The build-up to the election is truly heating up. With the Democrats' ticket finalized ahead of the Democratic National Convention, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz prepare to take on Donald Trump and JD Vance.
But how are NFL fans affected by the political climate? Which way will they be voting? How much are NFL fan bases influenced by the political opinions that their favorite players might be espousing on social media?
Ahead of the upcoming season, the team at Action Network has attempted to shed light on the above questions, conducting a comprehensive survey of over 3,000 American NFL fans. We asked NFL fans, four key questions:
- Who do you plan to vote for in the presidential race?
- If your favorite NFL player was endorsing a presidential candidate on social media, would this influence your opinion?
- How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "If my favorite NFL player ran for presidential office, I would vote for them."
- Which NFL position do you think would make the best president?
Our results unearth some fascinating findings!
Trump vs Harris?
By Demographic
Overall, NFL fans are pretty evenly split between Trump and Harris, with the balance tipping in Harris's favor. In response to the question "Who do you plan to vote for in the presidential race?" Forty-five percent of respondents said they plan to vote for Kamala Harris, and 42% plan to vote for Donald Trump.
But when we delve into specific demographics, the results change. Gender has a significant effect on the responses, with the majority of men leaning toward Trump (46%), and the majority of women leaning toward Harris (47%).
| Candidate | Male | Female | Other |
| Trump | 46% | 38% | 13% |
| Harris | 44% | 47% | 38% |
| An independent/third party candidate | 6% | 7% | 25% |
| I do not plan to vote in the presidential race | 5% | 9% | 25% |
When we break down the results by age, significant generational differences are revealed:
| Candidate | 18 – 24 | 25 – 34 | 35 – 44 | 45 – 54 | 55+ |
| Trump | 45% | 44% | 42% | 41% | 42% |
| Harris | 39% | 40% | 42% | 47% | 48% |
| An independent/third-party candidate | 5% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 5% |
| I do not plan to vote in the presidential race | 11% | 8% | 9% | 6% | 5% |
Almost half (45%) of NFL fans aged 18-24 plan to vote for Donald Trump. Support for Harris increases as the age brackets get older — with an average of 46.5% of those aged 45 and over planning to vote for Kamala Harris.
By Team
These are the fan bases that are, on the whole, planning to vote for Trump in the upcoming election.
Tennessee Titan fans lean toward Trump by the largest margin – 35%. They're closely followed by Colts fans, where there is a +33% preference for Trump.
On the other side of the coin, below are the NFL fan bases that are planning to vote for Kamala Harris.
Ravens fans prefer Harris the most, with 61% of their fan base leaning toward the Democratic nominee. Hot on their heels are Jets fans, with 54% of their fan base planning to vote blue by a 21% margin.
NFL Player Influence
By Demographic
Despite the majority of NFL fans saying they wouldn't be influenced by their favorite player endorsing a candidate on social media, 22% of NFL fans either strongly or somewhat agreed in response to the question: If your favorite NFL player was endorsing a presidential candidate on social media, would this influence your opinion?
| Gender | ||||
| Response | Total | Male | Female | Other |
| Strongly agree | 10% | 12% | 9% | 0% |
| Somewhat agree | 12% | 12% | 11% | 0% |
| Neutral | 33% | 31% | 35% | 50% |
| Somewhat disagree | 10% | 9% | 10% | 0% |
| Strongly disagree | 35% | 36% | 34% | 50% |
Male NFL fans appear to be more influenced by their favorite players when it comes to politics, with 24% of men either strongly agreeing or somewhat agreeing vs. 20% of women expressing similar sentiments.
| Age | |||||
| Response | 18 – 24 | 25 – 34 | 35 – 44 | 45 – 54 | 55+ |
| Strongly agree | 24% | 23% | 16% | 9% | 3% |
| Somewhat agree | 28% | 17% | 14% | 12% | 7% |
| Neutral | 29% | 31% | 36% | 36% | 31% |
| Somewhat disagree | 6% | 9% | 9% | 11% | 9% |
| Strongly disagree | 13% | 21% | 25% | 32% | 50% |
Over half of NFL fans aged 18-24 either somewhat agree or strongly agree that their opinion would be influenced by their favorite player endorsing a candidate on social media – 52%.
As the age of the respondents increases, the more this trend is reversed.
When dividing respondents by political leaning there is a slight difference between Democrat and Republican-leaning NFL fans:
| Political leaning | ||||
| Response | Democrat Party | Republican Party | Independent / Third parties | Prefer not to say |
| Strongly agree | 13% | 11% | 5% | 7% |
| Somewhat agree | 13% | 12% | 9% | 9% |
| Neutral | 32% | 30% | 37% | 51% |
| Somewhat disagree | 10% | 9% | 11% | 2% |
| Strongly disagree | 31% | 38% | 39% | 31% |
NFL fans who identify as Republican are less likely to have their opinion influenced by their favorite player: 47% either strongly disagreed or somewhat disagreed, vs 41% of Democrat-leaning NFL fans.
By Team
When segmenting responses by fanbase, all fan bases except the LA Rams lean toward either strongly disagree or somewhat disagree when asked if their opinion would be influenced by their favorite player endorsing a presidential candidate.
| Team | Agree | Disagree | Margin |
| Green Bay Packers | 15% | 56% | -41% |
| New England Patriots | 16% | 52% | -37% |
| Cleveland Browns | 15% | 51% | -36% |
| Washington Commanders | 17% | 53% | -36% |
| New York Jets | 19% | 53% | -33% |
| Baltimore Ravens | 20% | 53% | -33% |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 17% | 49% | -33% |
| Minnesota Vikings | 18% | 51% | -32% |
| Detroit Lions | 20% | 52% | -32% |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 19% | 48% | -29% |
| Seattle Seahawks | 14% | 41% | -27% |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 19% | 46% | -27% |
| Tennessee Titans | 24% | 51% | -27% |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 19% | 46% | -26% |
| New Orleans Saints | 20% | 43% | -23% |
| Indianapolis Colts | 21% | 44% | -23% |
| San Francisco 49ers | 22% | 45% | -23% |
| Miami Dolphins | 28% | 49% | -21% |
| Denver Broncos | 23% | 43% | -20% |
| Carolina Panthers | 19% | 38% | -19% |
| Buffalo Bills | 23% | 42% | -18% |
| Chicago Bears | 24% | 42% | -18% |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 32% | 48% | -16% |
| New York Giants | 27% | 42% | -15% |
| Houston Texans | 24% | 39% | -15% |
| Atlanta Falcons | 25% | 39% | -14% |
| Dallas Cowboys | 25% | 38% | -13% |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 33% | 45% | -13% |
| Arizona Cardinals | 30% | 40% | -11% |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 28% | 35% | -7% |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 28% | 34% | -7% |
| Los Angeles Rams | 35% | 23% | 12% |
What if … their Favorite Player Ran for Office?
By Demographic
Overall, almost a quarter (24%) of NFL fans either strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement: "If my favorite NFL player ran for presidential office, I would vote for them."
| Age | |||||
| Response | 18 – 24 | 25 – 34 | 35 – 44 | 45 – 54 | 55 + |
| Strongly agree | 28% | 22% | 19% | 11% | 4% |
| Somewhat agree | 18% | 16% | 16% | 13% | 7% |
| Neutral | 20% | 27% | 33% | 35% | 33% |
| Somewhat disagree | 13% | 14% | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Strongly disagree | 21% | 21% | 17% | 26% | 38% |
When age comes into the fold, we can see that younger fans are far more likely to lean toward voting for their favorite player if they ran for presidential office.
By Team
Segmenting our survey by fan base, some clear divides are made apparent between different supporters.
| Fanbase | Either Strongly or Somewhat Agree |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 35% |
| Atlanta Falcons | 33% |
| New York Giants | 32% |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 32% |
| Denver Broncos | 30% |
Buccaneers fans seem to be the most keen on voting for their favorite player if they ran for POTUS. Falcons fanatics come in a close second here.
| Fanbase | Either Strongly or Somewhat Disagree |
| Indianapolis Colts | 56% |
| New England Patriots | 55% |
| Baltimore Ravens | 53% |
| Minnesota Vikings | 52% |
| Tennessee Titans | 51% |
On the other end of the spectrum, Colts and Pats fans are less keen on voting for their favorite player. With 56% of Colts, and 55% of Patriot fans either strongly or somewhat disagreeing.
A QB would make the best POTUS
By Demographic
Perhaps the only question in our survey where there was little to no divide. Seventy-one percent of NFL fans think a quarterback would make the best president out of all NFL positions, and both Democrat and Republican-leaning fans agree on this.
By Team
Looking at specific fan bases, these are the top five teams that thought a quarterback would make the best president:
| Fanbase | QB – Quarterback |
| Buffalo Bills | 82% |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 81% |
| New York Jets | 81% |
| Washington Commanders | 80% |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 78% |
Methodology
The research was commissioned by the Action Network and was carried out online by Research Without Barriers (RWB). The survey was conducted between 31st July 2024 and 5th August 2024. The sample comprised 3,013 USA NFL fans.
This content seeks to entertain sports betting and NFL fans alike – fans who might be interested in checking out some NFL odds, or even these Fanatics Sportsbook Promo and bet365 Bonus Code pages.
You can find the full breakdown of results here.
All research conducted adheres to the MRS Codes of Conduct (2023) in the UK and ICC/ESOMAR World Research Guidelines. RWB is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and is fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (2018).
