Lists

Ranking The Least Supportive Fanbases In The NFL And NBA

Darren Ryding - June 7, 2023

Lists

Ranking The Least Supportive Fanbases In The NFL And NBA

Darren Ryding - June 7, 2023

Nothing unites people quite like sports. It doesn’t matter where you come from, your age, your color, or whether you’re male or female. When you watch the game with other people, it’s like being part of a big family who all love the same thing as you do. Or at least, that’s the way it should be.

However, some fanbases are absolutely terrible. So today we’re going to take a look at the very worst of the NBA and NFL. Some fanbases are just obnoxious and entitled. Others just don’t show up to games at all. The reasons are many, but they all share the unfortunate fact that they’re intolerable.

If you’re a normal person and you follow one of the 20 teams below, then congratulations. You’re one of the tiny few we can tolerate. Don’t take this one too seriously folks. It’s all just a bit of fun. Check out the list below.

20. Washington Redskins

In a recent study by the Bleacher Report, the Redskins fanbase came in last out of the 32 NFL teams. Once renowned as one of the most passionate and supportive collectives in the league, things have gone downhill for the franchise. There are quite a few reasons why fans have stopped showing up to games.

When you combine their dysfunctional leadership, problematic fanbase and ramshackle stadium, the Redskins really aren’t helping themselves. Over the past decade, the FedEx Stadium has seen a 30% dropoff in attendance. Whatever way you try to spin that, it’s not good.

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19. Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers fans are notoriously fickle. When things are going well, the Wells Fargo Center will be full. But when it’s not, then it definitely won’t be. More often than not, the latter situation is the case. We can’t blame them because they’ve had to trust the process for too long.

Typically though, there is only about 75% attendance at home games. That’s a shambolic statistic for any self-respecting franchise, especially in a city as basketball mad as Philly. However, recent results have improved so maybe that will turn around again.

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18. Green Bay Packers

Packers fans are great when things are going well. But when something they don’t like happens, you’re definitely going to hear about it. For example, when Brett Favre moved to the Minnesota Vikings, Packers fans responded in brutal fashion. They booed him in his return to Lambeau Field.

Sure enough, the two franchises are massive rivals, but Favre literally led the Packers through an era. We’ve seen presidents who have had less impact on the country than Favre did in Green Bay. Meanwhile, they also need to get over the public ownership thing. Thankfully their board of directors makes all the decisions, or it could get messy.

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17. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers had the fourth-worst attendance in the NBA last season. They’re on this list because they have a reputation for not showing up. Indiana is also the height of basketball country and they’ve got an exciting young team, so what’s the problem? In short, the answer is simple.

College basketball. There are just too many college options to follow that the NBA product suffers. Many Pacers fans actually prefer to watch the game in a bar with friends or at home. Meanwhile, many of them feel priced out so that doesn’t help either. Hopefully, things will improve soon.

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16. New York Giants

It’s a fact that the Giants fans have some of the highest arrest rates in the entire NFL. Fights in the parking lot and even in the stadium have become a regular affair. Together with the Jets, Metlife Stadium is the most violent in the US. That’s not a record anybody wants to hold.

Meanwhile, it doesn’t help that the Giants have one of the most entitled fanbases out there. They think they’re so much better than the Jets because they’ve had more success, with two Super Bowls since 2007. Thankfully they don’t appear to be winning one anytime soon.

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15. Cleveland Cavaliers

It’s a fact that Cavs fans are insane. Let’s break this down into detail because there are three main types of people who follow the team. First of all, you’ve got the normal folks and if you’re one of them then we salute you. Then you have LeBron James’s fan club, in which case you’ve jumped ship to the Lakers.

But, then there are the vindictive diehards. These fans hold a grudge longer than anybody else in the world of sport. Art Modell, Ted Sepien, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah are just some of the names who’ve fallen afoul of the fanbase. That’s before you even touch on James’ infamous ‘Decision.’

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14. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle was already unbearable enough before they won the Super Bowl in 2013. All of those hipster coffee bars and microbreweries have clearly gone to their heads because they’re ridiculously annoying. Despite finally claiming a ring at the third attempt, the 12th Man still has a massive chip on their shoulders.

Even worse are their attempts to lay claim to being the loudest fans on Earth. Can somebody open up another franchise in the Northwest? Maybe in Portland or somewhere nearby? Give the poor people of the region another option inside of these slime-green Superbowl XL obsessives.

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13. New Orleans Pelicans

It’s not that the Pelicans fans misbehave. No, it’s the fact that there just aren’t that many of them. The franchise only moved from Charlotte in 2003 so they’re still building. It can take a long time for teams to recover the same levels of support. When you add in the fact that ‘The Big Easy’ is a football city, you can see the problem.

Their levels of ambivalence make them one of the worst fanbases in the entire country. They’re so innocuous that it is actually offensive. Back when they were still the Charlotte Hornets they were a decent team. Now they’re just mediocre in every way. With the type of basketball they’re playing this season, don’t expect much improvement.

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12. Buffalo Bills

When the Bills came to town, the city of Jacksonville banned the sale of folding tables to those with out-of-town IDs. That should tell you all you need to know about the franchise and its fanbase. Ok, but there’s definitely a rough element amongst the Bills supporters.

The Bills Mafia is infamous in the NFL world. Getting drunk, smashing each other through tables, and creating all-out carnage are just some of their favorite activities. All of these combined make them one of the most unbearable fanbases to encounter, coming to a city near you.

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11. Los Angeles Lakers

The LA Lakers had a bleak 2018-2019 season. Signing the biggest star in the sport as a free agent created unrealistic expectations. Lebron James is no longer at the peak of his powers and the Lakers just didn’t perform. In these conditions, it’s understandable why fans could get frustrated.

But at the same time, nobody else really wanted to listen to them. It also just goes to show how the Lakers don’t know how to deal with failure. They created a poisonous atmosphere instead of getting behind the team. The best thing about them now being back on top of the Western Conference is no more booing.

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10. Philidelphia Eagles

True, it was a nice change when someone other than the Patriots won the Superbowl. But did it have to be the Eagles? Their fanbase is surely one of the least deserving in the NFL. In short, they’ve got a well-earned reputation for being absolutely dire. Remember the time that guy deliberately threw up on an off-duty police officer and his 11-year-old daughter?

Of course, one incident can’t cover an entire fanbase. But what about the time they booed Donavan McNabb and beat up Chief Zee? How about when they threw snowballs at Santa? Or burned their own player’s jersey? Philly fans just have to do better if they want to shake off the negative stereotypes. So much for the “City of Brotherly Love.”

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9. Minnesota Timberwolves

If you’re a Timberwolves fan let’s face it, you’ve got a pitiful existence. It’s almost unfair to put you on this list because it was 14 years since the team even got to the playoffs. Sure, they ended that drought, but so many of you gave up on your team at the same time. We just can’t accept that.

The depressing reality is that most years the Timberwolves only fill their capacity to between 70 and 75%. Is it really hating to say that that’s woeful? The fans that do show up definitely deserve respect because they stuck with their team through thick and thin. To those that didn’t, shame on you.

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8. New York Jets

It’s tough being a Jets fan. You’re in the shadow of the bigger and older New York Giants. So that means you’ve got a chip on your shoulder the size of the Rockefeller Center. Jets fans don’t help themselves with one of the most obnoxious chants in the history of the NFL. ‘J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!’

To criticize, it’s not exactly Shakespeare, is it? Then there is the delusion that they’re the biggest team in New York. It’s not true but they still want to believe it. The Giants have four Super Bowls while the Jets have just the one way back in 1969. Oh, and we’re all tired of hearing about Joe Klecko.

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7. Miami Heat

Miami is one of the worst sports cities in America. The Heat’s fans are diabolical, plain and simple. Unless they have a big winner, they just don’t care at all. That’s unforgivable in any sport. In short, the Heat epitomizes what it means to have a fairweather fanbase.

There is a point about their tickets being ridiculously expensive. But it’s also notable that there were way more there when LeBron James was playing for them. As such, Heat fans have a reputation for arriving late, leaving early, or just not showing up at all. Sorry Heat fans, but you’ve done this to yourselves.

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6. Dallas Cowboys

In 2017 Stephen A. Smith called the Cowboys fanbase ‘delusional and obnoxious.’ While this might be a bit harsh because they have the biggest fanbase in the country, Smith has a point. They think every year is going to be their year. While they’re a team with history, they’re definitely not at the Patriots’ level.

There’s nothing wrong with being passionate, but the Cowboys’ support just tends to be insufferable. If you listen to their fans, it was all Tony Romo’s fault that they didn’t win the Super Bowl. That’s just one of the many mistruths they will spin. To sum up, you just don’t want to listen to them. And they’re not truly ‘America’s Team’.

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5. Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are here because their city is so indifferent towards their team. To be fair, you have to go all the way back to 1958 to when they won their only NBA championship. That stretch of 60 years is the second-longest drought across both conferences. No wonder their fans are ambivalent.

When you look around State Farm Arena, you’re likely to see opposing fans sitting amongst the home fans. To sum up, the Hawks really do suffer from a lack of passionate support. They’re at the opposite end of the spectrum to the likes of the Knicks, whose fans are annoyingly passionate despite having a rubbish team.

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4. Oakland Raiders

The Raiders fanbase is one of the most infamous and feared in the NFL. First of all, we’re not hating on all Raiders fans. There is actually something special about the atmosphere they create with their face paint and spiked shoulder pads. But there is also definitely a poisonous element there too.

There aren’t many fan groups that require police escorts. We’ve seen them throw opponents’ fans over the sides of stands. The 2018 Battle of the Bay saw dozens of them arrested. The most iconic image from that game was of two Raiders fans brawling despite their team putting in a brilliant performance. To top it off, fans in Oakland “celebrated” the team’s last game in the city (a loss to the lowly Jaguars) by throwing nachos on the field and storming it before being contained by security. With the move to Las Vegas, it’s all over.

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3. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons were the team at the cent of one of the most notorious events in NBA history. Their fans literally triggered the ‘Malice at the Palace.’ In short, they really aren’t the best in the league at all. As well as that embarrassing occasion, Pistons fans can be condemned for other reasons.

First of all, the Pistons have one of the most inconsistent attendances in the division. You have to go all the way back to 2004 to when they last won a championship and they failed to make the playoffs for many years. Of course, fan dedication suffered as a result. In 2019, they’ve begun winning games and rebuilding. Maybe things will finally improve in Auburn Hills.

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2. New York Knicks

Knicks fans are bad because they’re just so miserable. It’s incredible but the storied New York team is still the most valuable NBA franchise out there. However, they’re a long way from their heyday in the 1990s. That’s when they made the playoffs for nine years in a row. Meanwhile, it’s been a languid 46 years since they won an NBA title.

Their fans are in a state of purgatory. Depressed yet entitled, Knicks fans are a special kind of obnoxious. Even though it’s over 20 years since they’ve done anything worth mentioning, Knicks fans believe their team should be at the top of the game. It’s time for the Knickerbockers to put up or shut up.

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1. New England Patriots

The Patriots are the most hated team in the NFL. So that helps to make their fans the worst in existence. For an incredibly long time, nobody cared about the Patriots. They were behind the Bruins, the Red Sox, and the Celtics in terms of support in the Boston area. But after a bit of success, suddenly everybody is a Patriots fan.

Unless of course, you’re not, in which case you probably loath Patriots fans with a passion. How many Pats fans are actually just Tom Brady supporters? It will be fascinating to see what happens when the iconic quarterback finally retires. The Patriots recently lost at home to the Kansas City Chiefs and were booed at halftime. They were the defending Super Bowl champions and had a record of 10-3 heading into the contest. They’ll have to keep winning to keep their fairweather fans.

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Ranking The Least Supportive Fanbases In The NFL And NBA

Ranking The Least Supportive Fanbases In The NFL And NBA

20. Washington Redskins

19. Philadelphia 76ers

18. Green Bay Packers

17. Indiana Pacers

16. New York Giants

15. Cleveland Cavaliers

14. Seattle Seahawks

13. New Orleans Pelicans

12. Buffalo Bills

11. Los Angeles Lakers

10. Philidelphia Eagles

9. Minnesota Timberwolves

8. New York Jets

7. Miami Heat

6. Dallas Cowboys

5. Atlanta Hawks

4. Oakland Raiders

3. Detroit Pistons

2. New York Knicks

1. New England Patriots

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