Austin came in 177th among the 245 cities examined in a new study by the WalletHub website showing which cities are most friendly to fans of either professional football or college football games.
The city that is home to the University of Texas' Texas Longhorns earned a total score of 14.07 out of 100 in the analysis, which ranked the cities based on 21 measures favorable to football fans. Austin came in 31st in the pro football division and 158th for college football.
Among the categories examined in the WalletHub analysis were the number of NFL and college teams in each city, stadium capacity, fan engagement, ticket prices and team performances.
The cities finishing first and second in the study were Pittsburgh and Dallas, with the former earning the top score of 62.58.
Nationwide, football remains the favorite sport among Americans, with a popularity exceeding basketball, soccer and baseball combined, the researchers said. In total, 62% of Americans say they’re either fans or quasi-fans of the sport, the study said.
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The Top-50 U.S. Cities for Football Fans
Rank | City | Overall Score | Pro Football | College Football |
1 | Pittsburgh, PA | 62.58 | 1 | 7 |
2 | Dallas, TX | 56.06 | 2 | 236 |
3 | Green Bay, WI | 55.57 | 3 | 236 |
4 | Boston, MA | 53.57 | 4 | 189 |
5 | Los Angeles, CA | 48.77 | 5 | 47 |
6 | New York, NY | 48.76 | 6 | 32 |
7 | Miami, FL | 45.89 | 11 | 28 |
8 | New Orleans, LA | 45.43 | 7 | 171 |
9 | Cincinnati, OH | 44.9 | 16 | 12 |
10 | Indianapolis, IN | 43.18 | 13 | 143 |
11 | Kansas City, MO | 43.17 | 8 | 236 |
12 | San Francisco, CA | 43.11 | 9 | 236 |
13 | Glendale, AZ | 42.87 | 10 | 236 |
14 | Buffalo, NY | 42.22 | 14 | 178 |
15 | Denver, CO | 41.81 | 12 | 236 |
16 | Baltimore, MD | 39.98 | 15 | 222 |
17 | Seattle, WA | 39.98 | 18 | 184 |
18 | Minneapolis, MN | 39.65 | 17 | 213 |
19 | Philadelphia, PA | 39.29 | 24 | 10 |
20 | Atlanta, GA | 37.38 | 21 | 100 |
21 | Tampa, FL | 36.66 | 19 | 225 |
22 | Washington, DC | 36.62 | 23 | 119 |
23 | Las Vegas, NV | 36.16 | 20 | 226 |
24 | Nashville, TN | 35.97 | 22 | 170 |
25 | Charlotte, NC | 32.47 | 27 | 183 |
26 | Cleveland, OH | 32.06 | 25 | 236 |
27 | Chicago, IL | 30.98 | 26 | 236 |
28 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 30.58 | 31 | 1 |
29 | Houston, TX | 30.17 | 30 | 25 |
30 | Detroit, MI | 29.27 | 28 | 236 |
31 | Clemson, SC | 28.53 | 31 | 2 |
32 | Jacksonville, FL | 27.47 | 29 | 236 |
33 | Fayette, MS | 25.72 | 31 | 3 |
34 | Fargo, ND | 23.76 | 31 | 4 |
35 | State College, PA | 22.1 | 31 | 5 |
36 | Tallahassee, FL | 21.95 | 31 | 6 |
37 | West Point, NY | 21.13 | 31 | 8 |
38 | Norman, OK | 21.08 | 31 | 9 |
39 | Boone, NC | 20.99 | 31 | 11 |
40 | Athens, GA | 20.6 | 31 | 13 |
41 | Baton Rouge, LA | 20.52 | 31 | 14 |
42 | Hanover, NH | 20.46 | 31 | 15 |
43 | Princeton, NJ | 20.22 | 31 | 16 |
44 | Stanford, CA | 20.08 | 31 | 17 |
45 | Provo, UT | 19.76 | 31 | 18 |
46 | Hamilton, NY | 19.49 | 31 | 19 |
47 | Stillwater, OK | 19.44 | 31 | 20 |
48 | San Diego, CA | 19.39 | 31 | 21 |
49 | Richmond, KY | 19.1 | 31 | 22 |
50 | Williamsburg, VA | 18.99 | 31 | 23 |