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Bills ranked 19th best fan base


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9 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

These are the same flawed "stats" people often use to quantify fan-dom.

They heavily favor large markets and teams who are good/bandwagoners

 

To me, the best gauge of a fan base is to view how the fans are during the lean years.

 

Exactly, this came up in last year’s article.  It’s not accurate, and who cares.  We know we have great fans.

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these measures would bode better for bills if "per capita"....(a percent of our population)

 

this model is skewed based on raw population......its hard for 1 million possible  bills fans to out spend or out use social media vs  10 million possible NY Giant fans

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10 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

These are the same flawed "stats" people often use to quantify fan-dom.

They heavily favor large markets and teams who are good/bandwagoners

 

To me, the best gauge of a fan base is to view how the fans are during the lean years.

Like when 20,000 would show up at Rich during '84 and '85 seasons.....and I was one of them

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10 hours ago, End The Drought said:

 

First let's start with the sports powerhouse that is Emory University opining on an athletic topic. 

 

Second in reading the article .. as mentioned some stats are economically driven (Jersey sales, etc.) which our AWESOME smaller market team won't compete.

 

But the Road Equity stat involves measuring how well a team draws on the road, adjusting for team performance and we rank 13th ... now those that have been to a Bills Road Game knows how well the Mafia represents on the road .. now imagine if our Road Record last year wasn't 2-6 where that rank could be.

 

Can't wait for Thanksgiving to hopefully improve our Road Equity stat against the Boys ... Cole Beasley's homecoming game!

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11 hours ago, TigerJ said:

Hard to comment on it without knowing more detail (yes - I looked at the article).  I would say, considering Buffalo is a small market team, 19th is not too bad.

I was wondering if the study was skewered by market size. Did he use raw numbers or per capita? If it's in the article, feel free to slap me down - I didn't read the whole thing. 

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12 hours ago, TigerJ said:

Hard to comment on it without knowing more detail (yes - I looked at the article).  I would say, considering Buffalo is a small market team, 19th is not too bad.

Being the best fan base should have absolutely nothing with market size.

The best fan base supports their product through all the ups and downs and should have zero to do with generating revenue.

 

I haven’t read the article but it’s likely the same conclusions based upon a team winning. Like the clown who insisted New England had the best fan base. The band wagon fan bases like Hartford, I mean Boston.

 

Just read it, as suspected it has to do with dollars. What does drawing on the road have to do with having a good fan base? Winning teams draw well on the road. People hate the Patriots everywhere I go.

Hes generalizing fans as nation wide based upon silly stats and it gets press.

Its a poor indication of fandom and this terrible study will get regurgitated by the national media for months.

 

Edited by dlonce
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12 hours ago, GoBills808 said:

Dolphins...ranked 14...is major fail

 

 

That, GB.  That right there above.

 

That is absolutely how you know this is a scam.  No way a casual observer would believe the above, let alone someone during research on this topic.  

 

There fanbase has been proven on multiple occasions to be a charade and made up out of big company dollars.   

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Who cares really? In my 20s maybe I cared about the rest of the nation recognizing how great Bills fans were but now in my 40s I look at it like our own private club... When we start winning on a consistent basis (Chan Gailey voice), it will be EASY to pick out the “new supporters”...

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13 hours ago, End The Drought said:

 

 

yeah the metrics they apply to best fans are quite lame

 

Fan Equity is a matter of judging how well fans support their team by backing up their words with dollars — i.e., how much they spend on everything from season tickets to jerseys. If a team fills its stadium but there’s not much demand past that, their Fan Equity score is lower.  Translation Large market teams with higher median wages

Social Equity is based on a team’s social media reach — i.e., how many followers the team has across various social media channels. A team that’s not able to draw many followers on social isn’t a team with a deep degree of Social Equity. Translation Large market teams that get more airtime nationally and internationally. And/or teams that are presently riding winning traditions

Road Equity involves measuring how well a team draws on the road, adjusting for team performance. People show up to watch when the Cowboys or Steelers come to town. People don’t show up to watch when, say, the Bengals or Titans do. (Sorry, Cincy and Tennessee, but you know it’s true.) Translation Large market teams that get more airtime nationally and internationally. And/or teams that are presently riding winning traditions

Edited by ddaryl
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This measurement is more about which team generates the most interest than who has the "best fan base".

 

This is click bait wrapped the the veneer of academia.

 

 

wrong!.jpg

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This study is a load of crap.  I've been to games in many stadiums with many different fan bases.  I've been to see the Bills in London.  Bills fans have always been represented in very significant numbers, regardless of the team's record.  Living in Florida, I've been to a number of games in Miami.  They don't sell out their games and maybe up to a third of the attendance is from opposing teams.  It may even be higher than that when the Cheatriots or one of the New York ( Jersey ) teams are there. 

 

 

Trying to quantify support from a fan base is illusive at best.  As someone stated earlier, attendance during bad years and support on the road is part of it.  Enthusiasm; before, during and after the games is the intangible that really tells the story about a fan base.

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 A true judge of a fan base can be calculated using a proportion of a fans whom proudly still support their team after 17 consecutive non playoff seasons in a small market city. When the fan base still shows up and still wears their colors with pride in other cities etc.. even when faced with the obvious aggravation of opposing fans ripping on your ass constantly, then you have a true metric correlating to the most diehard fandom

Edited by ddaryl
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2 hours ago, dlonce said:

Being the best fan base should have absolutely nothing with market size.

The best fan base supports their product through all the ups and downs and should have zero to do with generating revenue.

 

I haven’t read the article but it’s likely the same conclusions based upon a team winning. Like the clown who insisted New England had the best fan base. The band wagon fan bases like Hartford, I mean Boston.

 

Just read it, as suspected it has to do with dollars. What does drawing on the road have to do with having a good fan base? Winning teams draw well on the road. People hate the Patriots everywhere I go.

Hes generalizing fans as nation wide based upon silly stats and it gets press.

Its a poor indication of fandom and this terrible study will get regurgitated by the national media for months.

 

As you observe, the study's author uses metrics that are clearly based on market size and area economic conditions.  You can argue the legitimacy of the study, but given his choice of metrics, a ranking of 19th is pretty darn good.

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4 hours ago, papazoid said:

these measures would bode better for bills if "per capita"....(a percent of our population)

 

this model is skewed based on raw population......its hard for 1 million possible  bills fans to out spend or out use social media vs  10 million possible NY Giant fans

Muhammad Ali would have been able to pummel sugar Ray Leonard.   Just a fact.  A big part of the reason is that Ali was much bigger.  You can have discussions about  hypothetical “pound for pound” arguments.  But those don’t change the fact about who could pummel whom 

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4 hours ago, HuSeYiN_NYC said:

Who cares really? In my 20s maybe I cared about the rest of the nation recognizing how great Bills fans were but now in my 40s I look at it like our own private club... When we start winning on a consistent basis (Chan Gailey voice), it will be EASY to pick out the “new supporters”...

 

I find it an interesting topic... and it bothers me when people try to measure fanbases by the way of raw merchandise sales or twitter mentions.  I am a "big" fan of the Sabres and Bills. Im not sure I ever posted about them on social media.  Maybe a quick snap from the Bills home opener every year.  Ive noticed the people who post about their sports teams a lot on social media (general SM like FB, Twitter, etc) are people who aren't a big fan or knowledgeable, but just want to compensate and establish themself on the bandwagon.

 

I dont really desire to be known as the best fan base... and try to defend it at any perceived slight.  Bills fans get plenty of accolades.  I actually think Sabres fans are overrated (Im a Sabres fan).  

 

I dont think it could be really quantified.  Especially with 'sales'.  Im 40.  How many kids' parents would buy them all sorts of Chicago Bulls crap to wear or posters for their lockers?  Big fans?  Or front runners who are nowhere to be seen post-Jordan? 

Edited by May Day 10
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Dr. Lewis's methodology is just plain wrong.  As ddaryl points out,  Fan Equity, Social Equity, and Road Equity don't measure the right things.  And to add to ddaryl's criticisms, how well a team draws on the road has little to do with the team's fans.  People go to Pats games when they're on the road for many reasons other than they're Pats fans. 

 

If I were to rank NFL fans, I'd try to measure two unmeasureable traits: loyalty and mania.


Loyalty - How much do fans support the team in bad years?   Do the fans stay loyal to their team when circumstances change (place of residence, marriage, etc)?

 

Mania - How rabid are  the fans?  How emotionally invested?   How loud and crazy?

 

I can't objectively prove my point but my subjective impression is that the Bills mafia rates high in both areas.  

 

 

Edited by hondo in seattle
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