Lionbackers.com

Damar Hamlin.
So scary to see him collapse on the field. May he quickly and successfully recover.

Latest word as of about 11 p.m. via Bills Twitter is that he suffered a heart attack on the field. He is still listed in critical condition, sedated and there has been no mention whether he has been conscious at any point. Let's hope that medical personnel are just being abundantly cautious and that he is going to be okay.

1. It's good to see that Damar Hamlin is slowly recovering.

2. After the no contest between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills with a no re-schedule, it's good and fair that both teams won their respective regular season finales and their Conference standings placements were correct despite the fact that both teams only played 16 games.

3. Seahawks barely made it to the playoffs after winning their last game against defending champions LA Rams in overtime despite a missed FG at the end of regulation and then the Detroit Lions scored a late touchdown over the Green Bay Packers to prevent them from getting the last playoff spot.

And it looks like with a winning 9-8 record and making the playoffs, the Seahawks won the Russell Wilson trade as his Denver Broncos had a terrible 5-12 season.

So glad to see Rodgers gone from playoffs

I first posted such a map in 2014 on the top selling NFL jerseys by state:


And here's an updated list for the 2022-23 NFL season courtesy of Lids and there's been some noticeable differences since 9 years ago.



Here are some conclusions if NFL jerseys sales reflect the popularity of the NFL team.

U.S. States with no local NFL team - which team do they root for?
1. Oregon and Hawaii roots for the 49ers.
2. Montana, Utah, Alaska, and South Dakota root for the Las Vegas Raiders.
3. North Dakota roots for the Vikings.
4. New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and even the two Carolinas root for the Cowboys.
5. West Virgina roots for the Steelers.
6. Maine and other northeastern states root fo the Patriots
7. Nebraska and Iowa root for the Chiefs.
8. Kentucky roots for the Bengals.
9. New Jersey and Delaware root for the Eagles.

So it looks like the two most popular teams that are able to attract fans from states that are farther away geographically to the local city are the Dallas Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders. In the past, the Pittsburgh Steelers would have a lot of fans outside of Pennsylvania, but it looks like not anymore. And the Denver Broncos used to have fans from its neighboring states, but apparently no more and they changed loyalaties to the Chiefs now.

U.S. States with two or more NFL teams - which team is more popular in that state?
1. In California, the 49ers are more popular than the Rams and Chargers.
2. In Texas, the Cowboys are more popular than the Texans.
3. In Florida, the Buccaneers are more popular than the Dophins and Jaguars.
4. In Ohio, the Browns are more popular than the Bengals.
5. In Pennsylvania, the Eagles are more popular than the Steelers.
6. In New York State, the Giants are more popular than the Bills and Jets.

And it looks like the biggest anomaly has been observed in that the most popular NFL team among the U.S. state which has a local NFL team is NOT from that state.

1. Both North Carolina and South Carolina root for the Dallas Cowboys instead of the Carolina Panthers.
2. To a lesser extent, New Jersey contains the home stadium for the NY Jets and NY Giants, yet they root for the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Looking at such a map reminds me of a U.S. Electoral College maps during U.S. Presidential elections.

A great marketing question is how and why an NFL team is able to attraction fans that are farther away geographically using three examples.

1. There's no data for Vermont and Rhode Island but I'm sure they are NE Patriots fans as well and this less surprising since Boston is the closest team geograghically and as the name of team states, it's New England Patriots which encompasses all the northeastern states so naturally, residents from the New England states root for the Patriots.

2. I'm not surprised if the no data states of Idaho and Wyoming root for the Las Vegas Raiders along with the farther away states of Montana, South Dakota, and Alaska. What is it about the LV Raiders that made it so popular even though the team certainly didn't do well with a 6-11 record.

3. Finally the ultimate question - how is it that the Dallas Cowboys were able to attract fans from Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina even though there are other NFL teams closer to their state?

‘They are a good CFL team’: Denver Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton compliments Detroit Lions’ early-down efficiency after blowout loss
By 3Down Staff -December 17, 2023

https://3downnation.com/2023/12/17/they ... e_vignette

Says this feature today in the NFL preview about local Coquitlam star Jevon Holland's 98 inch TV win fors his outstanding 98 yd INT return. He was on the show commenting on this as were fans who won 98 in TVs due to him, It was a good story.

Holland Becomes Hero for Many Fans
MIami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland made a lot of fans happy with his touchdown against the New York Jets
ALAIN POUPARTNOV 29, 2023 12:27 PM EST

https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/news/mi ... y-pick-six