Where did the Arizona Cardinals land on the inaugural “Nielsen Scarborough NFL Fandom Index” rankings? Here are a couple of hints — they weren’t No. 1, and they weren’t dead last.
Nielsen, the audience-measurement company that tracks television ratings, conducted a comprehensive study to help determine the most avid NFL markets based on eight key metrics:
- apparel purchases
- general interest levels
- live event attendance
- betting intent
- social media engagement
- radio listenership
- streaming habits
- linear TV viewership
The Cardinals, represented by the Phoenix metropolitan market, came in 25th with an index point total of 101. Nielsen’s average index was set at 100.
Nielson’s top-five rankings, in order, were: the Buffalo Bills (208 points), Kansas City Chiefs (194), Green Bay Packers (172), Cincinnati Bengals (160) and Philadelphia Eagles (151). Rounding out the Top 10 markets were Pittsburgh (148), Baltimore
(144), Detroit (141), New Orleans (141) and Cleveland/Akron (134).
The bottom five markets after Phoenix were Tampa/St. Petersburg (100), San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose (97), Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (87), Los Angeles (86) and New York (85).
Nielsen’s data indicate that America’s most avid fans are often found in the heart of its midsized markets, where only one NFL franchise is typically located. Those places typically feature strong local identities, fewer entertainment options elsewhere, and, as Nielsen noted, that concentrated loyalty pattern “inflates per-capita engagement.”
The NFL recorded its second-best viewership season ever in 2025, with an average of 18.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen. The 1989 season averaged 19 million viewers, per Nielsen.
Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic .Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM) and every Thursday on the Doug Franz Unplugged podcast via Apple or Spotify.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's where this Nielsen NFL fan measurement ranks the Phoenix market
