The New York Times recently released a map detailing the popularity of NBA franchises across the nation. The data was collected via likes on Facebook, so while it may not be exact, it offers a unique look at which teams have a stranglehold on certain regions, and how far of a reach certain franchises popularity has.
Looking at the map, you immediately notice one thing; there’s a lot of purple. Despite a terrible season, the Los Angeles Lakers not only seem to be LA’s team, the Clippers don’t even register on the map, but also America’s team. It’s interesting that most regions without their own team seem to gravitate towards the Laker franchise.
The one team challenging the Lakers for nationwide supremacy is unsurprisingly the Miami Heat. With the Heat having more popularity than franchises like the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, this study also seems to show that there are a lot of bandwagon fans across the nation.
One team that you may not be seeing on the map is the Toronto Raptors. Don’t worry Raps fans, the Times has notes on your fanbase as well.
Not surprisingly, Facebook users in Toronto and across much of Canada have thrown in with the Raptors.
However popular they are in Canada, the Raptors have little support south of the border.
Other interesting notes are the San Antonio Spurs owning most of Texas, and the Chicago Bulls basically owning the midwest. Despite not winning a title since Michael Jordan left the team, His Airness has left a core fanbase in the midwest that leaks into most of Indiana as well. In fact the Pacers core fanbase seems to only be in the city of Indianapolis.
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers struggles and Heat success affect this map in the next couple of years. If there’s one thing that this map shows it’s that NBA fans seem to be front-runners to an extent.