Newly released data shows which American cities have the most passionate fanbases in the NFL

It's an age-old question that's divided sports fans for decades: which city or team has the most passionate fanbases?

Those metrics include "apparel purchases, general interest levels, live event attendance, betting intent, social media engagement, radio listenership, streaming habits, and linear TV viewership." What "general interest levels" measure is not clear, nor is how they weighted those metrics to calculate their rankings.

But what is clear is that the smaller- or mid-market teams enjoy the highest level of fan engagement and interest, which isn't too surprising given some obvious advantages they have over larger cities. Here's how Nielsen ranked the 30 markets and the "average index" based on their chosen factors.

There are several interesting data points here, and Nielsen did provide a bit of background data that demonstrates how factors can influence the rankings.

First, the small markets dominate in part because there's less competition. Fewer entertainment options, particularly in fall and winter in the upper Midwest, lead to more focused interest on the local NFL team. Nielsen, in its report, says cities like Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland achieved their scores thanks to the number of fans listening on local radio, watching on television, or attending games, relative to the size of their markets.

Local television viewership in Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, as well as Green Bay, Buffalo, and Kansas City, is unsurprisingly higher than in the larger markets. They also called out Detroit and Green Bay for both ranking in the top five in merchandise purchases. No doubt helped by the Lions recent success, and Green Bay's consistent track record.

On the other hand, larger markets, or those with a substantial transplant population, do not fare nearly as well. NFL teams in Miami, LA, San Francisco, Tampa, and New York have stiff competition for outside entertainment, have large communities from other parts of the country, and are loaded with teams in other sports.

For all the , often deservedly, negative aspects of their reputation, kudos to Philadelphia Eagles fans. Even with the distractions that come in a large market, Philly ranks among the top five fanbases. Nielsen reported that it does not lead "a single metric outright," but landed in the top five in "five of the eight questions the index tracks."

And thanks to this ranking, they may not have Super Bowl-winning bragging rights, but the Bills Mafia can now at least say they're the best fans in the NFL and bring some data to back it up.