Facebook<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n\nFinding out where NFL fans reside is easy with the help of data analytics. But figuring out why these fans choose the teams they do requires moving beyond the computer screen, and into the minds of NFL fans.<\/p>\n
For some sports fans, the decision to pick a team can be all about the visual aesthetics. Something as simple as the colors of a jersey can be the reason for a new fan. <\/span><\/p>\n\u201cMy dad and I watch football together,\u201d said Annie Brown, an employee for Zombie Burger + Drink Lab in Des Moines. \u201cHe really isn\u2019t for a team, but I used to like the 49ers for the colors when I was 7. Then my boyfriend got me into the Broncos.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMany NFL fans living in Iowa go through a process of elimination, knocking out teams that either aren\u2019t located close enough or that they just flat out don\u2019t like. Iowans who\u00a0don\u2019t have as much of a passion for football usually go with the teams their family members or friends follow because it\u2019s easier.<\/span><\/p>\nFor sports fans like Brown, relationships have power in deciding which team they follow. Brown mentioned that her boyfriend, Colton, is the reason her new favorite NFL team is\u00a0the Denver Broncos. He\u2019s originally from Orange City in western Iowa, and that\u2019s Broncos territory. That could be why Colton has always followed the Broncos, and, in turn, why Annie has become a Denver Broncos fan herself. <\/span><\/p>\nThen there are the more passionate NFL fans who absolutely need to pick a team to watch on game day and call their own. For some, the decision may require a lot more thinking and comparing, but for others, it may simply depend on the side of Iowa they\u2019re from. <\/span><\/p>\nThe cheeseheads of Iowa make Packers fans the third-largest fan base in the state. Patrick Wood, brand manager for the ESPN 1350 station at the Des Moines Radio Group, was born and raised in Martensdale, Iowa, about 30 minutes south of Des Moines. As shown in the above infographic, Iowa has several counties scattered all over the state that are primarily home to Packers fans. Along with influence from his central Iowa roots, Wood\u2019s devotion to the Packers comes from his grandpa.<\/span><\/p>\n NFL fans in Iowa also care about where the players started. \u201cI know a lot of people who follow Iowa or Iowa State football players to whatever team they get drafted by in the NFL,\u201d Wood said. By following players from the start, passionate Iowa NFL fans find a way to stay connected to the football culture, and even pick what team to root for based on who played on their favorite college team.<\/span><\/p>\nWood also touched on the minor league teams that come to Iowa with a professional sports team as their affiliate. \u201cHaving farm teams in other sports like the Iowa Cubs and the Iowa Wild allows for people to have an affiliation with the MLB and NBA,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\nThere are a lot of different ways to be an NFL fan in Iowa. Just talking with any Iowan can give you insight on how big of a football fan they really are, or if they even follow the NFL. Iowans have a lot of choices when it comes to football, leading to the ultimate question: Who do you got, Iowa?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>\n