What Are America’s Most Stressed Fan Bases?
It’s safe to say that supporting any sports team can take you through a roller-coaster of emotions. One minute you’re riding high off the latest win and the next you’re at an all-time low as your team just missed out on winning that season’s cup.
And we get it, sports can be an intense and tricky business for those playing. But thanks to social media, it’s become that much easier for fans to criticize (and praise) teams from the comforts of their homes, giving their feedback the power to reach the teams and even individual players.
But just which fan base is the most stressed out in America?
To find out, we created an index to see which team across the four big leagues in America (NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB) had the most stressed fan base. Our goal was to collect factors that could be indexed towards stress levels, such as average attendance, games lost (23/24 season), positive and negative mentions online, positive and negative sentiment, and their last championship win (or if they’ve ever won the major prize for the respective league).
Each team was then given a total score out of 100 – the higher the score, the more stressed the team’s fan base.
Take a look below to see which teams and fan bases scored the highest!
The Most Stressed Fan Bases Across the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB
Let’s begin by ranking teams across the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB to determine the 10 most stressed fan bases overall.
Spoiler alert – out of the top 20, nine teams were in the NFL and nine were in the NBA, leaving only one in the NHL and one in the MLB to rank amongst the most stressed fan bases.
For the most part, this domination by the NFL and NBA is likely due to these sports having bigger fan bases. However, the San Jose Sharks of the NHL take the number one slot for most-stressed fans, which is largely due to the lowest average attendance in the NHL, 63 games lost in the last season, and the fact that they’ve never, ever, won a Stanley Cup.
It's also worth noting that, out of the top 20 most stressed fanbases, only six teams have won a championship (Washington Wizards, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bears, and Las Vegas Raiders), with the Detroit Pistons being the only team in the top 20 to win a championship this millennium.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, the Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) have the least stressed fan base across the four leagues, with a very low score of 20.26 out of 100.
The Top-10 Most Stressed NFL Teams
Now let’s focus on the NFL specifically to find out which football teams have the most stressed fan base.
Out of the top 10, only three teams (Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, and Las Vegas Raiders) have won a Super Bowl. Meanwhile, five of the teams (Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, and Chicago Bears) have lost in the Super Bowl since 2000.
Certain unforgettable factors add to these scores, such as when the Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 in Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills went to four straight Super Bowls between 1990-1993, losing each one, and haven’t been to the Super Bowl since.
As for Chicago Bears supporters, many seemed unhappy with Matt Eberflus as the Head Coach, as they felt his methods could waste the talents of rookie sensation, Caleb Williams before he was terminated from his role.
On a more positive note, the Dallas Cowboys are the least stressed team in the NFL with a score of 43.42 out of 100. This is thanks to 829,000 positive mentions online, despite having not won a Super Bowl since 1995.
The Top-10 Most Stressed NBA Teams
Moving on to the NBA, the Memphis Grizzlies, who top the rankings as the most stressed team, have made just one appearance in the Conference Finals, being swept 4-0 by the San Antonio Spurs in 2013.
But you might also not have known that the Indiana Pacers have never won an NBA Championship despite having Hall of Famer Reggie Miller on their roster from 1987-2005. They also haven’t been to the finals since 2000. This combination places them as the third-most stressed basketball team.
Meanwhile, in the past five seasons, the Detroit Pistons have had one of the worst records in the Eastern Conference.
It’s also worth noting that the Minnesota Timberwolves traded their best player Karl Anthony-Towns in the recent off-season. This understandably contributes to the high levels of stress felt by their fan base.
As for the least stressed team, the current NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, received a score of 33.52 out of 100, showing just how laid back their fan base appears to be.
The Top-10 Most Stressed NHL Teams
Remember when we said that the San Jose Sharks are the most stressed team out of all four big leagues? Let’s take a look at the rest of the NHL to see which other teams make the top 10.
For starters, the San Jose Sharks have been in the NHL since 1991 but have yet to win a Stanley Cup. They came close in 2016, reaching the Finals, only to lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This long wait for a championship can be stressful for fans who yearn for a breakthrough. The Sharks also haven't reached the playoffs since the 2019 season.
The Ottawa Senators have struggled to make the playoffs in recent years, with their last appearance in 2017. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabers have the longest active playoff drought in the NHL, missing the postseason since 2011.
It’s also been bad news for the Columbus Blue Jackets too, as they lost star players such as Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky in recent years and haven't reached the playoffs since 2020.
The New York Islanders reached back-to-back Conference Finals in 2020 and 2021 but fell short of the Stanley Cup Finals. They sacked coach Barry Trotz in 2022 as well, which was a shock to fans.
And finally, the Toronto Maple Leafs are an Original Six team, but they haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967, the longest drought in the league. Then there’s the Vancouver Canucks, who have been to the Finals three times (most recently in 2011) but have never captured the championship.
But it’s not all doom and gloom, as the least stressed NHL team is the Colorado Avalanche, with a score of 34.56 out of 100, showing some definitive chill amongst hockey fans.
The Top-10 Most Stressed MLB Teams
Last but not least, let’s take a look at the MLB to see which baseball teams are the most stressed. Ranking as the most stressed team, the Colorado Rockies have never won a World Series and have lost players like Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story in recent years.
Meanwhile, The Chicago White Sox have seen questionable leadership decisions, including controversial managerial hires, which have caused a lot of frustration. Fans have been unhappy with owner Jerry Reinsdorf for some time, although he is open to selling the franchise.
The Tampa Bay Rays have reached the World Series twice (2008, and 2020) but never won it all. As for the Oakland Athletics, they’re relocating to Las Vegas in a few years’ time, causing heartbreak and uncertainty for their loyal Oakland fanbase. They also haven't reached the postseason since 2020.
Since 2004, the Miami Marlins have only reached the playoffs twice. Then there’s the Pittsburgh Pirates, who haven't made the playoffs since 2015 and haven't won a World Series since 1979.
Finally, the Detroit Tigers have made the playoffs once since 2015. They lost the World Series in 2006 and 2012 and haven't won a World Series since 1984.
And then we have the least stressed team in the MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are also the least stressed overall across the four big leagues with a score of 20.36 out of 100.
How Stressed are Vegas Teams?
To wrap up, let’s take a quick look at the two teams that are resident to Las Vegas to see how they placed overall stats-wise.
Las Vegas Raiders
· NFL Stressed Ranking: 9th
· Average Attendance: 62,476
· Negative Mentions: 264,680
· Games Lost (23/24): 9
· Last Super Bowl: 1983 season
Vegas Golden Knights
· NHL Stressed Ranking: 21st
· Average Attendance: 17,889
· Negative Mentions: 114,400
· Games Lost (23/24): 37
· Last Stanley Cup: 2023
While the Las Vegas Raiders rank in the top 10 for NFL stress, perhaps the Vegas Golden Knights make up for this overall with their Stanley Cup win in 2023. Whatever the case, Nevada fans never miss a game!
And there you have it; those are the most stressed fan bases in American sports. Did your team make the top 20? Do you feel like you get too attached to the wins and losses of your team as the season goes on? If so, then we get it. The thrill of a big game is hard to beat, making it all the more frustrating when your team just misses the win.
Methodology
All teams from the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB were analyzed based on the following factors: Average Attendance, Games Lost (2023/24), Positive Mentions, Positive Sentiment, Negative Mentions, Negative Sentiment & Last Championship. Using these factors, the results were indexed to reveal the most stressed fanbases. All data is correct as of December 2024.