Colts fans stand out in Nielsen's inaugural NFL fandom rankings

Indianapolis Colts fans may not have cracked the top half of a new overall NFL fandom ranking, but they rose to the surface when it came to engaging with their team online. Nielsen unveiled its inaugural Scarborough NFL Fandom Index this month, evaluating NFL markets through eight different measures of fan engagement. Indianapolis finished 17th overall in the index, but ranked fourth among NFL markets in social media engagement, via the Nielsen data. Nielsen specifically described Indianapolis as a "social-media-forward market." The study considered apparel purchases, general interest, attendance at live events, betting intent, social media engagement, radio listening, streaming habits and traditional television viewership. Buffalo took the top overall spot, followed by Kansas City and Green Bay. Cincinnati and Philadelphia rounded out the top five. Nielsen found that smaller and mid-sized NFL markets generally performed well because of concentrated local interest. Meanwhile, several larger markets with more entertainment options and multiple professional teams finished much lower. Even though the city landed near the middle of the league in Nielsen's combined ranking, its fourth-place digital engagement mark put Indianapolis in the company of the NFL's strongest markets in modern (online) fandom. That online distinction of fandom is becoming more relevant over time as NFL consumption and team interaction blooms on various digital platforms. This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts fans stand out in Nielsen's inaugural NFL fandom rankings