The South Sports Fanbase Rankings: The States with the Strongest Fanbases

The South presents one of the most complex sports fandom landscapes in the United States. While it has experienced the slowest growth in overall sports fandom composition over the past four years, the region remains home to some of the deepest, most emotionally charged fanbases in the country. In many Southern states, sports loyalty is less tied to recent wins or championships and more anchored in tradition, community, and generational identity, which changes the game when it comes to sponsorship strategy.

Unlike the Northeast’s saturation or the Midwest’s resurgence, Southern fandom is defined by intensity over expansion. College athletics play an outsized role in the region, while professional franchises command more statewide attention rather than metro concentration. As well, allegiances are often inherited rather than discovered.

For brands, the opportunity in the South is not about chasing rapid growth, but about aligning with passions that run deep and influence behavior far beyond game day.

Louisiana

Louisiana delivers one of the most emotionally charged sports markets in the country. Loyalty in the state is fierce, concentrated, and deeply personal, particularly around the New Orleans Saints (NFL) and Louisiana State University, powered by its prestigious football and women’s basketball programs. It should come as no surprise that the state has the third highest composition of sports fans in the country based on tracked states, thanks to an 11% growth rate between 2022 and 2025.

Fandom in Louisiana tends to spike around success but rarely fades, creating high-engagement environments. This intensity makes the state ideal for brands seeking cultural resonance.

The trade‑off is scrutiny, fans notice who shows up, how, and why as anything related to their beloved sports teams are emotionally connected.

Maryland

Maryland offers fans nearly full year coverage of teams to support, with little overlap and competition within the state allowing for strong engagement and star athlete power, like two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson (2019 & 2023) and MLB Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson (2023).

As well, over half of Maryland residents are fans of the in-state flagship school, the University of Maryland, with strong basketball and football support.

The state of Maryland truly leans into the less is more adage, which sees them rank fourth in the country when it comes to sports fan composition, along with a 9.5% overall growth rate between 2022 to 2025.

Predictability doesn’t eliminate risk though, it heightens expectations. SponsorPulse helps brands understand how consistency translates into action in markets where fans expect relevance, not noise.

Georgia

Like other states in the south, Georgia blends the power of professional and collegiate sport fandom and mixing historical and recent success.

The University of Georgia Bulldogs have the largest fanbase in the state, fueled by back-to-back College Football Playoff National Championships under head coach Kirby Smart in 2021 and 2022. As well, the Atlanta Braves have been a model of consistency, making the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, including a World Series title in 2021, led by MVP Ronald Acuna Jr.

For brands, Georgia offers a unique blend of tradition and modern relevance, where aligning with the right property can unlock both statewide pride and urban influence, making it rank within the top 15 tracked states in the country for sports fan composition.

Texas

As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas and in 2022 that was almost fully true as it slotted in second just behind Wisconsin (84.9%) for the second largest sport fanbase composition at 84.5%. However, by 2025, it saw modest growth compared to other states, though it still consists of a massive total number of sports fans due to population size (16.4 million fans, second to California’s 22.7 million).

As well, it can go almost toe-to-toe with any other state in terms of the number of sports teams and universities for fans to follow. Iconic franchises like the Dallas Cowboys, college royalty in the Texas Longhorns, and recent championship winners Texas Rangers (2023) and Houston Astros (2022) give the state rank locally and nationally.

Texas fandom is highly localized, seeing three highly saturated areas in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antionio, but intensely competitive, making it a prime environment for brands looking to differentiate regionally while maintaining statewide weight.

In fragmented, competitive markets like Texas, the difference between scale and effectiveness is knowing which fan segments respond to which properties. Fan‑level intelligence is what keeps large investments from becoming blunt instruments, something SponsorPulse can track and quantify.

Tennessee

No state that was tracked has seen greater sports fandom growth (13.1%) than the Volunteer State in the South, going from second-last in the region to just behind Texas.

Tennessee was one of two states (Louisiana) in the South to see double digit fan growth over the last four years, which has mainly been helped by teams outside of the Tennessee Titans of the NFL.

The resurgence of the Tennessee Volunteers in football has been a major driver, along with the men’s basketball team making the Elite Eight in March Madness three straight years (2024-2026).

As well, the Nashville Predators in the NHL finally hit the 50% saturation mark of fandom within the state, keeping pace in front of Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. However, no team saw its fanbase grow at a greater rate than MLS side Nashville SC, going from a third of the state supporting the team in 2022 to 41% in 2025 – a 24% increase.

This duality of professional and collegiate teams offers brands a layered sponsorship landscape, enabling scalable strategies that tap into both tradition-driven loyalty and modern, urban fan engagement.

As fandom diversifies, brands face a sequencing challenge: which properties lead growth, and which benefit from it. SponsorPulse is able to track how engagement shifts across leagues that can help brands scale without overextending.

North Carolina

North Carolina remains one of the most college-centric sports states in the South, with basketball culture at University of North Carolina and Duke University serving as a defining identity marker across generations. Professional teams like the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Hurricanes have continued to carve out fandom and attention within the state, making it turn more into a professional sport landscape.

The Panthers and Heisman winning quarterback Bryce Young see nearly two-thirds of North Carolinians identify as fans, while there is a nearly 50/50 split between heated instate rivals UNC and Duke. The Tar Heels have also loaded up on head coach cachet in the hiring of multi-Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick and NBA champion Michael Malone leading the football and men’s basketball programs respectively.

However, it is the Hurricanes (NHL), Hornets (NBA) and Charlotte FC (MLS) that have seen the greatest growth in their fanbases and why the state saw its overall sports fan composition grow nearly 8% between 2022 and 2025, the fifth highest in the South.

For brands in state, the opportunity lies in authenticity, understanding how college loyalty still shapes consumer behaviour even though professional fandom is present and growing.

Florida

Florida’s sports fandom is shaped by diversity and dynamism. There are multiple professional franchises across major leagues that coexist with a transient population, creating pockets of intense loyalty alongside broader, moment-driven engagement.

Recent championship successes for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 with Tom Brady, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers winning a combined four of the past six Stanley Cups, and most recently Lionel Messi claiming Inter Miami CF’s first MLS Cup, gives the region championship power in key metro areas and a diverse offering like those in California, New York and Texas.

For brands, Florida offers flexibility, ranging from long-term partnerships in entrenched markets to opportunistic activations tied to postseason runs and global sporting events.

Alabama and Oklahoma

Alabama and Oklahoma are prime examples of how college athletics can rival, or eclipse, professional sports in cultural impact and drive sports fandom. This is why it is key to understanding the market a brand may be wanting to enter from a sponsorship perspective and knowing the different fan motivators between professional and college.

With massive, statewide college fanbases in both states and limited professional presence, with just the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, loyalty is concentrated, intense, and highly visible.

Following the retirement of Hall of Famer Nick Saban in 2023, who won six national championships as head coach of the University of Alabama football team, the Crimson Tide have not performed to the same standard since and thus seen fandom decline.

Likewise, Auburn’s football team hasn’t had a winning season since 2020. Even with these transitionary periods, fandom is still strong overall, though recent performance can be attributed to why the state dropped one spot to 29th in tracked states from 2022 to 2025 in sports fandom composition.

In Oklahoma, the Thunder, led by NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has seen their recent success, highlighted by the franchise’s first NBA title in Oklahoma City in 2025, lead to the team pass the Oklahoma Sooners in terms of fanbase size in state.

For brands, these states reward legacy alignment. Partnerships gain strength from historical credibility rather than novelty, something the Thunder are trying to create.

Arkansas, Mississippi and South Carolina

These three states may lack professional franchises, but Arkansas, Mississippi and South Carolina deliver consistent, loyal college-driven fandom that defines regional identity. Engagement is smaller in scale but high in emotional intensity, often spanning generations. As an example, Arkansas Razorbacks fans see 58% of themselves engaging on a weekly basis, which is 12% higher than Texas based Dallas Cowboys fans do with their team.

Brands looking to build trust and credibility through sports sponsorship can find meaningful value in these markets by aligning with institutions that serve as cultural anchors.

Loyalty isn’t trending, it’s inherited

Across the South, sports fandom is less about momentum and more about meaning. While other regions may have seen greater growth, loyalty in the south is second to none, creating a powerful environment for brands that prioritize authenticity, tradition, and long-term connection.

If your brand is looking for ways to increase awareness and sales in the South, reach out to see how SponsorPulse can help with your sponsorship strategy.

For a detailed look at the Northeast region click here

For a detailed look at the Midwest region click here.

For a detailed look at the West region click here.

For a national overview look click here.