Map showing popularity of team by metro area

[phatcat]

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/harry6790/viz/CFBMetros/CFB

We are.. not popular.

 

[DaCat]

We are.. not popular a large alumni base.

Fixed.

 

[PZAZ]

We have so many fewer students. Look at Duke. They’re at 3% in Durham. Stanford is 6% only in their area. Not apples to apples

 

[Aging Booster]

We have so many fewer students. Look at Duke. They’re at 3% in Durham. Stanford is 6% only in their area. Not apples to apples

It is much easier to root for a school when your tax dollars support it. Look at Wisconsin at over 50% support. Nowhere near that number of residents attended the school, but they all think of it as "their school" because they help pay for it.

 

[PURPLE Book Cat]

Somewhat surprising though that in Chicago, U of I is only 6% - which make's NU's 4% preference more respectable.

For further context ND leads Chicago at only 9%

 

[eastbaycat99]

A much more enlightening survey would ask the (regional) question, “Are you pleased when school X beats school Y?”

 

[jne381]

I am surprised that Michigan State doesn't even move the needle in the Chicago area. I am also surprised how far and wide Michigan's popularity is.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

As a Chicagoan, I’m not buying those numbers. I hardly ever see OSU gear, and MSU is easily in the top 6-7. Totally anecdotal, but I’d guess (at least in Gold Coast), it’s something like this:

18% Illinois
10% Michigan
8% Notre Dame
6% Northwestern
5% Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, MSU
43% Other

I guess it’s important to remember that a good chunk of the Chicago media market IS in Indiana, which will skew the numbers, but I’ve always found the whole Notre Dame fans in Chicago itself to be ridiculously overrated. Also, Illinois/NU fandom and enthusiasm fluctuates way more than the others depending on current success.

 

[StreamCat]

As a Chicagoan, I’m not buying those numbers. I hardly ever see OSU gear, and MSU is easily in the top 6-7. Totally anecdotal, but I’d guess (at least in Gold Coast), it’s something like this:

18% Illinois
10% Michigan
8% Notre Dame
6% Northwestern
5% Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, MSU
43% Other

I guess it’s important to remember that a good chunk of the Chicago media market IS in Indiana, which will skew the numbers, but I’ve always found the whole Notre Dame fans in Chicago itself to be ridiculously overrated. Also, Illinois/NU fandom and enthusiasm fluctuates way more than the others depending on current success.

I can only measure it by 8th graders in my class. I found more Michigan fans by a large number. As near as i could tell, they really just liked the clothes. Interestingly, the junior Cats fans - small but mighty - were far more engaged and informed than any other group.

 

[NUChicago]

I see a significant number of Michigan flags in the western burbs. I see equal NU and IL flags as well.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

I see a significant number of Michigan flags in the western burbs. I see equal NU and IL flags as well.

Yeah, I’m always shocked at the amount of Michigan apparel I see. They don’t actually have that many alumni in the area (using LinkedIn profiles in absence of better, concrete data), so it’s either (A) their fans show support outwardly more than other schools like Illinois/NU - very possible! - or (B) a lot of random folks adopt Michigan because they’re good - also very possible!

I am not saying this to be biased, but just looking at alumni numbers and using my anecdotal experiences, I think in terms of PURE NUMBERS, Illini fans are pretty clearly a plurality in Chicagoland. 220k+ alumni, plenty of non-alumni fans like me and you see fans (shamelessly) come out of the wood works when they don’t suck.

Then, I think it’s Notre Dame, but that fan base is QUITE concentrated. In the “Downtown” area, I don’t see that much, but they’re very popular in the southwest suburbs and heavily Irish/Catholic areas.

After that, I think Northwestern, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and MSU are fairly equal, with a slight edge to NU actually. It’s hard to gauge, because Iowa fans literally wear their gear embarrassingly often, whereas I imagine your average NU fan does not.

All in all, I think “Other” is at LEAST 45%, which kind of sums up the landscape in Chicago very well.

 

[NUChicago]

Yeah, I’m always shocked at the amount of Michigan apparel I see. They don’t actually have that many alumni in the area (using LinkedIn profiles in absence of better, concrete data), so it’s either (A) their fans show support outwardly more than other schools like Illinois/NU - very possible! - or (B) a lot of random folks adopt Michigan because they’re good - also very possible!

I am not saying this to be biased, but just looking at alumni numbers and using my anecdotal experiences, I think in terms of PURE NUMBERS, Illini fans are pretty clearly a plurality in Chicagoland. 220k+ alumni, plenty of non-alumni fans like me and you see fans (shamelessly) come out of the wood works when they don’t suck.

Then, I think it’s Notre Dame, but that fan base is QUITE concentrated. In the “Downtown” area, I don’t see that much, but they’re very popular in the southwest suburbs and heavily Irish/Catholic areas.

After that, I think Northwestern, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and MSU are fairly equal, with a slight edge to NU actually. It’s hard to gauge, because Iowa fans literally wear their gear embarrassingly often, whereas I imagine your average NU fan does not.

All in all, I think “Other” is at LEAST 45%, which kind of sums up the landscape in Chicago very well.

It was so weird in my area, after MI beat OSU I saw flags all over the place. I know this is a SWAG but how the hell is IL 59???Desirability Ratings

 

[phatcat]

It is much easier to root for a school when your tax dollars support it. Look at Wisconsin at over 50% support. Nowhere near that number of residents attended the school, but they all think of it as "their school" because they help pay for it.

Yes, I am currently surrounded by UW fans at work. Though, many of them did go to one of the UW campuses