It’s not difficult to discern which professional teams are the most popular in a given region. Just look at the way the win-loss record goes. Sports fans tend to be fickle these days, especially on a short-term basis. Long term? It’s a different story.
Still, it’s far more nuanced than that in Ohio where a recent USA TODAY story definitively stated, based on Google Trends, that the Browns are the most popular team in the state today. However, fandom in the Buckeye state is a bit more complicated.
NFL fans in Ohio are a bit more divided over the past five seasons going back to 2021. The Browns are popular, but…other teams…cough…Pittsburgh Steelers…cough…Cincinnati Bengals are in a similar orbit and it varies from border to border.
The Browns are popular in Ohio despite little success over five seasons…but
The Browns are popular exactly where anyone would expect them to be. In the Northeast Ohio area encompassing Cleveland-Akron-Canton they dominate.
In that timeframe, according to the trends, their interest is eclipsed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in areas near the eastern border such as Youngstown and the Steubenville-Wheeling W. Va. regions. That’s not really a shock given the proximity to the Steel City.
As for the Bengals, they own the Cincinnati-Dayton area and other western portions of Ohio, such as Lima. It would seem the title of most popular team in the state would be due to migration out of Northeast Ohio and entrenched fandom that remembers the team’s glory years.
The Browns have a chance to reclaim some of that glory and fandom
The AFC North is locked in a scrum with the Browns, Steelers and Baltimore Ravens all sitting at 4-2 and Cincinnati Bengals, on a bye this past weekend, close behind at 3-2. The Browns currently can claim first in the division based on tie-breakers. And right now, at this moment in time, are the surprise story in the NFL and Sunday’s 13-10 win over division nemesis Baltimore Ravens Sunday, Oct. 19.
Where did the Browns rank in Ohio after beating the Baltimore Ravens?
Everyone in Northeast Ohio loved the Browns after they beat the Baltimore Ravens in an old-fashioned AFC North grind-it-out battle. You know the type, sleep for three quarters then wake up for the fourth?
Not surprisingly in the Cleveland-Akron area, the Browns rule – at least this Monday. Dig a little deeper however, and they do not own all of Ohio. In fact, the Pittsburgh Steelers were more popular this weekend after they beat the Tampa Buccaneers in Youngstown and Zanesville.
It’s of little surprise given the proximity to the state’s eastern border of those areas. Never mind the Steelers record of Super Bowl wins and the lack of that hardware for the Browns have undoubtedly flipped some fans through the years.
Where do the Cincinnati Bengals rank on this list?
It’s of little surprise the Bengals dominate in the Cincinnati-Dayton area, their home region. What is more interesting, according to Google Trends from the weekend, they are more popular, based on search, than the Browns in Zanesville and Columbus.
The Bengals also are considered the favorite pro team for Kentucky.
In short: success matters and right now the Browns are on a bit of a run given their record. About the only thing the state’s football fans can agree upon and that almost everyone loves the Ohio State Buckeyes.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns are Ohio’s most popular NFL team, but not everywhere