Analysis, Fan Data, Football, Rugby, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data

FanWide Football Fan Survey Results – Your New Favorite Sport is Probably Rugby

Posted on by Matt Carwin

 

Photo Courtesy of Olga Guryanova

FanWide, the world’s largest fan club network, has compiled and analyzed the data for our football survey and the results are in! The topics we chose to research were centered around the similarities and differences of football and rugby. Rugby is similar to football in many ways – such as some of the strategy, the physicality, but also different where it counts like stoppage times. Below are some of the highlights that were produced from your responses to show why rugby may be your new favorite sport.  You can also find local rugby watch parties with FanWide.

Baseball, Fan Clubs, Fan Data, Top 10, watch party

Top 10 Baseball Teams: #3 Boston Red Sox

Posted on by Peter Swope

The reigning World Series champs take the #3 spot! At the moment, there are few fan bases in all of sports happier than Boston Red Sox fans. For the Sox, 2018 was nothing but a resounding success. Following a franchise-record 108 wins in 2018, the team cruised through the playoffs to take home another Commissioner’s Trophy upon winning their 4th World Series. During this streak they lost only three total games while defeating the archrival Yankees, reigning champion Astros, and a Dodgers team making its second consecutive World Series appearance. Expectations couldn’t have been higher at the recent Red Sox Winter Weekend, held every January, an annual event that allows fans to hear from and even meet current players, team officials, and Red Sox legends. Led by young manager Alex Cora and stars such as right fielder Mookie Betts, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, and ace left-hander Chris Sale, the Red Sox (and their fans) hope to be firmly in the mix for another World Series title in 2019. As a franchise with a rich and storied history, the Red Sox are popular with fans in New England and across the country. It should come as no surprise that they graded out highly among FanWide’s Top 10 Baseball Teams, finishing third overall.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Boston Red Sox game watch party or fan club near you.

Fan Clubs, Fan Data, Soccer, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data

Top European Soccer Teams: #5 Liverpool

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

It is not a bad time to be a fan of Liverpool Football Club. The team is currently in second place in the English Premier League, and they aren’t too far behind in the Champion’s League race. Young phenom Mohamed Salah is driving the team’s success as of late, but if you know Liverpool, you know that the team is much more than one player and much more than one year. Liverpool’s success has transcended eras, gaining them the reputation of one of the elite football clubs in the world. Alongside their deep trophy case lies an impressive social portfolio; in short, Liverpool is successful on and off the field- successful enough to land them the #5 spot in FanWide’s European soccer rankings.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Liverpool F.C. game watch party or fan club near you.

Basketball, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Top NBA Teams: #6 Boston Celtics

Posted on by Michael Wang

From the perspective of fans across all sports leagues, Boston is the common enemy. Not only does this opinion exist because of the constant success most of all the Boston teams have, but also because their fans are some of the most supportive and rowdy fans. In the NBA, the Boston Celtics have had extreme levels of success recently and historically. Legends such as Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and many more have steeped  the Celtics with historical moments. Additionally, Boston has not only the oldest active NBA team, but also the oldest overall NBA franchise, along with the New York Knicks, founded in 1946. Currently, under the guidance of head coach Brad Stevens, stars such as Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, and Jayson Tatum lead the team to success. Let’s look at how the Celtics placed 6th in FanWide’s Top Ten NBA Team Rankings.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Boston Celtics game watch party or fan club near you.

Basketball, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Top NBA Teams: #7 Miami Heat

Posted on by Michael Wang

Miami is by far one of the most active and passionate cities across the United States. On top of that, every season their home team, the Miami Heat, never fail to excite the fans and make strong pushes in the regular season. They struck gold in 2003 by drafting Dwyane Wade from Marquette with the 5th pick in the draft. Wade led the Heat, along with Shaquille O’Neal and others, to a title in the 2006 season. A few years later, LeBron James and Chris Bosh decided to join the Heat and led the team to four straight finals appearances, winning it in 2012 and 2013.

In more recent years, the Miami Heat have had a strong roster with Justise Winslow and Goran Dragic. Lastly, Dwyane Wade’s farewell season is this year this has for sure brought a lot of attention to Miami as a legend is retiring soon. He even got invited to play in this year’s All-Star game. Without further or due, let’s look into how the Heat placed 7th in FanWide’s Top Ten NBA Team rankings.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Miami Heat game watch party or fan club near you.

Basketball, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Top NBA Teams: #8 Los Angeles Lakers

Posted on by Michael Wang

Popular. Scary. Legendary. Historic. These are only some of the many words that can be used to describe the Los Angeles Lakers. This past offseason changed a lot for the Lakers. LeBron James chose to sign with them and that reignited the fire within the fans. Along with many young stars such as Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and of course Kyle Kuzma, this team has an absurd amount of potential carried by one of the best leaders to ever play the game. Nevertheless, one season good season is not the only reason they place in FanWide’s Top Ten NBA Teams ranking.

The Lakers have always been one of the most exciting teams to watch. The organization was founded in 1947, the second year of the NBA, which ultimately gives them an advantage over almost all teams as their franchise timeline goes back further. Kobe Bryant, easily one of the best and by far the most competitive player to set foot on an NBA court, spent his whole career with LA and recently retired in 2016. Other legends such as Shaquille O’Neal, the whole Showtime Lakers (Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Wilt Chamberlain, and many more have all put on a Lakers jersey. You will never be disappointed watching a Lakeshow…trust me. No wonder why the Lakers were able to place 8th in FanWide’s Top Ten NBA Teams ranking.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Los Angeles Lakers game watch party or fan club near you.

Baseball, Fan Clubs, Fan Data, Top 10, watch party

Top 10 Baseball Teams: #4 Chicago Cubs

Posted on by Peter Swope

FanWide’s #4 team on the Top 10 Baseball Teams list is the Chicago Cubs. Few teams can match the history, good and bad, of the Chicago Cubs. In 2016, the Cubs broke the 71 year “Curse of the Billy Goat”, a period in which did not even appear in a World Series, let alone win a championship. Now, led by young stars such as third baseman Kris Bryant, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, and second baseman Javier Baez, the Cubs hope to win another World Series soon. Led by top 10 finishes in every category and top 3 showings in fan clubs, regular season wins, national games televised, and Forbes value, the Cubs can proudly call themselves FanWide’s #4 Baseball Team.  

Visit FanWide.com to find a Chicago Cubs game watch party or fan club near you.

Teams were evaluated in 9 different categories (visit this blog post to see the methodology). The Cubs graded out as follows:

Fan Clubs, Fan Data, Soccer, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data

Top European Soccer Teams: #6 Arsenal

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

Arsenal is currently in a scorching hot Champions League qualification race. Each year, the top four teams in the English Premier League earn themselves a ticket to the Champions League. Arsenal will continue to battle with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea for the third and fourth spot- the top two spots are currently occupied by Manchester City and Liverpool, who have all but secured entry. Arsenal is no stranger to the Champions League- they have failed to qualify just twice since 1998. Unfortunately, they have never been able to capture the elusive Champions League trophy.

Even without this hardware, Arsenal has been a staple in English football since they were founded in 1886. In fact, in 1891, they became the first London football team to turn pro. Today, London (the largest city in England and 24th largest city in the world) is a hub for soccer; Arsenal is one of six EPL teams to call London their home (along with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Fulham, and West Ham United). Arsenal consistently performs among the top teams in the EPL, and the “Gunners” have grown out of their original home- The Royal Arsenal- and into the third largest stadium in England. Arsenal’s rich history has played a key role in their success. Their prominence on and off the field has earned them the #6 spot in FanWide’s European soccer team rankings.

Visit FanWide.com to find an Arsenal F.C. game watch party or fan club near you.

Basketball, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Top NBA Teams: #9 Toronto Raptors

Posted on by Michael Wang

The 6. Home of the Toronto Raptors. Canada’s Team. The Raptors have always had a strong presence across the league with previous stars such as Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, and DeMar DeRozan. It is to no one’s surprise that they are able to break into FanWide’s Top Ten NBA Teams ranking at the #9 spot.

Despite always having Kyle Lowry to help lead their team, the Raptors acquired all-star forward Kawhi Leonard and shooting guard Danny Green in a recent exchange for DeMar DeRozan. Although this trade stunned the league as the Raptors did not think twice about trading away their star, it has paid off for them as Kawhi has helped Toronto maintain its position as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference rankings. Additionally, the recent signing of Jeremy Lin will for sure boost fan support from the Asian Canadian and Asian American community as many other previous Chinese players have done for organizations. For sure we cannot forget about the fact that the Raptors are music superstar Drake’s favorite sports team. Enough of the summary, let’s get right into how the Toronto Raptors were able to rank 9th in FanWide’s Top Ten NBA Teams rankings.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Toronto Raptors game watch party or fan club near you.

Fan Clubs, Soccer, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Top European Soccer teams: #7 Chelsea

Posted on by Steven Freidenrich

When Chelsea FC was purchased by Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich, in 2003, the club had seen limited success in both domestic and international competitions. Now 16 years after his purchase, it is safe to say that Abramovich’s tenure as Chelsea owner has been bountiful. Chelsea has since won 5 of their 6 English football championships and their sole Champions League title. After purchasing the club for 140 million Euros (approximately $160 million as of February 2019) and injecting over $1 billion since, the team has grown into the seventh most valuable soccer club in the world, worth an estimated $2 billion (according to Forbes).

The new era of Chelsea football has been kind to the fans. After seeing relatively stagnant cup play since the club’s inception in 1905, fans have been able to see enough success in the past 15 years to last a lifetime. Because of this success, Chelsea has been able to take full advantage of the large London market. Chelsea is here to stay, and the Chelsea football renaissance has earned them the #7 spot in FanWide’s European soccer club rankings.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Chelsea F.C. game watch party or fan club near you.