A Harvard study has taken a fresh look at the political leanings of NFL fan bases, and the results put a familiar regional pattern on display. Across the league, the picture is mixed, but the teams that land near the top of the Republican side are heavily concentrated in the South and Midwest.
The Tennessee Titans sit at No. 1 on the list of the NFL’s most Republican-leaning fan bases. Right behind them are the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 2 and the Cincinnati Bengals at No.
- The Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers complete the top five, followed by the New Orleans Saints at No. 6, the Indianapolis Colts at No. 7, the Carolina Panthers at No. 8, the Minnesota Vikings at No. 9 and the Cleveland Browns at No.
The Kansas City Chiefs come in just outside that group at No. 11, which still places them among the more Republican-leaning fan bases in the league. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has kept his distance from political endorsements, and he explained why in a 2024 interview: “I think I’ve always said I don’t want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do whatever either way,” Mahomes said. He added, “I think my place is to inform people to get registered to vote, is to inform people to do their own research and then make their best decision for them and their family,” Mahomes added.
The broader takeaway from the study is that geography matters. Fan bases often reflect the politics of the states and regions where their teams are based. Even so, the rankings only point to general trends across large groups, not the views of every individual fan.
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The interior defensive line has helped set the tone, the edge rushers have supplied pressure, and the linebacker group has given the defense some needed range behind them. There are still questions in the secondary, where the cornerbacks and safeties have had moments that deserve a closer look, but the bigger picture for Kansas City is fairly clear: the defense is providing more hope than worry, even if the season is still early enough for that balance to change quickly. [Read more 🡒]