, and unless you’re wearing some shade of orange, you’re not going to be happy.
Ranking the best fanbases in college football
On one level, trying to rank college fanbases is a fool’s errand. What constitutes a “best” fanbase? Volume in the stands? Total amount of facepaint purchased? Ratio of clever to stupid signs on “College GameDay”? Emory University professor Mike Lewis has tried to flip this equation. “On some level, college [and pro] teams are brands just like Apple or Coca-Cola,” he says. “If we cast the question of fandom in terms of brand strength, then we can turn a bar-room debate into a marketing science-based analysis.”
So let’s get to the rankings now, and the reasons later. The best fanbases, from a strictly brand-centric standpoint, are as follows:
1. Texas
2. Tennessee
3. Notre Dame
4. LSU
5. Oklahoma
6. Georgia
7. Michigan
8. Oregon
9. Auburn
10. Florida
You can just hear the screaming from Tuscaloosa and Columbus already, can’t you?
Lewis knows full well the objections that are coming his way, and offers up some fact-based analysis to break down the rankings. For starters, it’s not just about showing up. “A full stadium for a winning team means less than full stadium for a team that is struggling,” Lewis notes. Hence, Alabama and Ohio State sellouts don’t mean as much as, say, Texas or Tennessee ones.
The Emory study uses three main metrics:
“Revenue premium,” meaning, in the simplest possible terms, how much revenue the college brings in relative to other, similar universities. It’s a measure of the intensity of passion.
“Return on investment,” how well the school’s investment in football pays off on the field and in the stands. It’s a measure of the efficiency of the program.
Straight football revenue, a measure of the size of the program.
Run all these together and you can start to see why Alabama, for instance, ranks No. 12, three spots lower than Auburn — because it’s easier to be a ‘Bama fan than a fan of any other school. Alabama doesn’t demand anything of you as a fan except to sit back and enjoy the winning. But a Texas fan? A Tennessee fan? You stick with them, friend, and you’re hardcore.
“Texas reports the highest revenues, achieves the best ROI and wins the revenue premium competition,” Lewis says. “Even when Texas struggles on the field, the football program delivers amazing economic results.” (Read more about Lewis’s methodology here.)
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:42 am to Phat Phil
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1. Texas
List is shite.
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:43 am to Phat Phil
finally a top 10 poll I can get behind
I guess the list didnt account for Walmart Bama apparel.
I guess the list didnt account for Walmart Bama apparel.
This post was edited on 9/15/18 at 8:44 am
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:44 am to Phat Phil
I’m OK with Texas and Tennessee being great fanbases with really shitty football programs. Keep up the great work!
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:44 am to partywiththelombardi
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Tennessee
quote:
Top 10
There’s always a first for everything.
This post was edited on 9/15/18 at 8:48 am
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:45 am to Phat Phil
You serious, Clark? A non-Football school putting together a football-related list? Leave it up to Emory to frick up a list like this. Emory University wouldn't know a football if one landed on their desks.
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:45 am to BarnHater
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1. Texas
List is shite.
Yeah this fella must've never been to a Texas football game. I've seen more energetic book clubs than DKR.
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:47 am to Phat Phil
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Run all these together and you can start to see why Alabama, for instance, ranks No. 12, three spots lower than Auburn — because it’s easier to be a ‘Bama fan than a fan of any other school. Alabama doesn’t demand anything of you as a fan except to sit back and enjoy the winning. But a Texas fan? A Tennessee fan? You stick with them, friend, and you’re hardcore.
So you use your losing to come up with something to beat Bama in football? Well ok, I agree, UT fans are much better losers.
This post was edited on 9/15/18 at 8:49 am
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:47 am to Phat Phil
No matter what "logic" this guy used to keep Bama out, its stupid.
Bama *easily* should be in any top 10 list like this.
Texas? Joke.
Tennessee? Too high.
Georgia and Florida? lol
Bama *easily* should be in any top 10 list like this.
Texas? Joke.
Tennessee? Too high.
Georgia and Florida? lol
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:51 am to Phat Phil
Mike Lewis sounds like the guy who hands out the middle school basketball team MVP trophy to the autistic kid who averaged 0.3 points a game.
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:53 am to Phat Phil
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A full stadium for a winning team means less than full stadium for a team that is struggling,” Lewis notes
Probably should check attendances going back to the dubose era then.
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:55 am to beatbammer
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Georgia and Florida? lol
3-9 has broken y’all.
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:57 am to MoarKilometers
His methodology heavily implies your team underachieving relative to investment is a requirement for having the most passionate fan base.
Logical fallacy at best and at worst fake news.
Not worth worrying about.
Logical fallacy at best and at worst fake news.
Not worth worrying about.
Posted on 9/15/18 at 8:58 am to beatbammer
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Georgia and Florida? lol
Posted on 9/15/18 at 9:09 am to tide06
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His methodology heavily implies your team underachieving relative to investment is a requirement for having the most passionate fan base.
Logical fallacy at best and at worst fake news.
Not worth worrying about.
If only we had realized that Bert had Arkansas well on its way to being the best fanbase in college football!
Posted on 9/15/18 at 9:12 am to Phat Phil
Article translation:
"Alabama wins too much so it's easier to be a Bama fan."
Basically.
"Alabama wins too much so it's easier to be a Bama fan."
Basically.
This post was edited on 9/15/18 at 9:12 am
Posted on 9/15/18 at 9:16 am to Phat Phil
Yeah..cause brand-centric is really a reliable measure for what they're claiming to have measured.
Posted on 9/15/18 at 9:27 am to Phat Phil
From a branding perspective, almost all those programs have great schemes and logos. Almost all of them are extremely simple.
Posted on 9/15/18 at 9:31 am to Pettifogger
It's really a measure of fan/brand loyalty than anything else. People get caught up in how Yahoo titled it but all they're saying is that these fanbases show up through thick and thin.
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