Arizona Cardinals are the second-most popular team outside of Arizona, study says
The Arizona Cardinals, despite lackluster seasons over the last few years, are providing fans with an ounce of hope ahead of the NFL Draft and the 2024 campaign. It shows as fans around the country are expressing interest in the team as measured by web searches.
In a study conducted by the gambling site CSGOLuck, the Cardinals have the second-most out-of-state fans, based on users typing Google keywords related to an NFL team outside of their home state over the past 12 months. Their average monthly searches for the Cardinals outside of Arizona totaled 15,993.
Outside of Arizona, Missouri has the most Cardinals fans with an average of 7,722 monthly searches, while Illinois residents follow with of 3,155. Those are the two states where the Cardinals were based before moving to Arizona in 1988.
The Cardinals' figure of 15,993 trails only the Dallas Cowboys' 20,602.
The research analyzed all 50 states. The data included individual searches for all 32 NFL teams, as well as searches for each team name with “tickets” next to it. In addition to media coverage and a team's success, a large portion of interest outside of the team's home market can be ticket sales, as fans look to buy their way into their favorite team's matchup with the Cardinals.
“The fandom for an NFL club is not limited within states but is widespread," a spokesperson for CSGOLuck said. "Fans can develop an affinity for a particular team due to several reasons such as family ties, team success, player allegiance or a team's culture or style of play. Also, with increasing technology and media coverage, it is now easier than ever for fans to watch and support their favorite NFL teams regardless of where they live.”
Trailing the Cowboys and Cardinals in out-of-state online searches are the Minnesota Vikings (10,087), Cincinnati Bengals (10,024), and Kansas City Chiefs (9,998), who rank fifth despite back-to-back Super Bowl victories. The club with the least amount of interest from out-of-state residents is the Indianapolis Colts, with Illinois and Ohio showing the most interest in the team.
The Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles round out the top 10 in the research.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals gardening interest in other state, study says
