Fan Loyalty in Professional Sports

Abstract

Using the stochastic frontier framework, estimates of relative fan loyalty in professional football for 1990 to 1997 are estimated. The traditional inefficiency score is reinterpreted as a measure of relative fan loyalty, and the results conform to anecdotal evidence as to which teams have the best fans in the National Football League. The decision of whether to relocate a professional football franchise is related to fan loyalty and other explanatory variables. It is found that a relatively low level of fan loyalty is a motivating factor in the decision to relocate a franchise to a new host city.