Just four teams remain in the hunt for a trip to Super Bowl LVIII.
For this article, we are speaking on the NFC Conference Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.
The term “America’s Team” gets thrown around a lot in sports — mostly digs aimed at the Dallas Cowboys — but the 2023-24 Detroit Lions seem to have the support of the entire country and a map proves it. The Lions, a franchise perennially at the bottom of the NFL for most of its existence, have become a fan favorite as they work to shed some of their negative history.
Based on data tracking tweets, a vast majority of fans in 49 states have a rooting interest in the Lions advancing to the Super Bowl. The only state behind the 49ers is California.
Here is how social media responded to the map:
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
The data was compiled by tracking fan hashtags used on tweets from all 50 states.
The Lions are one of four teams remaining and a majority of the country has hopped on the bandwagon to root for a historic first for the franchise — reach the Super Bowl and win the whole thing.
The Lions-Rams wild-card round game drew in 38.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched television program since last year’s Super Bowl.
The Niners, who could also credibly claim the “America’s Team” title, are left looking like the enemies of the NFC. The San Francisco 49ers eliminated “America’s Team” twice this decade, taking out the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 and 2023.
As long as that team is not deep in the postseason, America is going to be happy.
