Sports
Most Popular Football Teams According to Baby Boomers: Ranked
Jim McIsaac / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Published: April 15, 2024 9:30 am
Baseball may refer to itself as “America’s Pastime,” but, in terms of viewership, football is clearly the most popular sport in the United States. According to a 2023 Gallup poll , 41% of respondents said football was their favorite sport to watch. Basketball (10%) and baseball (9%) were in distant second and third places, respectively.
A fan’s favorite football team can be based on any number of factors, including geography, family history, individual star players, and so forth. Age may also play a role, as well. We wanted to find out which teams are the most popular among Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964).
24/7 Wall St. used information from the research and analytics firm, YouGov , for this story. The teams are ranked from thirtieth to first place in terms of their popularity among Baby Boomers. All of the teams on this list either compete collegiately in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or professionally in the National Football League (NFL). Championships are listed as either National Championships for college teams or Super Bowl Wins for professional teams. The number of championships for college teams is sometimes debated given the long history of the sport and the various ways champions were chosen over the years.
30. Texas Longhorns Source: Tom Pennington / Getty Images
Sam Ehlinger of the Texas Longhorns celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2018 Red River Showdown.
Competition Organization: NCAA
Year Founded: 1893
National Championships: 4
Championship Years: 1963, 1969, 1970, 2005
29. Navy Midshipmen Source: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad Runge / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
The Navy Midshipmen are one of the most popular collegiate teams among Baby Boomers.
Competition Organization: NCAA
Year Founded: 1966
National Championships: 1
Championship Year: 1878
28. Los Angeles Rams Source: Brian Bahr / Getty Images
Jerome Bettis, #36, (seen here in 1995) was a running back for the Rams when the team was located in St. Louis.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1937
Super Bowl Wins: 2
Championship Years: 2000, 2022
27. Houston Texans Source: KeithJJ on Pixabay / Wikimedia Commons
Houston is the fourth most populous U.S. city and Texas is the second most populous state, so it’s not surprising that the Houston Texans are among Baby Boomers’ favorite teams.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 2002
Super Bowl Wins: 0
Championship Years: N/A
26. Indianapolis Colts Source: Andy Lyons / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Colts fans remember the glory days when Peyton Manning was the team’s quarterback.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1953
Super Bowl Wins: 2
Championship Years: 1971, 2007
25. Alabama Crimson Tide Source: Photo by Scott Cunningham / Getty Images
Nick Saban led the Alabama Crimson Tide as the head coach for 17 seasons, winning six national titles in that span.
Competition Organization: NCAA
Year Founded: 1968
National Championships: 18
Championship Years: 1925, 1926, 1930, 1934, 1941, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020
24. New England Patriots Source: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Tom Brady was the quarterback of the New England Patriots for 20 seasons, winning all six of the team’s Super Bowls during his tenure.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1960
Super Bowl Wins: 6
Championship Years: 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, 2019
23. Atlanta Falcons Source: Tom Pennington / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Matt Ryan played 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1966
Super Bowl Wins: 0
Championship Years: N/A
22. New York Jets Source: Robin Marchant / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Baby Boomers remember Joe Namath as the only quarterback to lead the Jets to a Super Bowl title.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1960
Super Bowl Wins: 1
Championship Year: 1969
21. Dallas Cowboys Source: Al Bello / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
Emmitt Smith, #22, is widely regarded as the greatest player in Dallas Cowboys history.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1960
Super Bowl Wins: 5
Championship Years: 1972, 1978, 1993, 1994, 1996
20. Michigan Wolverines Source: Leon Halip / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Recently departed head coach, Jim Harbaugh, led the Michigan Wolverines for nine seasons, winning the national championship in 2024.
Competition Organization: NCAA
Year Founded: 1879
National Championships: 10
Championship Years: 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1918, 1923, 1933, 1948, 1997, 2024
19. Cincinnati Bengals Source: Allsport / Getty Images
Ken Anderson was the quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals for 16 seasons.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1968
Super Bowl Wins: 0
Championship Years: N/A
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Source: Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Baby Boomers remember the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ “creamsicles” (worn from 1976 to 1996) as some of the greatest sports uniforms of all time.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1976
Super Bowl Wins: 2
Championship Years: 2003, 2021
17. Arizona Cardinals Source: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA / Wikimedia Commons
Larry Fitzgerald is almost universally seen as the greatest player in Arizona Cardinals’ history.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1920
Super Bowl Wins: 0
Championship Years: N/A
16. Baltimore Ravens Source: Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Lamar Jackson is the superstar quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1996
Super Bowl Wins: 2
Championship Years: 2001, 2013
15. Miami Dolphins Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images
The 1972 Dolphins, the only NFL team ever to go unbeaten during the regular and postseason, were honored in a White House Ceremony with President Obama in 2013.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1966
Super Bowl Wins: 2
Championship Years: 1973, 1974
14. Buffalo Bills Source: Rick Stewart / Allsport / Getty Images
Jim Kelly was the quarterback of the Buffalo Bills for 11 seasons.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1960
Super Bowl Wins: 0
Championship Years: N/A
13. New York Giants Source: Rick Stewart / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
Phil Simms was the quarterback of the New York Giants for 14 seasons and led the team to two Super Bowl championships.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1925
Super Bowl Wins: 4
Championship Years: 1987, 1991, 2008. 2012
12. Denver Broncos Source: Jamie Squire / Getty Images
John Elway was quarterback of the Denver Broncos for 16 seasons and led the team to consecutive Super Bowl wins in 1998 and 1999.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1960
Super Bowl Wins: 3
Championship Years: 1998, 1999, 2016
11. Minnesota Vikings Source: Jamie Squire / Getty Images
The Minnesota Vikings landed just outside the top ten favorite football teams among Baby Boomers.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1961
Super Bowl Wins: 0
Championship Years: N/A
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Source: Elsa / Getty Images
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the most popular collegiate football team among Baby Boomers.
Competition Organization: NCAA
Year Founded: 1887
National Championships: 13
Championship Years: 1919, 1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988
9. New Orleans Saints Source: Chris Graythen / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Drew Brees was the New Orleans Saints quarterback for 15 seasons and was named the MVP of the team’s lone Super Bowl win in 2010.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1967
Super Bowl Wins: 1
Championship Year: 2010
8. Seattle Seahawks Source: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
Russell Wilson (left) was the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks for ten seasons and led them to a championship in 2014.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1976
Super Bowl Wins: 1
Championship Year: 2014
7. Detroit Lions Source: Rick Stewart / Getty Images
Barry Sanders is, without a doubt, the greatest player in Detroit Lions history.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1930
Super Bowl Wins: 0
Championship Years: N/A
6. Green Bay Packers Source: Jonathan Daniel / Allsport / Getty Images
Reggie White was one of the most feared defensive players of all time.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1921
Super Bowl Wins: 4
Championship Years: 1967, 1968, 1997, 2011
5. Chicago Bears Source: Mike Powell / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
William “The Refrigerator” Perry is a Chicago Bears legend.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1920
Super Bowl Wins: 1
Championship Year: 1986
4. Philadelphia Eagles Source: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images
The Philadelphia Eagles are the fourth most popular football team among Baby Boomers.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1933
Super Bowl Wins: 1
Championship Year: 2018
3. Pittsburgh Steelers Source: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Steelers retired the number of legendary defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene in 2014.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1933
Super Bowl Wins: 6
Championship Years: 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 2006, 2009
2. Kansas City Chiefs Source: Jamie Squire / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
The current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, is arguably the best player in the NFL today. He has led the team to three of its four Super Bowl wins.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1960
Super Bowl Wins: 4
Championship Years: 1970, 2020, 2023, 2024
1. San Francisco 49ers Source: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images
Joe Montana was the 49ers quarterback for 14 seasons, leading the team to four of its five Super Bowl victories.
Competition Organization: NFL
Year Founded: 1946
Super Bowl Wins: 5
Championship Years: 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1995
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