With the 2024 NFL season fast approaching, anticipation and excitement are already building as fans gear up to rally behind their favorite teams and show their support ahead of what’s sure to be another impressive season.
But as the countdown continues, another issue is sparking intense debate online – refereeing – with a recent report raising alarm bells for the 2024 NFL season by highlighting a significant concern: the growing number of inexperienced referees making "questionable calls" on the field.
With at least 27 officials having only three years or less of experience, and a third of the 120 officials lined up to preside this season’s games possessing five years or less time on the field, many fans are questioning whether the officiating blunders of past seasons are destined to persist.
To find out which fans are most concerned about this, we analyzed the content and sentiment of X posts (or tweets, on the platform formerly known as Twitter) from NFL fans to find out which teams were the most vocal about refereeing issues last season. Will these same teams be making noise again this year?
Here's a look at the top complainers and their grievances.
Methodology
To determine the ranking of the most vocal NFL fanbases, the team at Action Network utilized Brandwatch, a social listening tool that analyzes posts made on X over the past 12 months.
For this study, in particular, we gathered all posts associated with each NFL team that mentioned terms like "refs," "referees," "officiating," or "officials," and then applied sentiment analysis to categorize the content as positive, neutral, or negative, counting only the posts that expressed negativity.
In total, more than 2 million posts were analyzed between Aug 1., 2023, and Feb. 12, 2024, with more than 875,000 posts identified as negative, reflecting the sentiment of fan bases as of Aug. 16, 2024.
The Top 5 Whiniest Fanbases
Ready to find out which teams in the NFL were the whiniest last season? Take a look at the top 5 below:
1. Kansas City Chiefs
125,340 posts with negative sentiment:
Known for their passionate fan base and recent Super Bowl victories, the Kansas City Chiefs are one of the most prominent teams in the NFL. Needless to say, their fans were furious following a controversial moment on Dec. 10, 2013, which received 21,460 complaints alone.
During a crucial game against the Buffalo Bills, a potentially game-changing touchdown was overturned when officials ruled Kadarius Toney offside after a pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce. This contentious call, which came at a critical juncture, left many Chiefs supporters enraged.
Both Mahomes and coach Andy Reid criticized the decision, with Reid calling it "embarrassing" for the league, and this frustration was further exacerbated by another disputed call against the Green Bay Packers earlier in the season, all of which resulted in a larger number of Chiefs fans taking to social media to vent their displeasure.
2. Detroit Lions
82,900 posts with negative sentiment:
The Detroit Lions, a team known for their dedicated but often long-suffering fan base, found themselves in hot water on Dec. 24, 2023. In a game against the Minnesota Vikings, many NFL fans were in an uproar about an arguably game-winning decision, which resulted in 43,420 negative posts alone.
The passer call on Vikings linebacker Pat Jones II, which awarded the Lions a crucial first down, was seen as a game-changer, but left Vikings fans feeling that the call negatively impacted their division title hopes and resulted in many an online argument between fans.
3. Buffalo Bills
70,400 posts with negative sentiment:
The Buffalo Bills, a team with a growing reputation for solid performances and a fervent following, experienced significant frustration on Nov. 26, 2023. In a close game against the Philadelphia Eagles, fans were upset over several questionable calls throughout the game.
The most notable of these, however, was a missed horse-collar tackle on Bills quarterback Josh Allen by Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick. Instead, Allen was penalized for intentional grounding, an oversight that prevented the Bills from scoring and contributed to their overtime loss, leaving fans and players feeling their playoff prospects were undermined. This caused 8,300 fans to take to X and vent their frustrations.
4. Dallas Cowboys
69,600 posts with negative sentiment:
The Dallas Cowboys, often referred to as "America's Team" due to their widespread popularity and storied history, faced controversy on Dec. 24, 2023, when they suffered a narrow defeat to the Miami Dolphins, highlighted by a disputed call involving linebacker Micah Parsons which sparked 26,340 negative referee related posts being made over the next 24 hours.
Penalized for roughing the passer after hitting Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, many felt Parsons' hit was part of regular play and shouldn't have been penalized. This decision led to a Dolphins touchdown on the next play, contributing to the Cowboys' tight 22-20 loss. Parsons accused the referees of bias, intensifying the frustration amid their challenging playoff race.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
66,300 posts with negative sentiment:
The Philadelphia Eagles, known for their passionate fanbase, took to X on Oct. 22, 2023, after their 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. During the game, many Dolphin fans believed the officiating was biased, which Eagles fans seemed to agree with, calling out questionable refereeing decisions.
Notable issues included missed calls such as a face mask on Eagles player James Bradberry and an unclear roughing the passer call on Dolphins player Christian Wilkins. The Eagles finished the game without penalties, while the Dolphins were flagged 10 times for 70 yards, leading Miami fans to accuse the officials of favoritism.
Who Complained the Least?
In contrast to those teams whose fans took to social media to vent their frustration at last season’s poor refereeing, the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Arizona Cardinals have the least vocal supporters, with their fan bases making the fewest posts about refereeing issues at 6,020 posts, 4,880 posts, and 3,060 posts, respectively.
Looking ahead
So, there you have it, those are the NFL’s whiniest fans from last season, and as the new season approaches, it will be interesting to see if these trends continue or if another suite of teams take their place. Will the same fanbases be as vocal about refereeing issues this season, or will the influx of new, less experienced officials lead to new controversies?
One thing is certain: as the NFL season kicks off, the debate about officiating will remain a hot topic, so stay tuned for more NFL insights and updates by visiting the Action Network website.
Methodology and Sources
To create the ranking, Action Network used Brandwatch, a social listening tool that allows you to analyze posts made on X.com over the last 12 months.
For the study, all posts on X associated with each team and any mention of "refs", "referees, "officiating" or "officials", were gathered. We then used the sentiment analysis feature, which deems content as being positive, negative, or neutral. Only those that had elements of negativity were counted.
More than 2 million posts on X were analyzed between Aug. 1, 2023, and Feb. 12, 2024, with more than 875,000 posts being deemed negative. Data is correct as of Aug. 16, 2024.
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