The Best and Worst MLB Fan Bases by Team
Baseball is more than just a sport. It’s a source of pride and identity for millions of fans across the US. These fans are deeply passionate about their teams, and this passion can sometimes lead to intense rivalries and alliances between different fan bases.
With the new season of Major League Baseball underway, we figured there’s no better time than the present to revive the age-old debate: Which MLB team has the best fans? The problem with this question is bias. Ask a Cardinals fan, and they will tell you that the Cardinals have the best fan base.
Casino.org has surveyed over 5,000 MLB fans, and specifically asked, outside of your own, which other baseball team has the best and worst fan base? From this, we have been able to determine the most and least popular fans across the league.
The Results
The Fan Favorite: Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs fans were chosen as the best by fans of 12 other teams (40%) in the league, including the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, and New York Mets. Cubs fans are known for their loyalty and resilience after waiting over 100 years for a World Series win prior to the 2016 victory. So it’s no surprise that the main reason for selecting the Cubs fans was their team loyalty, closely followed by the atmosphere at Wrigley Field.
Only two teams selected the Cubs as being the worst fans, they were Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. Interestingly, the Chicago Cubs fans actually selected the White Sox as the best fans, while the White Sox called them the worst – ouch.
The Least Popular: New York Yankees
There were 14 other fan bases (47%) that selected the New York Yankees as the worst fans. The most common reason? They are apparently spoiled and entitled. With 27 World Series Championships to their name, it’s easy to see why the New York Yankees are disliked among other fans. This probably isn’t helped by their history of paying top dollar for star players, seen by some as ‘buying’ their success.
Only one team listed the Yankees as the best fan base; the San Diego Padres. Despite being over 2,700 miles apart, Padres fans say they appreciate the Yankees for their passion.
The 5 Best and Worst MLB Fan Bases
Fans of The Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, and the Chicago White Sox were voted the best amongst other MLB fan bases. Cubs for loyalty, the Cardinals and White Sox for a great ballpark atmosphere, and the Braves and Mariners for their friendliness. The Seattle Mariners are the only West Coast team to be featured in this list.
On the flip side, fans of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, LA Dodgers, and Houston Astros were voted as the worst fans in the league. The Yankees for being spoiled, the Red Sox for a bad ballpark atmosphere, and the Phillies and the Dodgers for being unwelcoming. Finally, the Houston Astros are considered the worst fan base in the entire MLB, with most referencing their denial of the 2017 cheating scandal.
Methodology
In April 2023, we surveyed 5,000 MLB fans. We asked them who their favorite team is, and then asked them to select their favorite and least favorite fans from other MLB teams. We compiled this report using the data from that survey.
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