Photos: Ten NFL Teams With the Best Fans -- and Who Forbes Says Beats the Broncos

Those of us who live in Colorado tend to think of the Broncos as the NFL team with the best fans. But that's not how Forbes sees it. The publication's top ten ranking definitely includes Denver, as well as the Indianapolis Colts, who face our local heroes Sunday night to...

By Michael Roberts

September 5, 2014

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Those of us who live in Colorado tend to think of the Broncos as the NFL team with the best fans. But that's not how Forbes sees it. The publication's top ten ranking definitely includes Denver, as well as the Indianapolis Colts, who face our local heroes Sunday night to kick off the 2014 season. But who beats the Broncos? Find out by counting down the photo-illustrated top ten below, supplemented with Forbes data and an explanation about methodology -- and click here to check out the original post.

Number 10: Chicago Bears

Hometown Crowd Rank: 14 TV Audience Rank: 12 Stadium Attendance Rank: 1 Social Media Rank: 21 Merchandise Rank: 9

Number 9: Seattle Seahawks

Hometown Crowd Rank: 12 TV Audience Rank: 4 Stadium Attendance Rank: 1 Social Media Rank: 10 Merchandise Rank: 5

Continue to keep counting down the ten NFL teams with the best fans -- and who Forbes says beats the Broncos. Number 7 (tie): Pittsburgh Steelers

Hometown Crowd Rank: 3 TV Audience Rank: 3 Stadium Attendance Rank: 22 Social Media Rank: 3 Merchandise Rank: 7

Number 7 (tie): Dallas Cowboys

Hometown Crowd Rank: 15 TV Audience Rank: 13 Stadium Attendance Rank: 1 Social Media Rank: 7 Merchandise Rank: 2

Continue to keep counting down the ten NFL teams with the best fans -- and who Forbes says beats the Broncos. Number 6: Indianapolis Colts

Hometown Crowd Rank: 8 TV Audience Rank: 8 Stadium Attendance Rank: 1 Social Media Rank: 6 Merchandise Rank: 12

Number 5: Baltimore Ravens

Hometown Crowd Rank: 4 TV Audience Rank: 6 Stadium Attendance Rank: 1 Social Media Rank: 8 Merchandise Rank: 12

Continue to keep counting down the ten NFL teams with the best fans -- and who Forbes says beats the Broncos. Number 4: New England Patriots

Hometown Crowd Rank: 10 TV Audience Rank: 7 Stadium Attendance Rank: 1 Social Media Rank: 5 Merchandise Rank: 4

Number 3: New Orleans Saints

Hometown Crowd Rank: 2 TV Audience Rank: 1 Stadium Attendance Rank: 1 Social Media Rank: 2 Merchandise Rank: 10

Continue to keep counting down the ten NFL teams with the best fans -- and who Forbes says beats the Broncos. Number 2: Denver Broncos

Hometown Crowd Rank: 5 TV Audience Rank: 4 Stadium Attendance Rank: 1 Social Media Rank: 4 Merchandise Rank: 2

Number 1: Green Bay Packers

Hometown Crowd Rank: 1 TV Audience Rank: 2 Stadium Attendance Rank: 1 Social Media Rank: 1 Merchandise Rank: 7

Methodology:

Our ranking is based on five criteria: hometown crowd reach (defined by Nielsen Scarborough as a percentage of the metropolitan area population that watched, attended, and/or listened to a game in the last year), 3 years worth of television ratings (per Nielsen), 3 years of stadium attendance based on capacity reached, 3 years worth of merchandise sales (per NFLShop.com), and social media reach (a combination of Facebook likes and Twitter TWTR +2.62% followers based on the team's metro area population).

Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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