Fans of the Minnesota Vikings are very passionate but a recent study by Emory University shows them falling behind the fan base of many other teams.
The Minnesota Vikings have a very intense fan base. Attending just one game at U.S. Bank Stadium will provide most fans with enough energy and excitement to create an experience those in attendance will remember for a lifetime.
However, a recent study performed by Michael Lewis at Emory University titled NFL Fandom Report 2019 shows that the purple and gold faithful may need to start stepping up their efforts if they want to be among the best fans in the league.
On last year’s Fan and Brand Report, the Minnesota Vikings landed at 24th with rankings of 21st in Fan Equity, 29th in Social Equity, and 15th in Road Equity. This year, there was a little bit of movement from those numbers.
For the 2019 report, the Vikings remained at 24th overall in the NFL on the list and they remained at 21st in Fan Equity and 15th in Road Equity. However, they have moved up to 27th in Social Equity, up two spots from last year’s ranking.
What this means is that Vikings fans are more active on social media while their willingness to spend money on the team and impact as a road team remained the same. So, while this is an improvement over last year’s results it sadly didn’t change the overall ranking. Some of this may be due to the push Kyle Rudolph received from fans when he won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Charity Challenge.
Now, the question of how the team will fare on next year’s ranking has to have fans a little curious. A deep playoff run could spark a larger social media effort from fans as well as raise the fan equity for seat sales and merchandise. Conversely, a disappointing season could see spending decrease and social media involvement decline.
Football fans on social media can be assured there are plenty of places where those who are passionate about the Minnesota Vikings can discuss the team and there are a ton of great shops both online and physically where team-related merchandise can be found.
The top three teams in the study aren’t a surprise. The big-market Dallas Cowboys are in first thanks to winning Fan Equity, the Super Bowl LXIII Champion New England Patriots took second as well as the Social Equity category, and the Philadelphia Eagles are in third after being the Super Bowl XII Champions and winning Road Equity.
Hopefully, the Minnesota Vikings will have a great 2019 NFL season and surpass all expectations to have an amazing year which sparks a lot of great conversation and inspires fans to attend games as well as buy more merchandise. In the meantime, being in the top two-thirds of the league on this list isn’t bad for a smaller market franchise that missed the playoffs in 2018.