How Popular is Each USFL Team Based on Social Media Followers

Last month the USFL finally revealed all eight team names during a spotlight feature on The Herd. It would make sense that the big announcement would take place on FS1, as FOX has a financial stake in the new league. At the time of publication, FOX is set to commit at least $150M into the new USFL over the course of its first three seasons.

When we look at the graveyard of past spring football leagues, the main cause of failure was funding and broadcasting. Both of which should be almost guaranteed with the FOX machine behind the product.

With the returning USFL franchises now official, we wanted to take a look and see which ones fans are latching onto the most. Currently, each USFL team has a social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Compared to when the USFL last played, social media is one of the best ways to gauge fan interest.

It’s been over a week since the names dropped, let’s see who’s leading the charge so far in the USFL.

Instagram

1. Pittsburgh Maulers: 2,747
2. Michigan Panthers: 2,257
3. New Orleans Breakers: 1,887
4. Birmingham Stallions: 1,839
5. New Jersey Generals: 1,736
6. Tampa Bay Bandits: 1,716
7. Houston Gamblers: 1,687
8. Philadelphia Stars: 1,668

Facebook

1. Michigan Panthers: 567
2. Tampa Bay Bandits: 556
3. Birmingham Stallions: 552
4. New Orleans Breakers: 508
5. Houston Gamblers: 419
6. Pittsburgh Maulers: 383
7. New Jersey Generals: 358
8. Philadelphia Stars: 259

Twitter

1. Pittsburgh Maulers: 7,217
2. Michigan Panthers: 6,709
3. Philadelphia Stars: 6,031
4. Houston Gamblers: 5,528
5. New Orleans Breakers: 5,439
6. Birmingham Stallions: 4,632
7. Tampa Bay Bandits: 3,893
8. New Jersey Generals: 2,565

When we look at all the social media platforms, Twitter is leading the charge when it comes to overall followers, with Facebook performing the worst for the league. Adding up the totals give us a much better look at which teams fans are gravitating to the most.

Overall

1. Pittsburgh Maulers: 10,347
2. Michigan Panthers: 9,533
3. Philadelphia Stars: 7,958
4. New Orleans Breakers: 7,834
5. Houston Gamblers: 7,634
6. Birmingham Stallions: 7,023
7. Tampa Bay Bandits: 6,165
8. New Jersey Generals: 4,659

Leading the pack for the USFL is the Pittsburgh Maulers, with the New Jersey Generals sitting at the bottom. We’re only a little over a week into knowing the new franchises, but you can bet that these number will change depending on how the teams perform in 2022. As we get closer to the season we may take another look at the totals to see how things shift based on the coaching staffs and players that jump on board.

Which team will you be rooting for during the 2022 USFL relaunch? Let us know down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.