Ahh, the power of crowd-sourcing. Reddit user KMHokie35 recently took to the popular social news website to answer an all-important question in sports: What is the most-hated professional team in the NFL? By polling Reddit users and categorizing their information according to their geographical location and preference, KMHokie35 was able to create an infographic to map the most-hated teams across the United States and world. The results signal the weight that rivalries carry in the NFL as well as the consequences that success can have on the public perception of a team.
As you'll see from the maps above, divisional rivalries tend to dominate the conversation. Fans in the Pacific Northwest, who likely root for the Seattle Seahawks, hate the San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, fans in Arizona and California hate the Seahawks. Similarly, there's a strong polarity between Dallas Cowboys fans in Oklahoma and Texas and Eagles fans in Philadelphia.
Of course, a common thread that runs through many of these teams, with the exception of the Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, and Houston Texans, is the recent and consistent success that each team has experienced in the past five years. A brief glance at the map is similar to looking at a league leaderboard. Similarly, the global map hones in on this theme even more, as the Patriots and the Niners color the map most heavily.
The Cowboys haven't made the playoffs since 2009, but one can argue that their mystique is similar to the New York Yankees; they're viewed as consistent winners who possess a detestable aura of greatness. Regardless of whether they're actually winning, it always seems to feel like the Cowboys are successful. Jerry Jones' annual predictions of Super Bowl success likely don't help that perception.
Do you have a no. 1 most-hated team in the league? Do you begrudge teams that do well? Share your personal grievances below.
[via Niners Nation]
