Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware that the XFL kicked off this past weekend.
Now that the dust is settled, we’re being presented with some data that is trying to show how popular each XFL team is by state.
The map above is based on geotagged twitter data in the last two weeks tracking XFL fan hashtags in every state. For example, tracking hashtags like #XFLDefenders, #XFLBattlehawks, #XFLRenegades, #XFLSeattle, #XFLVipers, #XFLGuardians, #XFLRoughnecks, #XFLBrahmas, #DefendDC, #ShieldsUP, #RoughneckNation, ##BreathingFire, #HornsForward, and more. Over 80,000 tweets were tracked.
The map was put together by the guys over at betonline.ag using trends software with direct access to geotagged twitter data. They do sports based trends maps every month.
As you can see from the map, most fandom is proximity or region based, but the DC Defenders are the most popular. Also interesting to see San Antonio fans showing enough support to make Texas a “Brahmas” state.
The state breakdown is as follows:
- DC Defenders – 21 states
- St. Louis Battlehawks – 9 states
- Arlington Renegades – 8 states
- Seattle Sea Dragons – 4 states
- Vegas Vipers – 3 states
- Orlando Guardians – 2 states
- Houston Roughnecks – 2 states
- San Antonio Brahmas – 1 state
Without context, it’s easy to put these numbers together and come to a consensus that DC is on top. Something to keep in mind though. Arguably the most viral moment of XFL opening weekend tookplace in the matchup between the DC Defenders and Seattle Sea Dragons.
In 2020 Audi Field was known for its beer snake. Fans were hoping this would be the same in 2023. Unfortnately, Audi Field security were tasked with removing the beer snakes as the crowd was trying to get them built. As a result the fans revolted and started pelting lemons on the field.
It’ll be interesting to see if this is a new trend in DC. But, it’ll also be worth keeping an eye on these numbers as we expect the incident may partially be the reason we’re seeing the result above.
What is your favoite XFL team this season? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
