Fandom 250: Pittsburgh Steelers fans named best in NFL

Pittsburgh Steelers fans were ranked atop the NFL category in this year’s Fandom 250, the ultimate ranking of fanbases worldwide.

Every year, the Fandom 250 seeks to rank the best fanbases in the world. Not only does this include sports franchises, movies and television shows, but the individual actors and athletes.

This year, the winner of the Fandom 250 NFL category are the fans of Pittsburgh Steelers. Terrible Towel Twirlers ranked ninth overall on the full Fandom 250.

Last year, the Dallas Cowboys were atop the list riding the hype of their talented rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, who led the team to a 13-3 season.

Why Steelers fans?

NFL is the king of professional sports franchises in the United States, and perhaps no football team is more beloved than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Two factors that play a part in determining the top fandoms is longevity and buzz.

The Steelers have both.

In the ’70s, the Steelers won four Super Bowls and Ben Roethlisberger has added two more to the franchise’s total in the past 11 years. With a 11-2 start to the 2017 season, the team has the fans dreaming of a record-extending seventh Super Bowl and more involved than ever.

On social media, the Steelers have one of the biggest presences in the league with 6.4 million likes on Facebook, three million followers on Twitter and another 1.6 million on Instagram.

But size isn’t the only factor, so is quality. Linebacker Ryan Shazier remains hospitalized because of a spinal injury he sustained in Week 13 and before the Steelers’ Week 14 showdown with the Ravens, fans showed up to support their player with billboards, banners, signs and by wearing his jersey.

The editorial team was impressed with Steelers fans efforts to travel to support their team. When the Steelers played the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 8, Steelers fans made their presence felt and the Terrible Towel was in attendance. A week later when the Steelers played the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Field, some estimated Steelers fans made up 40 percent of the crowd.

And when wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s bike was stolen, a Steelers fan returned it. This might seem like a fun tale for passing conversation in some corners of the country. In Steelers country, it’s breaking news. That’s the power of the Steelers fanbase.

Full Category List:

Pittsburgh Steelers
Dallas Cowboys
Green Bay Packers
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
New England Patriots
Seattle Seahawks
Buffalo Bills
Denver Broncos
Philadelphia Eagles
New Orleans Saints
Cleveland Browns
New York Giants
Washington Redskins
Chicago Bears
Atlanta Falcons

To see where these 16 NFL fanbases rank amongst the other fandoms on the list, check out the full Fandom 250 list.

What is the FanSided Fandom 250?

The Fandom 250 is the ultimate ranking of fandoms. From sports teams and movie franchises to Instagram celebrities and brands, if something has an avid, sometimes rabid, fanbase, FanSided wants to honor those fans and — in the spirit of healthy competition — rank ‘em.

The Fandom 250 is divided into 16 categories: NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, Soccer, NCAA, Sports Figures, Celebrities, Music, Movies, TV Shows, Comics, Gaming, Brands, Internet Famous and Other. All 250 qualifying fandoms will be ranked both within their categories and against the field, so fans can see how the object of their devotion stacks up against its peers and in the fan landscape at large.

Home/NFL