Texas Stadium at Irving, Texas in 2007 | Photo by grantlairdjr via Wikimedia Commons
What’s the Most Searched-For Sports Team in Each State?
While some states may have an obvious favorite sports team, that’s not the case everywhere.
A new analysis from the gambling publisher CasinoReviews.net analyzed Google searches for 153 teams across the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, and MLS sports leagues, looking at the combined number of searches for each team name and nickname, as well as terms like “team name score” and “team name tickets.”
The analysis found that the Dallas Cowboys are the most searched-for sports team in the country. While the team topped searches in its home state of Texas, it also ranked first for New Mexico, Mississippi, and Arkansas. It was among the top five most searched for teams in 31 states, collecting nine million searches on average each month across the U.S. and solidifying their nickname as “America’s Team.”
The Philadelphia Phillies came in second among the most searched for sports teams in the nation, reaching six million monthly Google searches. While over 3.3 million of these searches were from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware also searched for the team the most.
New York fans stayed true to their beloved New York Yankees, earning the baseball team the third spot on the rankings. Each month, the 27-time World Series winners garners more than five million searches, including 1.53 million from its home state. The Yankees proved most popular in Connecticut and second in New York behind the Buffalo Bills.
States without a home sports team sided one way or another with nearby states; Maine searched for the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots the most, while Hawaii searched for the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. The Seattle Mariners topped the list for Idaho, and Wyoming sought out the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills.
NFL proved to be the most popular sport in the country, with 27 states searching for an NFL team the most. The MLB was most popular in 16 states, followed by the NBA in seven states. The MLS, despite its growing popularity, did not rank as the top league in any state.
“With the NFL season in full swing, it’s fascinating to see which teams are the most popular across the nation,” Nikoleta Kuncheva, project manager at CasinoReviews.net said, noting that football teams account for more than half (55%) of the 20 most popular teams.
See the top-five searched for teams in each state below, per CasinoReviews.net:
The five most popular teams in each state | |||||
| State | Most popular team | 2nd most popular team | 3rd most popular team | 4th most popular team | 5th most popular team |
| Alabama | Atlanta Braves | Dallas Cowboys | Los Angeles Lakers | Golden State Warriors | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Alaska | Seattle Mariners | Seattle Seahawks | Dallas Cowboys | Minnesota Vikings | Green Bay Packers |
| Arizona | Phoenix Suns | Arizona Cardinals | Arizona Diamondbacks | Dallas Cowboys | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Arkansas | Dallas Cowboys | St. Louis Cardinals | Kansas City Chiefs | Los Angeles Lakers | Golden State Warriors |
| California | Los Angeles Dodgers | Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Lakers | San Francisco 49ers | San Diego Padres |
| Colorado | Denver Nuggets | Denver Broncos | Colorado Avalanche | Colorado Rockies | Dallas Cowboys |
| Connecticut | New York Yankees | Boston Red Sox | Boston Celtics | New York Giants | New England Patriots |
| Delaware | Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia Eagles | Baltimore Orioles | Dallas Cowboys | Baltimore Ravens |
| Florida | Miami Heat | Miami Dolphins | Tampa Bay Rays | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | New York Yankees |
| Georgia | Atlanta Braves | Atlanta Falcons | Atlanta Hawks | Dallas Cowboys | Atlanta United |
| Hawaii | Los Angeles Lakers | Golden State Warriors | Dallas Cowboys | San Francisco 49ers | Miami Dolphins |
| Idaho | Seattle Mariners | Dallas Cowboys | Utah Jazz | Seattle Seahawks | Denver Broncos |
| Illinois | Chicago Bears | Chicago Cubs | Chicago Bulls | St. Louis Cardinals | Chicago White Sox |
| Indiana | Indianapolis Colts | Indiana Pacers | Chicago Bears | Chicago Cubs | Cincinnati Reds |
| Iowa | Minnesota Vikings | Green Bay Packers | Chicago Cubs | Kansas City Chiefs | Chicago Bears |
| Kansas | Kansas City Chiefs | Dallas Cowboys | Kansas City Royals | Denver Broncos | Buffalo Bills |
| Kentucky | Cincinnati Bengals | Cincinnati Reds | Dallas Cowboys | St. Louis Cardinals | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Louisiana | New Orleans Saints | New Orleans Pelicans | Dallas Cowboys | Houston Astros | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Maine | Boston Red Sox | New England Patriots | Boston Celtics | Boston Bruins | New York Yankees |
| Maryland | Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore Ravens | Washington Commanders | Dallas Cowboys | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Massachusetts | Boston Celtics | New England Patriots | Boston Bruins | Boston Red Sox | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Michigan | Detroit Lions | Detroit Tigers | Detroit Red Wings | Detroit Pistons | Green Bay Packers |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Vikings | Minnesota Twins | Minnesota Wild | Minnesota Timberwolves | Green Bay Packers |
| Mississippi | Dallas Cowboys | New Orleans Saints | Atlanta Braves | Memphis Grizzlies | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Missouri | St. Louis Cardinals | Kansas City Chiefs | Arizona Cardinals | St. Louis Blues | Dallas Cowboys |
| Montana | Denver Broncos | Minnesota Vikings | Seattle Mariners | Dallas Cowboys | Green Bay Packers |
| Nebraska | Kansas City Chiefs | Minnesota Vikings | Dallas Cowboys | Denver Broncos | Green Bay Packers |
| Nevada | Vegas Golden Knights | Las Vegas Raiders | Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles Dodgers | Dallas Cowboys |
| New Hampshire | New England Patriots | Boston Bruins | Boston Celtics | Boston Red Sox | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| New Jersey | Philadelphia Phillies | New York Yankees | Philadelphia Eagles | New York Mets | New York Giants |
| New Mexico | Dallas Cowboys | Denver Broncos | Las Vegas Raiders | Philadelphia Eagles | San Francisco 49ers |
| New York | Buffalo Bills | New York Yankees | New York Mets | New York Knicks | New York Giants |
| North Carolina | Carolina Panthers | Atlanta Braves | Carolina Hurricanes | Dallas Cowboys | Charlotte Hornets |
| North Dakota | Minnesota Vikings | Minnesota Twins | Minnesota Wild | Green Bay Packers | Dallas Cowboys |
| Ohio | Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Guardians | Cincinnati Bengals | Cleveland Cavaliers | Cincinnati Reds |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City Thunder | Dallas Cowboys | Kansas City Chiefs | Texas Rangers | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Oregon | Portland Trail Blazers | Seattle Mariners | Portland Timbers | Seattle Seahawks | Dallas Cowboys |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia Eagles | Pittsburgh Steelers | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Rhode Island | New England Patriots | Boston Celtics | Boston Red Sox | Boston Bruins | New York Yankees |
| South Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Dallas Cowboys | Carolina Panthers | Philadelphia Eagles | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| South Dakota | Minnesota Vikings | Minnesota Twins | Green Bay Packers | Denver Broncos | Dallas Cowboys |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Titans | Atlanta Braves | Memphis Grizzlies | Dallas Cowboys | Nashville Predators |
| Texas | Dallas Cowboys | Houston Astros | Texas Rangers | Dallas Mavericks | Houston Texans |
| Utah | Utah Jazz | Real Salt Lake | Dallas Cowboys | Denver Broncos | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Vermont | Boston Red Sox | Boston Celtics | Boston Bruins | New England Patriots | New York Yankees |
| Virginia | Washington Commanders | Dallas Cowboys | Philadelphia Eagles | Washington Nationals | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Washington | Seattle Mariners | Seattle Seahawks | Seattle Kraken | Denver Broncos | Seattle Sounders |
| West Virginia | Pittsburgh Steelers | Pittsburgh Pirates | Dallas Cowboys | Cincinnati Reds | Cleveland Browns |
| Wisconsin | Green Bay Packers | Milwaukee Brewers | Milwaukee Bucks | Minnesota Vikings | Chicago Bears |
| Wyoming | Denver Broncos | Buffalo Bills | Denver Nuggets | Dallas Cowboys | Colorado Rockies |
