{"id":92138,"date":"2026-05-04T00:49:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/?p=92138"},"modified":"2026-05-17T12:03:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T17:03:44","slug":"a-tale-of-two-teams-and-their-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/05\/a-tale-of-two-teams-and-their-fans.html","title":{"rendered":"A tale of two teams \u2013 and their fans"},"content":{"rendered":"

The word fan<\/em> comes from the word fanatic<\/em>, meaning an enthusiastic devotee, usually as a spectator. And on Sunday, February 13, there will be inspiring moments both on the field and on screen\u2014for fans around the globe to experience.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, the NFL is the most popular sports league among Americans; 92 of the top 100 most watched telecasts in 2021 were either live NFL games or NFL studio programming. What is surprising, however, is that the two teams headed to Super Bowl LVI rank 27 and 29 (in terms of the number of\u00a0fans) among the 32 teams in the NFL. But we know it takes a lot more than a fanbase to get to the big game. That said, these two teams have the opportunity to gain some new fans amid the season-ending hype. While this is a tale of two teams, it\u2019s also an epic matchup of two dynamic quarterbacks and<\/em> their conference-winning teams. <\/p>\n

First, we have the Cincinnati Bengals: an \u201cagainst all odds\u201d team with an offensive Rookie of the Year wideout, an All-Pro running back and a defensive line\u2013with two of the NFL\u2019s sack leaders\u2013all guided by a Joe Cool quarterback versus the Los Angeles Rams: a team formed through a compilation of coincidences; garnering an outstanding quarterback, supported by a defensive lineup of superstars and a wide receiver\u2014coincidentally from the other<\/em> Ohio NFL team, the Cleveland Browns. Add another coincidence to the list for this Rams team: they will play with a home-field advantage, as the league determined the game would be played at SoFi Stadium well before the 2021-22 season began.  <\/p>\n

Fandom growing outside the U.S.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

And this Super Bowl experience for fans is going to be exciting everywhere\u2014with NFL.com touting the 2022 ways to watch the Super Bowl<\/a> across countries and languages. While the NFL is historically an “American” sport, it does have a very large global fanbase, with fandom growing globally through its international games in Mexico and the U.K.<\/p>\n

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National fans<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the U.S. alone, sports programming <\/a>accounted for 98% of the most-viewed programs across broadcast and 72% of the most-viewed programs on cable television between January and September 2021, with last year\u2019s Super Bowl LV accounting for 20.3 billion minutes viewed. Despite both teams\u2019 rank in fanbases, the NFL is still the most popular sport in both Cincinnati and Los Angeles, with interest levels the highest for the NFL in both markets, trailed only by Major League Baseball. <\/p>\n

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Is it really about the game\u2013or the ads?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With the NFL enjoying a big increase in regular season TV viewership<\/a>, the Super Bowl LVI ad game<\/a> got off to an early start this year, and the final handful of ad units available were sold just last week, securing as much as $7 million for 30-second spots.<\/a><\/p>\n

As brands seek ways to establish deeper, more personalized connections with consumers, awareness and engagement remain paramount. Now, given the wealth of information known about consumers, marketers can do more. In a recent interview with Forbes<\/a>, Nielsen CMCO Jamie Moldafsky highlighted how consumers increasingly expect brands to understand them better, including their shopping behaviors, attitudes, needs and interests. With that data in hand, brands can put consumers at the center of their strategies and campaigns to create experiences that matter. Importantly, marketers must be more focused than ever on their target market, desired behaviors and a real-time insight. And while many people focus on the on-field action of the Super Bowl, many think of the ads.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at some of the highest spending brand categories during the 2021 NFL regular season and see how they compare to purchase habits of Super Bowl watchers. <\/p>\n

Automobiles <\/strong><\/h4>\n

The automotive category spent nearly $1 billion on ad spots during NFL games and pre\/post game shows across factories, dealerships, dealership associations, and automotive accessories\u2013putting autos as the top brand category in terms of ad spend in the 2021 regular season. That spend will play well among the 19.5 million Super Bowl watchers who plan to get a vehicle in the next 12 months, per Nielsen Scarborough: 18.8% plan on getting a new\/used\/leased vehicle, 5% above the general population, and 43% of those plan on getting a new\/used\/leased vehicle.<\/p>\n

Of those planning to buy a new vehicle, SUVs, pickup trucks, and midsize cars are the most popular among Super Bowl watchers: <\/p>\n