Which NFL teams are winning the Facebook battle?

As National Football League teams prepare for the 2013 season, it's time to examine how they look — on Facebook. Teams with historically large fanbases (Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers) are also among the most popular on Facebook, according to PageData. These teams also do well in the people talking about this (PTAT) metric, as the Cowboys finish first in both regards. Scan the table below from PageData and find out how popular your favorite football team is on the social network. Table sorted by total likes: Name Likes Δ Today Δ This Week PTAT Δ Today Δ This Week Dallas Cowboys 5,464,119 +638 +6,524 332,847 -108,822 -313,754 The Pittsburgh Steelers 4,918,683 +478 +1,659 219,895 -28,480 -17,675 New England Patriots 4,076,142 +493 +2,380 201,975 -22,752 -3,045 Green Bay Packers 3,510,982 +540 +2,072 87,387 -44,612 -102,165 New Orleans Saints 2,966,591 +304 +2,653 142,550 -37,064 -60,858 Chicago Bears 2,731,866 +313 +2,919 88,470 +3,590 +10,381 New York Giants 2,714,022 +834 +1,953 100,592 -4,022 +29,568 Philadelphia Eagles 2,065,211 +158 +1,603 41,402 -10,647 -22,673 The Oakland Raiders 1,944,756 +331 +11,872 197,634 -44,610 -9,373 San Francisco 49ers 1,917,240 +693 +5,208 112,806 +19,257 -357 Indianapolis Colts 1,687,016 +314 +791 45,436 -3,869 +11,382 Denver Broncos 1,551,799 +735 +3,045 58,473 -13,060 -56,882 New York Jets 1,499,859 +17 +21 18,441 0 -4,872 Baltimore Ravens 1,497,111 +304 +2,268 93,056 -10,563 -9,499 Minnesota Vikings 1,429,007 +71 +434 63,438 -16,699 -41,741 Miami Dolphins 1,344,077 +330 +1,778 36,564 -13,023 -28,035 San Diego Chargers 1,224,636 +84 +546 27,787 -864 -16,583 Washington Redskins 1,128,458 +269 +1,477 52,075 -1,304 -16,093 Atlanta Falcons 1,057,064 +332 +2,296 60,276 -2,216 +2,212 Seattle Seahawks 895,362 +1,199 +4,739 53,933 -9,841 -51,310 Houston Texans 892,320 +730 +4,473 80,081 -33,825 -11,893 Detroit Lions 874,109 +308 +1,701 35,555 -21,443 -28,014 The Kansas City Chiefs 675,846 +126 +1,267 22,163 +3,509 +203 Cincinnati Bengals 661,681 +212 +1,253 15,915 -1,349 -5,495 The Official Cleveland Browns 644,529 +145 +1,659 36,702 -3,678 -10,171 Carolina Panthers 588,482 +203 +1,995 48,077 -15,297 -6,230 Arizona Cardinals 569,075 +317 +2,856 33,169 -8,522 -9,058 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 561,383 +116 +1,155 19,368 -924 -33,299 Tennessee Titans 536,356 +106 +553 16,131 -670 -18,158 Buffalo Bills 440,212 +108 +1,064 53,183 +6,437 +17,759 St. Louis Rams 421,055 +101 +637 13,772 +2,229 -5,369 Jacksonville Jaguars 316,499 +111 +644 14,908 -5,939 -1,680 But how does on-the-field performance translate into Facebook popularity? Let's compare likes with 2012 win percentage for the top 8 teams. Denver Broncos (.813): 1,551,799 likes Atlanta Falcons (.813): 1,057,064 New England Patriots (.750): 4,076,142 Houston Texans (.750): 892,320 San Francisco 49ers (.719): 1,917,240 Green Bay Packers (.688): 3,510,982 Seattle Seahawks (.688): 895,362 Indianapolis Colts (.688): 1,687,016 Even though the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks were quite successful on the field, their Facebook fanbases are small compared to competitive teams like the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. Some other interesting Facebook facts about NFL teams: 11 percent of the Pittsburgh Steelers' Facebook fans come from Mexico. The Steelers (who play 1,660 miles from the closest Mexican border) have a higher concentration of fans from Mexico than the San Diego Chargers (7 percent), who are just 20 miles away from the Mexican border. On Oct. 27, the San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars will play a game in London. For both teams, the U.K. represents just 1 percent of the total fanbase, showing that Facebook users in this area strongly prefer their own brand of football. Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is Facebook's most popular NFL player (2.3 million likes), followed by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (2.2 million) and Lions running back Reggie Bush (2.1 million). The New York Giants are the fastest-growing in weekly PTAT, while the Oakland Raiders have gained the most fans over the past week. The NFL's official Facebook page ranks third among major American sports leagues in terms of total likes, trailing the National Basketball Association and Ultimate Fighting Championship. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Name	Likes	Δ Today	Δ This Week	PTAT	Δ Today	Δ This Week
Dallas Cowboys	5,464,119	+638	+6,524	332,847	-108,822	-313,754
The Pittsburgh Steelers	4,918,683	+478	+1,659	219,895	-28,480	-17,675
New England Patriots	4,076,142	+493	+2,380	201,975	-22,752	-3,045
Green Bay Packers	3,510,982	+540	+2,072	87,387	-44,612	-102,165
New Orleans Saints	2,966,591	+304	+2,653	142,550	-37,064	-60,858
Chicago Bears

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Which NFL teams are winning the Facebook battle?

Justin Lafferty

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