Custom Ink (yeah, the online retailer which makes custom T-shirts and such) is getting noticed for a survey the company conducted using Google search interest data to determine the most popular non-local NFL team for each state. Why they conducted the study is a bit of a mystery, but the results they released were certainly interesting.
The Dallas Cowboys are the self-declared "America's Team." According to the survey, that may not actually be the case. It turns out the San Francisco 49ers are the most popular out-of-state team. They represent seven states, which was tops among NFL teams. San Francisco was followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, which were represented by six states each. The Cowboys came in fifth.
Interestingly, the 49ers' home state, California, is ripe with Giants fans, according to the survey, while New York has a heavy population of Niner fans. Other states where the 49ers are the most popular non-local NFL team are Washington, Idaho, Texas, Louisiana, Vermont, and Hawaii.
Neither Idaho, Vermont, nor Hawaii have an NFL team, which would make the 49ers the most popular NFL team in those states. Anyone who has been to Hawaii can confirm that the 49ers have a significant following there.
As for the rest of the NFC West, the Rams secured five territories (Arizona, Alabama, New Hampshire, Wyoming, and Washington D.C.) within the survey while the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals were not represented at all.
Here are the top eight teams from the survey.
Here are the top out-of-state teams represented on a map.
Here are the top teams by region.
The full study and all of the graphics can be found here at Custom Ink.
H/t to The Score for the find.