Photo of baseball fans taking a group photo at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. 

Image Credit: BluEyedA73-Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

We all have our allegiances when it comes to watching professional sports. Bandwagon fans are inevitable; it just takes a few competitive seasons to bring them out of the woodwork. However, there are some fan bases that are just as classic and timeless as the teams that they root for. See if your favorite team made our list of the most passionate fan bases in in the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB.

 

National Basketball Association

 

Portland Trail Blazers Fans

Photo of Portland Trail Blazers fans cheering at the Rose Garden. 

Image Credit: Cory Grove (CC BY 2.0)

"Rip City" fans have finished in the top 10 in NBA attendance for the past eight seasons. They also once set the world record for consecutive home sellouts with 814 (1977-1995). The Damian Lillard era is also officially under way who combined with Lamarcus Aldridge makes one of the most exciting tandems in the NBA. The Trail Blazers are small market Portland's only professional franchise and made a good playoff run during the 2013-2014 season. According to Bleacher Report, the Moda Center is the 2nd loudest arena in the league. Despite having only one NBA title, Portland Trail Blazers fans are as loyal as it gets.

 

 

Utah Jazz Fans

Photo of a Utah Jazz game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Image Credit: Phil Whitehouse (CC BY 2.0)

Like Portland Trail Blazers fans, Utah Jazz fans are a small market fan base that really gets behind their team. For 14 of the last 15 seasons, the Utah Jazz have finished in the top 10 in NBA attendance. Even after the Malone and Stockton era, Vivint Smart Home Arena has remained one of the loudest arenas in the NBA on a nightly basis. According to Bleacher Report, it is the 4th loudest arena in the NBA. One Jazz season ticket holder, a plastic surgeon, was banned from using props during games because he supposedly distracted Lebron James while he shot free throws. The guy raised hell with the league and we all love it. The Utah Jazz are Salt Lake City's only professional franchise which could contribute to the rabidness of the fan base.

 

 

National Hockey League

 

Montreal Canadiens Fans

Photo of Montreal Canadiens fans watching a game at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. 

Image Credit: Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the six original NHL teams and have a league record 24 Stanley Cups. With that kind of history comes a lot of fans. And we all know how crazy Canadians are for their hockey. Attending a Habs game at the Bell Centre is one of the neatest experiences in the NHL. Most of the plays and introductions are in French, also catering to Montreal's heavy French population. Every year for the last 15 seasons, the Montreal Canadiens have finished in the top 5 in overall NHL attendance and their tickets are among the most expensive in the league. Every single home game has been sold out since 2004. Also note that the Bell Centre is the NHL's largest arena with a capacity of 21,273. If you're ever in Montreal on the night of a game, make a visit to the Bell Centre while also checking out the old Montreal Forum down the street.

 

 

Detroit Red Wings Fans

Photo of Detroit Red Wings fans during the national anthem at Joe Louis Arena. 

Image Credit: JPowers65-Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

They don't call Detroit, Michigan "Hockeytown USA" for nothing. Joe Louis Arena, named after former boxer and Detroit native Joe Louis, is the NHL's 2nd oldest arena as well as the NHL's 2nd largest arena. The Detroit Red Wings have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs every year for the past 23 seasons. During that time period, they have finished in the top 5 in overall NHL attendance virtually every season. The team has won 11 Stanley Cups and like the Montreal Canadiens are one of the NHL's Original Six teams. I had the opportunity to take in a Red Wings game in Detroit two years ago. When a fan threw the famous "Octopus" onto the ice, I think that was the loudest I have ever seen an arena get. The Octopus tradition was invented by the Cusimano brothers who owned Detroit's Eastern Market back in the day. The Octopus' eight legs symbolizes the number of victories the Red Wings needed to win the Stanley Cup during the 1952 season. The team swept the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens after the incident and it stuck ever since. The Octopus is definitely one of the coolest traditions not just in the NHL but in all of sports.

 

 

 

National Football League

 

Green Bay Packers Fans

Photo of Green Bay Packers fans cheering at Lambeau Field.

Image Credit: Phil Roeder (CC BY 2.0)

Vincent Lombardi. Curly Lambeau. The Indian Packing Company. Cheeseheads. The Frozen Tundra game. The Lambeau Leap. Yes, the Green Bay Packers faithful are by far the NFL's most passionate fan base. With a population of only 104K, the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin is the NFL's smallest market. The small market size has had no effect on the sellout streak for Green Bay Packers home games that extends all the way to 1960. Lambeau Field is also the NFL's 3rd largest stadium. Want to know how passionate the Packers are about their football team? How about the fact that the team is owned by the fans who are it's shareholders. The money that the fans invest pays no dividends.

If you would like to learn more about purchasing stock in the Green Bay Packers, check out Broadridge.com. Lambeau Field is consistently ranked as the NFL's best experience by a number of outlets. The fans are also known as being extremely friendly and welcoming to even visiting Chicago Bears fans with a tailgating scene that is legendary. Go Pack Go!

 

 

Oakland Raiders Fans

Photo of Oakland Raiders fans in the Black Hole during an Oakland Raiders home game.

Image Credit: Julie & Dave/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

One look at the average Oakland Raiders fan and one begins to think that a criminal record is a prerequisite to root for this team. Not so. While the Raiders fan base may be ruthless and unwelcoming, they're some of the most loyal fans in all of football. They haven't had much to cheer about since, well, the 2002 season. When you combine the city of Oakland's working class environment with the bad boy era of the past (Jack Tatum, Ken Stabler, Bob Brown), you get Raider Nation. Oakland Coliseum's most widely recognized seating area is the "Black Hole" which extends throughout the Coliseum's south end zone. As it turns out, the ghastly costumes are often times, worn by white collar workers (attending NFL games ain't cheap). Some fans even bring their children to sit in the Black Hole. Still, I would extend warning to any San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs fans that chooses to sit there.

 

 

Major League Baseball

St. Louis Cardinals Fans

Photo of St. Louis Cardinals fans cheering at Busch Stadium.

Image Credit: Dave Herholz (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The St. Louis Cardinals are the Southern Midwest's team of choice and are often referred to as "Redbird Nation". The Cardinals are popular in regions like rural Indiana and Missouri, western Illinois, Iowa, Memphis, Arkansas and Western Kentucky. The Cardinals were the only team in this region of the United States for many years and Radio Station KMOX helped grow the team's popularity during that time period. The team has 11 World Series titles which is second to only the New York Yankees. The team's two biggest rivalries are the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals. Virtually every ballpark though, is packed with Cardinals fans when they're in town. The organization recently completed the addition of "Ballpark Village" outside of their stadium. It's a series of bars and restaurants which only added to the already great game day atmosphere at Busch Stadium. Also included were a series of rooftop seating, similar to what the Chicago Cubs fans have at Wrigley Field.

 

 

Boston Red Sox Fans

Photo of Boston Red Sox fans seated in the Fenway Park bleachers.

Image Credit: Eric Kilby (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Want living proof that the Boston Red Sox fans are perhaps the best fans in professional baseball? Look at the way the city and fans rallied around the team following the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013. It was a bittersweet season but nonetheless, the Red Sox won their 8th World Series title, good for third all-time. The fans occupy perhaps the most historic ballpark in all of baseball at Fenway Park. The party begins three hours before each game on Yawkey Way just outside of the stadium. The Red Sox have their share of celebrity fans in Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Stephen King, rapper Lil' Wayne and writer Bill Simmons. They have strong hatred of the New York Yankees and their fans in what many would call the best rivalry in all of sports.

Although the Fenway Park sellout streak ended in April of 2013, Red Sox fans still hold the record for longest sellout streak in professional sports at 820 games (2003-2013). The average attendance during this time period was 36,605. The 820 game sellout streak at Fenway Park shattered the Major League Baseball sellout streak of 455 set by the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field (1995-2001).

 

 

New York Yankees Fans

Photo of New York Yankees fans cheering in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium. 

Image Credit: Ted Kerwin (CC BY 2.0)

New York Yankees fans are passionate but they've had a lot to cheer about also. The Yankees' 27 World Series titles is sixteen titles more than the next most successful team; the St. Louis Cardinals. They've had a slew of famed players to stand behind including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. That's just to name a few. Despite having the 2nd largest ballpark in Major League Baseball, the Yankees have finished in the top 3 in overall attendance every year since 2000. While many in baseball will say that Yankees fans are well traveled, that's not always true. There's just that many New York Yankees fans all over America. I personally have seen the New York Yankees play in 5 different Major League cities and the ballparks are always packed when they're in town. There are also a slew of celebrity Yankees fans including Billy Crystal, Rudy Giuliani, Jay-Z, Spike Lee, Ashton Kutcher, Russell Simmons, Adam Sandler and P Diddy. If you would like to see an accurate portrayal of both New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox fans and their intense rivalry, check out ESPN's 30 for 30 "Four Days in October" below.

 

This is also an excellent documentary on the opening of the new Yankee Stadium; "House of Steinbrenner" and it also documents the passion of the Yankees fan base.

 

 

 

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