Baseball might be known as America’s favorite pastime, but football is where the country’s heart really lies. The NFL is the country’s favorite sport to watch and to play – and to argue about! Dedication to an NFL team runs deep and fans are vocal about their love for their team and their hatred of their rivals.
The NFL is also America’s favorite league to bet on. This is partly due to the fact that fantasy football betting remained legal during the PASPA years (1992-2018), when regular sports betting was banned in most of the country. It’s also simply down to the fact that football is a fun sport to bet on.
With online sports betting still fairly new to most Americans, there is a steep learning curve to understanding how odds work, betting jargon and how to select the best sportsbook to suit your needs and betting style.
WSN is like a directory and guide for sportsbooks that can direct bettors to the most widely used NFL betting sites. It also provides information on where online sports betting is legal and which sportsbooks are licensed in which states, making the process of choosing a new online sportsbook much easier.
Just because football is popular everywhere doesn’t mean that all fans have the same level of dedication. Below are our rankings of NFL popularity by US state:
Alabama
Alabama is a state that loves all levels of football. High school games are well attended, college games are a major social activity and NFL game days are always busy. The University of Alabama’s football team, the legendary Crimson Tide, is a training ground for many NFL players.
Alabama doesn’t have a team of its own. The most popular team in the state is the neighboring Atlanta Falcons. Many football fans also choose their favorite team based on who recruits their local players. Currently, there are former Crimson Tide players playing for the Baltimore Ravens, the Tennessee Titans, the Green Bay Packers, the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. All these teams have fans in Alabama.
Minnesota
Minnesota’s weather is renowned for its harshness in winter – and unfortunately, a Minnesota winter lasts for five or six months! Most of the NFL season falls during this extended winter. Gathering with friends, drinking and eating game day foods and cheering for your team are all great ways to stay warm and ward off some of the boredom that winter brings.
The most popular team, unsurprisingly, is the Minnesota Vikings. They are based in Minneapolis but the core fan base extends across the entire state and through the Dakotas. Their rivalry with the neighboring Green Bay Packers is fierce.
Pennsylvania
Most NFL fans have to go out of state to find their closest rival. That’s not the case for NFL fans living in Pennsylvania. The state is home to both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the earliest years of professional football, the two teams were serious rivals. Since 1970, they have played in different conferences (the Eagles in the NFC and the Steelers in the AFC) and only play each other in regular season play once every four years.
The teams may no longer take their rivalry seriously but the fans certainly do. Being an Eagles fan or a Steelers fan is a point of pride and a part of their identity. Many of these diehard fans would be shocked to learn that the two teams had briefly merged into the Steagles during World War Two.
Washington
Washington may not have the most active fans or the highest percentage of fans. What they do have is something pretty special – the loudest fans! The 12th man (the collective name for Seattle Seahawks fans) have actually held the Guinness World Record for the loudest fans multiple years in a row.
While they are occasionally dethroned by excited crowds in Kansas City or New Orleans, Washington state fans take pride in their ability to raise the roof in support of their team. Actually, they raised the roof a few too many times in the old Kingdome stadium (not that they can be entirely blamed for the ceiling collapse), so the current stadium has an open roof!
Nebraska
Just like Alabama, Nebraska is a state that dedicates a lot of its time, energy and love to football. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln football team is one of the best training grounds for future NFL players. The Cornhuskers consistently produce top NFL draft picks, inspiring fans in the state to keep cheering.
Some of the former Cornhuskers who are currently in the NFL or recently retired include Demorrio Williams (San Diego Chargers), Barrett Ruud (Houston Texans), Chris Kelsay (Buffalo Bills), Alfonzo Dennard (New England Patriots) and Prince Amukamara (New York Giants).
Nebraska doesn’t have its own NFL team. The most popular team in the state is the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs’ recent development into one of the best teams in the league has contributed to even more Nebraskans becoming NFL fans instead of just college football fans.
