PENNSYLVANIA, USA — NFL jerseys may not stay on the shelves for too long in Pennsylvania this year.
A new study conducted by ShirtMax ranked the most popular NFL jerseys by team. To conduct this study, the T-shirt wholesaler utilized Google Keyword Planner, analyzing average monthly search volumes for key terms for all 32 NFL teams over the last year. These terms included "[team] jersey," "[team] jersey sale," and "[team] alternate jersey."
The results found both Pennsylvania teams within the top ten most popular jerseys. The Philadelphia Eagles were ranked at number three, with 45,363 searches. ShirtMax found that total searches for the Eagles were roughly 129% higher than the league average.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were ranked at number eight, with 28,420 searches.
The Baltimore Ravens barely missed out on the top ten, with 20,608 searches.
The San Francisco 49ers topped the list with 67,198 searches. Searches for the 49ers were 240% higher than the national average for all teams and were even higher than any team in the NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS.
ShirtMax CEO Jordan Adair believes the popularity of these jerseys comes from both diehard fans and the influence of celebrities.
"Due to the increased interest in integrating sporty influence in urban fashion and thanks to the celebrity status of sports stars and the trend being styled by influential A-listers like Taylor Swift and Bella Hadid, it is likely that the demand for team jerseys is expanding further than just by fans," Adair said in a statement. "However, for fans of major league teams, sports jerseys are not only about fashion but signify allegiance to their chosen team, the connection of fanbases as a community and symbolize their passion for the sport. As the findings suggest, NFL fans appear the most passionate across popular sports in the US – and perhaps could be deemed the most ‘fashionable.'"
