And the 'Most Loyal Fans in Baseball' are...

[OregonStrosFan]

The Texas Rangers fans?  Per Forbes anyway.  LINK

Most loyal: (10) Padres; (9) Orioles; (8) Cardinals; (7) Brewers; (6) Jays; (5) Pirates; (4) Cubs; (3) Braves; (2) Red Sox; and (1) Rangers.

Least Loyal: (10) Mariners; (9) Mets; (8) Indians; (7) Astros; (6) Yankees; (5) Phillies; (4) Twins; (3) A's; (2) Tigers; and (1) Angels.

On the Astros: "If you were to look merely at raw attendance marks, the Astros fans seem to be fairly loyal sorts. After all, some of their highest-drawing seasons were in years when the team was lousy. But once you control for the spike from the team's new downtown stadium, the fans aren't quite as dedicated, deserting their team, per loss, at a slightly worse rate than the Cleveland Indians."

[legs_of_eggs]

Braves fans #3?  Now you its a flawed formula.

[Gizzmonic]

Rangers fans are the most loyal...to the Cowboys.

[GreatBagwellsBeard]

So if you keep showing up year after year by the millions for a shitty team with no pitching, you win an award?  Stay classy, DFW.

[JimR]

So if you keep showing up year after year by the millions for a shitty team with no pitching, you win an award?  Stay classy, DFW.

actually, i think this is what being a fan of a team is.

[homer]

Rangers fans are the most loyal...to the Cowboys.

I have lived in DFW for 12 years now. I think I have met 3 'loyal' Rangers fans in all of that time.

I have probably met 3 million loyal Cowboys fans.

Going to the Rangers Ballpark at Ameriquest Field in Arlington is really just 'something to do' after the Stars stop playing and until football season.

[GreatBagwellsBeard]

actually, i think this is what being a fan of a team is.

I agree with you in principle, Coach.  But anecdotal experience at least says that there aren't many Rangers fans, despite the high attendence numbers.  I guess what I was getting at is that attendence compared against W-L record is not necessarily a metric by which to measure fandom.

[subnuclear]

I have lived in DFW for 12 years now. I think I have met 3 'loyal' Rangers fans in all of that time.

I have probably met 3 million loyal Cowboys fans.

Going to the Rangers Ballpark at Ameriquest Field in Arlington is really just 'something to do' after the Stars stop playing and until football season.

The methodology they use also rewards consistent disloyalty.   

[OregonStrosFan]

Braves fans #3?  Now you its a flawed formula.

That was my thought too.  Seems to me there were a number of years where the Braves couldn't even sell out playoff games.

[Gizzmonic]

I know one guy who is a huge Rangers fan.  He shocked me with his talk about prospects and all the bad trades the Rangers have made over the years.  Besides him, every Rangers "fan" I've met in my entire life is just like you described.

I have lived in DFW for 12 years now. I think I have met 3 'loyal' Rangers fans in all of that time.

I have probably met 3 million loyal Cowboys fans.

Going to the Rangers Ballpark at Ameriquest Field in Arlington is really just 'something to do' after the Stars stop playing and until football season.

[Astros Fan in Big D]

I have lived in DFW for 12 years now. I think I have met 3 'loyal' Rangers fans in all of that time.

I have probably met 3 million loyal Cowboys fans.

Going to the Rangers Ballpark at Ameriquest Field in Arlington is really just 'something to do' after the Stars stop playing and until football season.

3 million to 3 might be overestimating the Rangers niche in this market. 

In recent years they've been relegated to the backburner as early as June; tell-tale signs of their un-importance range from not leading local sportscasts to game results being off the front of the sports page.  This year they're better and coverage reflects it, but for the better part of a decade an actual trip to the ballpark was indeed just 'something to do'.  Rangers fans haven't been loyal so much as bored.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Whenever I want a subjective determination of an intrinsic factor, I always check out Forbes or People. 

[legs_of_eggs]

Whenever I want a subjective determination of an intrinsic factor, I always check out Forbes or People. 

and Houston sports talk radio

[Kent's Moustache]

So if you keep showing up year after year by the millions for a shitty team with no pitching, you win an award?  Stay classy, DFW.

You could sweeten a pitcher of iced tea with that irony right there.

[ValpoCory]

The methodology they use also rewards consistent disloyalty.   

Exactly.  Pirates fans not attending in the early 90's helps them in this list.

Also

"The Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays were not considered due to a shortage of data and the statistical anomalies stemming from those being either new franchises, relocated franchises or a team that folded."

Do you think Forbes knows that the Expos and the Nationals are the same franchise, or that while one franchise has relocated, no franchise has "folded"?

Move along here.

[Limey]

Exactly.  Pirates fans not attending in the early 90's helps them in this list.

Also

"The Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays were not considered due to a shortage of data and the statistical anomalies stemming from those being either new franchises, relocated franchises or a team that folded."

Do you think Forbes knows that the Expos and the Nationals are the same franchise, or that while one franchise has relocated, no franchise has "folded"?

Move along here.

Calculating a combined measure for the Expos and Gnats involves the tricky metric to imperial conversion.

[Jacksonian]

Calculating a combined measure for the Expos and Gnats involves the tricky metric to imperial conversion.

Nah.  0 is 0 in both measures.