[2017-18 estimates from Nielsen via TVB (.pdf))

So, during discussion with /u/JoeFlaccoIsAnEliteQB in this thread I was inspired to do a little research and rank NFL teams by (English-language) media market size — not just their primary market, but any market within a 75-mile radius of the team’s stadium. Yes, I am a data freak.

Why a 75-mile radius? Because that’s what the NFL uses to determine primary and secondary local markets for blackouts. If a media market was in the radius of more than one team, I used the team that was closest. If they seemed equidistant, I just split the market in half.

Rank	Team(s)	Pop. in TV Households (000s)	Media Market(s)
1)	New York Giants / Jets	22421	New York, Hartford-New Haven1 , Wilkes-Barre--Scranton
2)	Oakland Raiders / San Francisco 49ers	10645	San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Monterey-Salinas
3)	Chicago Bears	10606	Chicago, South Bend-Elkhart, Rockford
4)	New England Patriots	9684	Boston (Manchester), Hartford-New Haven1 , Providence-New Bedford, Springfield-Holyoke
5)	Philadelphia Eagles	8688	Philadelphia, Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York2
6)	Carolina Panthers	8152	Charlotte, Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson, Greensboro--High Point--Wiston-Salem, Columbia
7)	Dallas Cowboys	8071	Dallas-Fort Worth, Waco-Temple-Bryan, Sherman-Ada
	Detroit Lions	8032	Detroit, Flint-Saginaw-Bay City, Toledo, Lansing, Windsor
9)	Atlanta Falcons	6462	Atlanta, Macon
10)	Houston Texans	6452	Houston, Beaumont-Port Arthur
11)	Washington Redskins	5853	Washington (Hagerstown)
12)	Miami Dolphins	5722	Miami-Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce
13)	Minnesota Vikings	5073	Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Rochester-Mason City-Austin, Mankato
14)	Cleveland Browns	4794	Cleveland-Akron (Canton), Youngstown
15)	Denver Broncos	4727	Denver, Colorado Springs-Pueblo
16)	Cincinnati Bengals	4666	Cincinnati, Dayton, Lexington
17)	Seattle Seahawks4	4565	Seattle-Tacoma
18)	Arizona Cardinals	4438	Phoenix (Prescott)
19)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4417	Tampa-Saint Petersburg (Sarasota), Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne3
20)	Pittsburgh Steelers	4396	Pittsburgh, Johnstown-Altoona-State College, Wheeling-Steubenville, Clarksburg-Weston
21)	Baltimore Ravens	4248	Baltimore, Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York2 , Salisbury
22)	Green Bay Packers5	4186	Milwaukee, Green Bay-Appleton, Madison
23)	Saint Louis Rams	3986	Saint Louis, Champaign-Springfield-Decatur
24)	Jacksonville Jaguars	3660	Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne3
25)	Indianapolis Colts	3266	Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Lafayette
26)	Buffalo Bills6	2990	Buffalo, Rochester, Erie
27)	Kansas City Chiefs	2903	Kansas City, Topeka, Saint Joseph
28)	San Diego Chargers	2683	San Diego7
29)	Tennessee Titans	2667	Nashville, Bowling Green
30)	New Orleans Saints	2635	New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Biloxi-Gulfport

Split between New England and New York

² Split between Baltimore and Philadelphia

³ Split between Jacksonville and Tampa

⁴ This excludes the Vancouver media market, which is within the radius only by the southern tip of Vancouver Island. My reasoning is that a) NFL blackout rules don’t apply in Canada anyway (I was wrong) and it’s a long ferry ride from Victoria to Seattle. If I included Vancouver, Seattle would be tied with Dallas at spot 7.

⁵ I used two circles, 75 miles from each Milwaukee and Green Bay, which is what the NFL uses.

⁶ This excludes the Toronto media market, which is actually within the 75-mile circle. If I included Toronto, Buffalo would be ranked 4. It also excludes the Syracuse area which, though outside the 75-mile radius, is apparently sometimes blacked out if Buffalo doesn’t sell out.

⁷ The San Diego market in particular includes a wide swath of Mexico, including the Tijuana metro area, so I suspect there might be some Spanish-language households where they can/do watch American football, but I have no idea what number would be, nor for other teams that have a Spanish-language following. In addition, I didn’t include the Los Angeles area in the San Diego area, I guess assuming they were going to get their own team soon enough. If I included LA, it would rocket the Chargers to number 1.

Special thanks to /u/NapoleonBonerparts for first linking me to a data source.

EDIT: Formatting

EDIT 2: In case you were curious, because I was, here are the 75-mile radius market(s) that are larger than at least one of the above:

• Los Angeles (18217)
• Toronto (9787)
• San Antonio (3933)
• Raleigh (3557)
• Vancouver (3506)
• Birmingham (3435)
• Oklahoma City (3404)
• Norfolk (3195)
• Portland (3022)

If we were also to include non-English speaking households, San Juan and Montréal would be on that list, too.

EDIT 3: I suspect that there will be some consternation as to where I put some markets, like, does anyone in Pennsylvania actually root for the Jets, Giants, Bills or Ravens? I don’t know. I’m just using (somewhat) strict geography. I’d love to hear from people who actually live in those areas

EDIT 4: Thanks to /u/superbluefish for noticing that I read my source documents wrong. The numbers I have aren’t actually TV Households, but they are Population in TV Households. I’ve fixed the title, and if I can find actual Canadian TV Household data, then I will update the numbers to that instead.

Sources: Nielsen, Television Bureau of Canada, Wikipedia, the506.com

@mjp28 said:

The RNC was a huge success regardless of your party, Cleveland was packed with no problems, and plenty of national and international media was there to cover it. 

The CAVS and INDIANS have drawn well especially in the playoffs. Cleveland has also added tons of new hotel and motel rooms.

It's a real small market both as a city and sports teams but NOBODY? Wrong.  (yes it's not NYC, CHI, LA, BOS, PHI, MIA, DAL, ATL, WAS, HOU, SF, et.al. D'UH we know that)

It is NOT a "real small market"  It is one of the Top 15-20 markets in the country.   It has teams in 3 of the 4 major sports.  Consider all those that only have one.   There are only 13 markets that do have a team in all 4 major sports:   The Bay area,  LA, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Washington DC, Philly, NYC, and Boston.

Bottom line:  the draft is 98% for the local fans. It is not for drawing tourists.

Even with that...the Pro Football HOF is THE biggest "tourist" destination associated with football. And that is here. 

Where else is dedicated to just Pro Football Tourism?   Fixed site that is.  Sure, the Super Bowl draws tourists....and fans travel to different sites to see their teams.  The Browns fans travel very well...despite the shite the team management has produced the last 20 years. 

But yea, name any other fixed site aimed at football tourism......

So....the point is:  Glommie is a dumbarse in this regard:   When it comes to football touism, people DO want to come to Canton/Cleveland. More than anywhere else.

@ghoolie said:

NOBODY wants to go to Cleveland.

The RNC was a huge success regardless of your party, Cleveland was packed with no problems, and plenty of national and international media was there to cover it. 

The CAVS and INDIANS have drawn well especially in the playoffs. Cleveland has also added tons of new hotel and motel rooms.

It's a real small market both as a city and sports teams but NOBODY? Wrong.  (yes it's not NYC, CHI, LA, BOS, PHI, MIA, DAL, ATL, WAS, HOU, SF, et.al. D'UH we know that)

@ghoolie said:

NOBODY wants to go to Cleveland.

This is not an issue of   Tourism......and who says this event has ANYTHING to do with bringing in a lot of people from out of town.  This is an event for the FANS of football.  It is far, far, far more to do with having the local fans participate in this fan fair It would be for the people of Cleveland/Akron/Canton/Youngstown.......not for some farmer from Dubuque or a shite shoveler from Memphis. 

A few people from out of town may come.  And that is fine.  But primarily it has nothing to do with that.  When this event was held in Philly last year and in Chicago the year before....it was ALL about those local fans.  Not fugazis like yinz. 

@the-gipper said:

You are right....it is not tough.   It is Cleveland by a thousand million miles.   The NFL was created in NE Ohio.  It has a strong avid fan base (despite having a few FRAK arsebags like you).  It has a 100 year history of pro football.   Vegas has what?  Casinos?  We have casinos.....you can lose all the money you ever make at a casino right here in Cleveland/NE Ohio. 

Vegas someday will have the Raiders.  

But, you know....have the Mayor of Vegas call us in 100 years when it has 100 years of pro football history behind it.  And even then they might not have fans who care much.  What makes anyone think that after an initial excitement that Vegas will be any more enthusiastic about football than LA is.  And we know that LA is lethargic and apathetic.

The NFL in Vegas will just be another show.   Cirque du Soleil, Wayne Newton, Celine Dion,  Folies Bergere.    Lots of people may just opt for the Circus and the Boobs.   I would.  

NOBODY wants to go to Cleveland.

@ghoolie said:

Here is how it is determined.........................

You have 4 schidt cities, and then you have Las Vegas, new home of the Raiders.

Hmmmmmm... let me see.....Cleveland or Las Vegas...................... wow.................this IS a tough one.

You are right....it is not tough.   It is Cleveland by a thousand million miles.   The NFL was created in NE Ohio.  It has a strong avid fan base (despite having a few FRAK arsebags like you).  It has a 100 year history of pro football.   Vegas has what?  Casinos?  We have casinos.....you can lose all the money you ever make at a casino right here in Cleveland/NE Ohio. 

Vegas someday will have the Raiders.  

But, you know....have the Mayor of Vegas call us in 100 years when it has 100 years of pro football history behind it.  And even then they might not have fans who care much.  What makes anyone think that after an initial excitement that Vegas will be any more enthusiastic about football than LA is.  And we know that LA is lethargic and apathetic.

The NFL in Vegas will just be another show.   Cirque du Soleil, Wayne Newton, Celine Dion,  Folies Bergere.    Lots of people may just opt for the Circus and the Boobs.   I would.  

@ghoolie said:

Here is how it is determined.........................

You have 4 schidt cities, and then you have Las Vegas, new home of the Raiders.

Hmmmmmm... let me see.....Cleveland or Las Vegas...................... wow.................this IS a tough one.

Says the guy who lives in the Youngstown of Tennessee... 

@the-gipper said:

I wonder how this is determined.

Nevertheless...in my considered opinion.....I think they should hold the drafts, now that they are such a big thing.....in cities in which they would never likely hold a Super Bowl.

Like they did with Chicago and Philly. Except the arse kisssers had to kiss Jerry Jones's arse and hold this next one in Dallas...because they are such gutless wonders.

But, heretofore, they should NOT  hold them in Miami, Jax. Tampa, Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, LA, SF Bay...or Las Vegas, or in dome cities like Minneapolis, Indy....places where they have and may again host Super Bowls.  What about Detroit? Is that a dome? I know they had a SB in the old Silverdome. Also not sure about Seattle.  I don't think they are in a dome there now that the Kingdome is gone.  Would they hold a SB in Seattle?

But certainly:  Denver, KC, Cleveland/Canton, Chicago, Cincy, Pittspuke, Philly, DC, Baltimore, Buffalo, Boston....maybe Charlotte, Nashville...and NYC.

And....at some point they must hold one in Green Bay.

Here is how it is determined.........................

You have 4 schidt cities, and then you have Las Vegas, new home of the Raiders.

Hmmmmmm... let me see.....Cleveland or Las Vegas...................... wow.................this IS a tough one.

@mjp28 said:

It would be great for Canton and NE Ohio.

More cowbells & this guy   

   Nobodies leaving!!

@gumby73 said:

Moving it to Canton day 3 may not be a bad idea?. 1)it's never been done 2) Roger has seen the attendance in day 3. Adding maybe a new surrounding area,Football HOF with fairgrounds attractions.Hell, It just may work!!

It would be great for Canton and NE Ohio.

........edit add, sports viewership is on the decline everywhere NASCAR, Kentucky Derby, professional boxing, golf and more. NEW generation they lose interest in anything after 60 seconds. 

Also the SB viewership has gone straight up since 2005 EXCEPT the last three years of decline, the NFL is concerned.....they should be!  https://www.statista.com/statistics/216526/super-bowl-us-tv-viewership/

@mjp28 said:

I'll ammend it to viewership and more big market attraction in a way, anything in the bigger markets particularly in the East or West Coast cities. Bias, probably true but the overall walk up and viewers I'M GUESSING would be stronger in NY, BOS, PHIL LA than KC, CLE. (I'm guessing I'm right.)

And they want casual fans in days 1 and 2 primetime and not like the old 1 only on the weekend starting at noon or 11 am. You can bet on that!

Well...I am guessing you are completely dead wrong. 

That would be like saying:   don't hold the Super Bowl in smaller markets like New Orleans or Tampa or Jacksonville because we don't think viewership would be as high for games held in those locations.  

Horse hockey......they just held the Super Bowl in a market about the same size as Cleveland.  Absolutely no concern about viewership there.  And those SBs held in New Orleans?  Absurd that they should do that.....they would be better off holding it in bigger markets....like Norfolk, Birmingham Ala. Greensboro NC, Harrisburg, Salt Lake City, Austin, Raleigh, Hartford, Grand Rapids....all bigger markets than New Orleans. 

@the-gipper said:

YES....viewership.....but the freeking NFL will get their viewership no matter where they hold that draft...big market, small market....whogivesashitmarket. 

(also...I can guarangoddamtee you that there ain't no casual fans tuning in on day 3 of the draft....not really.  Nerdniks like you and I may do that, but not casual fans.)

Moving it to Canton day 3 may not be a bad idea?. 1)it's never been done 2) Roger has seen the attendance in day 3. Adding maybe a new surrounding area,Football HOF with fairgrounds attractions.Hell, It just may work!!

@the-gipper said:

YES....viewership.....but the freeking NFL will get their viewership no matter where they hold that draft...big market, small market....whogivesashitmarket. 

(also...I can guarangoddamtee you that there ain't no casual fans tuning in on day 3 of the draft....not really.  Nerdniks like you and I may do that, but not casual fans.)

I'll ammend it to viewership and more big market attraction in a way, anything in the bigger markets particularly in the East or West Coast cities. Bias, probably true but the overall walk up and viewers I'M GUESSING would be stronger in NY, BOS, PHIL LA than KC, CLE. (I'm guessing I'm right.)

And they want casual fans in days 1 and 2 primetime and not like the old 1 only on the weekend starting at noon or 11 am. You can bet on that!

@mjp28 said:

Why do you think the NFL moved the draft from Saturday/Sunday on ESPN to prime time over three days? VIEWERSHIP and mo' money.

Now I do believe they will move the draft around to smaller markets but the underlying reason is still to strengthen the brand and try to keep interest up in the falling regular season viewing habits of the loyal and more importantly casual fans.

YES....viewership.....but the freeking NFL will get their viewership no matter where they hold that draft...big market, small market....whogivesashitmarket. 

(also...I can guarangoddamtee you that there ain't no casual fans tuning in on day 3 of the draft....not really.  Nerdniks like you and I may do that, but not casual fans.)

@the-gipper said:

Why do you think the NFL moved the draft from Saturday/Sunday on ESPN to prime time over three days? VIEWERSHIP and mo' money.

Now I do believe they will move the draft around to smaller markets but the underlying reason is still to strengthen the brand and try to keep interest up in the falling regular season viewing habits of the loyal and more importantly casual fans.

@mjp28 said:

And the NFL plus the host TV network and their various platforms are still now and always concerned #1 with ratings! NY, CHI, PHI or CLE? Hmmmmmm.

Are you implying that the ratings for the NFL draft is dependent on which market the draft takes place in?  I don't think anything can be further from the truth.

Sure the diehards like most of us will watch it all but they want as many people as possible to tune in.....or login or whatever. 

Again....explain how it matters where it is held.  You are not going to get casual fans tuning in on the NFL draft because it is held in Dallas vs. Green Bay.

Fairness is generally emphasized in kindergarten, Suze it's Johnny's turn, dammit now let him play! Oooops maybe not dammit in kindergarten. 

Hopefully Cleveland gets their turn.

When it comes to economic return to a community.....loyalty/enthusiasm for the sport....you bet your arse this is like kindergarten.

@the-gipper said:

My point is that they should award this event to cities which....at this point....are never likely to be awarded a Super Bowl game.  The Super Bowl is the BIGGEST  event in the NFL calendar....and it is only mostly southern tier cities or cities with domes that will have a Super Bowl awarded to them. Its not that I want to deprive them of this event.....but face it....cities like Cleveland, Chicago, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Philly etc. ARE deprived from the right to host a Super Bowl.   So to have the draft in those cities is simply a method of "spreading the wealth/joy". 

And the NFL plus the host TV network and their various platforms are still now and always concerned #1 with ratings! NY, CHI, PHI or CLE? Hmmmmmm.

Sure the diehards like most of us will watch it all but they want as many people as possible to tune in.....or login or whatever. 

Fairness is generally emphasized in kindergarten, Suze it's Johnny's turn, dammit now let him play! Oooops maybe not dammit in kindergarten. 

Hopefully Cleveland gets their turn.

@ballpeen said:

I don't think ANY city should be excluded for stupid reasons, like having a dome or not being in the league long enough.

2020 sounds like a good year for northeast Ohio to host.

My point is that they should award this event to cities which....at this point....are never likely to be awarded a Super Bowl game.  The Super Bowl is the BIGGEST  event in the NFL calendar....and it is only mostly southern tier cities or cities with domes that will have a Super Bowl awarded to them. Its not that I want to deprive them of this event.....but face it....cities like Cleveland, Chicago, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Philly etc. ARE deprived from the right to host a Super Bowl.   So to have the draft in those cities is simply a method of "spreading the wealth/joy". 

2020 sounds like a good year for northeast Ohio to host.

@the-gipper said:

They would not have to book rooms in both towns....you see, they have these things called automobiles.....devices that take you from place to place that are not walkable generally.  Cleveland and Canton are only like 60 miles apart.  One can drive to both locations reasonably and quickly.  And, they can get a room in Akron....about equidistant from the two.

my post can only look at this as a out of state fan like I was in Philly. It sounds not to be so fan friendly to out of state travelers.that's all. Just sounds more of Extra Cost in favor to the Buckeye State? instead of 1 stop & walk Philly. The NFL Experience is a park full of endless exhibits during all days.With real players,SB rings & Trophy. Lots of 2 days of walking,drinking to a build up to standing & watching a 4.5 hour concert nightly. You need a room/RV just to chill away for awhile. A Real Combine track & field for fans is set-up with all combine events. It's Cool. I hope that Baker does not present this as only using it as a final attraction to Canton?..Maybe the NFL splits it between 2 venues? maybe tight-arrsss Roger can afford 2?      

@canton-dawg said:

The last time I looked at the numbers, the HOF drew roughly 100k - 150k people. Not to mention, that Akron hosts the NEC World Series of Golf during that same week. The local Akron-Canton hotels fill up quickly, but Cleveland and Youngstown pick up the excess. There’s sufficient accommodations in NE Ohio to handle this.

125k for day 3 sounds to be plenty of room for round 3 thru 7..It's a lot of NFL long snappers doing card tricks on stage to kill TV time

@gumby73 said:

3 days event turns into 4/5 day...Chicago attendance was 225K. Philly was 250K. not a hotel room available in site for miles.(i booked 8 months early) Can Canton handle that? Seems Baker knows the attendance is lighter day 3 for move to Canton area then..City of Cleveland/ like Chicago/Philly has the high rise hotels that can handle the first 2 days of a zoo of people. And I mean Zoo.

The last time I looked at the numbers, the HOF drew roughly 100k - 150k people. Not to mention, that Akron hosts the NEC World Series of Golf during that same week. The local Akron-Canton hotels fill up quickly, but Cleveland and Youngstown pick up the excess. There’s sufficient accommodations in NE Ohio to handle this.