According to Nielsen’s NFL “media exposure index” the Dallas Cowboys were the most popular football team in America last season.
What is the Nielsen media exposure index, you ask? Let’s let Nielsen explain:
The Nielsen Sports Media Exposure Index measured all 32 NFL teams in four categories during the 2009 regular season: local team ratings, gross national TV audience, online buzz volume, and monthly unique audiences to official team websites.
According to the index, the Cowboys take home the top prize with a top score of 100, far ahead of second place finisher the Pittsburgh Steelers, which generated a score of 81. The New York Giants were third, with a score of 70, way ahead of the Jets, which were 18th.
Other notable teams: The New England Patriots finished 10th, while the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts tied for eighth.
More information is available from NielsenWire here.
What do you think? Are Nielsen’s NFL ratings anywhere close to accurate? As a Jets fan, I have my own opinion on that…