Which Pro Sports Franchises Do American Fans Want Most?

For many states, professional sports are an important part of their identities – and a big part of everyday, year-round life for the people living in them.

But what about states that don’t have any pro sports teams at all? Believe it or not, twenty-four states across the country don’t have a single franchise from one of the four major sports leagues. And with both the MLB and NBA looking to expand their reach in the next few years, it’s no surprise the cries for a pro sports franchise are getting louder. 

So which pro sports leagues and franchises are fans dying to support? We surveyed 2,400 sports fans living in states without one – and here’s what we found. 

We Don’t Have Pro Teams – But We Want Them

From Wyoming to Kentucky to the easternmost tip of the country in Maine, the desire for at least one pro sports team where there are none runs rampant. 

Perhaps not shockingly, 17 of the 24 states without a professional sports franchise want a National Football League team above other sports. With so much money flowing in and out of the NFL, marketing nationwide is a breeze – and its popularity as a pro sports entity is unmatched, even in states without an organized team. 

Basketball fans in Kansas and Kentucky already have it made when it comes to collegiate teams, since both the Jayhawks and Wildcats are at the absolute top of the success list. It makes perfect sense they’re the two states who want an NBA team the most. 

On the colder, New England-y side of things, only Connecticut and New Hampshire sports fans said they’d want an NHL home team more than any other pro sport. We’re not surprised, and we can’t really blame them for wanting to break away from the stranglehold the Boston Bruins have in the region (it’s intense, people). 

The only state without a professional team that wanted an MLB franchise over the other three major sports leagues was Maine – probably because it's tired of having the Red Sox and Yankees as the best viable options (or perhaps because being on the periphery of two of the sport's most successful franchises has those Maine-iacs thinking big).

And in Our Wildest Dreams, We’d All Be Winners

The desire for a pro sports team in one’s home state is surely rooted in the idea of camaraderie, cooperation, and a great sense of competition. But let’s be honest: everyone loves to win, too. 

When asked which current teams from each league they’d most like to see relocate to their respective states, surveyed sports fans chose some top-tier champions. Two of four come from the Northeast, namely the Boston area (naturally, the fandom is intense there), with the Celtics as the NBA choice and the ubiquitous New England Patriots tops among NFL options.

MLB fans opted for a franchise a little further south. While both the Red Sox and Yankees would both be great relocation teams given their large fan bases and track records of success, the top MLB choice was the Atlanta Braves. (Maybe it's the idea of bringing the heat?) 

Keeping with that theme, two teams in the NHL – the Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes – tied for first. Whether these choices have to do with Wayne Gretzky (who coached the 'Yotes after setting dozens of NHL records as a player), Stanley Cup championships (Carolina won in 2006), or cool logos, we’re not so sure – but we’re here for it.

Pro Sports and Economic Impact: a Love Story

Perhaps the most interesting data is also the most revealing: for each of the four pro sports franchises, more than 75% of respondents believed a local team would be beneficial for their states’ economy. The NFL was at the high end with 91% saying yes, and the NHL had 76%. 

It could just be us, but the above is pretty impressive – and says a lot about the impact it could have on local economies. In fact, nearly two-thirds of respondents would root for a new team in their state over their current favorite team, and that goes for all four franchises. Whoa!

That said, 38% of MLB fans would not cheer for a new or expansion team over their favorite team, the highest percentage of all four major sports leagues.

When people are willing to trade their faraway fandom in for something closer to home that they can attend and feel a bit more connected to, it can’t be a bad thing. Many would also be willing to support using taxpayer funds to build new stomping grounds for these respective sports, with the highest percentage being 59% on board for subsidizing a local NFL stadium.

Even if you’re not a sports fan or wouldn’t dare trade in your team for a shiny new one, it’s hard to deny what a stadium and the buzz around it could bring to some of the more, shall we say, uninhabited states in the country. Iowa? Nebraska? South Dakota? Bring it on.

What Does Kentucky Have to Say?

In addition to our overarching comprehensive data, we did a deep dive on Kentucky – a state known for its love of (and dominance in) college hoops. Proof? The majority of Louisville and Kentucky fans surveyed would prefer to see an in-state NBA team ahead of the other three sports. 

Northern Kentucky fans wouldn’t mind an NHL team, though they’re the only college fan base in that camp. Overall, an NFL team is the most desired across all college fan bases, with 78% preferring a true expansion team rather than a relocation team. This is bolstered by the facts that Kentucky residents would support using taxpayer money only for an NFL stadium, and that 89% believe an NFL team would benefit their economy.)

While we’re not sure an NHL ice rink is going to be a reality anytime soon in the Bluegrass state, Kentucky sports fans as a whole said they’d be the most loyal to an NHL team. Odd, perhaps, but it makes sense: we are often most intrigued by what we know the least about, and a shiny new sport is no different. It also helps that Kentucky borders four other states with NHL teams.

Even for those who aren’t sports fans in states without professional franchises, the whole of the data serves to show that expansion and/or relocation talks are based on not just what people want, but what states might need – after all, everyone can get behind a large and local economic boost, right?

Kick off your Kentucky sports betting journey by perusing our list of the best Kentucky sports betting apps and top Kentucky sportsbook promos!

Methodology

To obtain this data, we surveyed 100 sports fans living in each state that does not have a pro sports franchise (for a total of 2,400) in September 2023. 53% of respondents identify as male, while the remaining 47% identify as female. The median age of the respondents was 40 years old.

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