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FanSided 250: Clemson was the hottest college fandom of 2019

By Patrick Schmidt

CLEMSON, SC - AUGUST 29: Clemson Tigers fans signal the start of the fourth quarter of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets v Clemson Tigers game on Thursday, Aug 29 at Clemson Memorial Stadium in Clemson, SC. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SC - AUGUST 29: Clemson Tigers fans signal the start of the fourth quarter of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets v Clemson Tigers game on Thursday, Aug 29 at Clemson Memorial Stadium in Clemson, SC. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Congratulations go out to the Clemson fans who have been named the greatest college sports fans in the world in the FanSided250.

Every year, the FanSided team takes on the considerable task of ranking the best fanbases in the world. But how do you compare baseball fans to Beyonce stans? For the FanSided 250, our editorial team dove deep into the presence and identity of each of the nominated fandoms. We looked at three key statistics — The Fan Vote, Search Score and Social Follows — and our core longstanding values of magnitude (a fanbase’s size and scope), legacy (longevity and loyalty of the fanbase) and passion as well. But most important was buzz. If the fans of a player, team or entertainer have buzz, we see them all over social media, they are inescapable, they dominate every physical and virtual water cooler conversation.

After much deliberation and healthy debate, 250 fanbases were ranked and ordered to be the list you see on the FanSided 250 today — with Clemson on top of the college sports category.

We were still in the first week of the new year when Clemson fans got their moment of the year after the football team routed Alabama to win the national championship. This represented their second national title in three years.

The coronation comes ahead of Clemson playing for another national title in the College Football Playoff where they’ll be two wins shy of the third national title under Dabo Swinney and a certifiable dynasty underway. There has never been a greater time to be a Clemson fan than right now.

When fans can come to games with national champions painted across their chests and beat their chests as the kings of college football and do it all without scandal or making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Clemson fans have earned this and they’re going to enjoy this.

FanSided 250

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