On any given Sunday, you can find homes across the nation filled with friends and family who come together to watch, play and celebrate their favorite football teams. For many, it's far more than a game, or something they veg out in front of the TV on Sundays, it's a game that helps them connect with other people and share a bond over watching hometown heroes score a touchdown or make an interception. In fact, one study has shown that football is America's favorite sport to watch.
While baseball will always be America's pastime, it's the Super Bowl that's become something of an unofficial holiday in the nation, with 62 percent of Americans considering themselves a fan of professional football. With Super Bowl LIV happening on Sunday, a new study from the personal finance website, WalletHub, has compared 245 U.S. cities across 21 metrics to find the best and worst cities for football fans in 2020.
It's a good time for football fans who live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They tied as the "Most Engaged" NFL fans in the league with Green Bay, WI, which landed at #4 on WalletHub's list of best cities for football fans. Pittsburgh was also highly-rated for its accessible NFL stadium. Boston, MA came in at #2 for football fans, thanks to the Patriots multi-Super Bowl appearances and wins over the last twenty years.
Fans in Buffalo, NY enjoy the lowest average ticket prices while those who live in New Orleans, LA have the best overall-performing NFL team in the league over the Patriots, Kansas City, MO and Baltimore, MD.
As the league has grown over the years into a media behemoth, so has the criticisms of certain aspects of the game, including the long-term health implications for its players. Arizona State University Professor Daniel Marburger says CTE will likely become one of the biggest challenges facing professional football in the future.
"At present, we can only determine if a player had CTE after he dies and his brain can be examined. I’m aware that scientists are investigating ways to determine if living players have CTE. If we find out that it’s prevalent, the NFL will have to address it," said Professor Marburger.
As stadiums have improved over the yearse, fans have never had it better to watch their favorite teams. However, as the price of tickets go up, many people will find themselves opting for cheaper options to see their favorite players in action.
"Watching games from home is a much cheaper way to view the games as opposed to going to the games or viewing from a bar," Joseph Shinn Adjunct Assistant Professor of Economics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey says. "As technology has improved (through bigger and higher-resolution televisions) and games have become more readily available (through new viewing venues such as the NFL Redzone Channel), watching a game at home has become easier and more enjoyable."
The good news, if the NFL plans to host a Super Bowl in your city, it'll be a net-benefit for the local economy, unlike other 'mega-events' like the Olympics or World Cup.
"Because the cities that host these games already have the necessary stadium and infrastructure in place, they can reap the rewards of the tourism dollars that come in without needing to incur significant costs," said Shinn.
Photo: Getty Images, WalletHub