Ranked: The Most Obese Sports Fans in the U.S.
Sports fans like to talk trash about rival franchises, but when it comes to who's actually carrying the most weight, the numbers settle it.
We surveyed 509 self-selected fans across the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB on their self-reported height, weight and waist size, broken down by the team they support.
Key findings
- Indianapolis Colts fans report the heaviest average across all four leagues at 220.2 lbs
- Detroit fanbases rank at or near the top for average weight in two separate leagues, NFL and NBA
- Houston fanbases rank at or near the bottom in two separate leagues, NBA and MLB
- Both the Lions and the Pistons posting some of the heaviest averages in their respective sports.
Detroit Shows Up Heaviest in Two Different Leagues
Detroit Lions fans average 192.3 lbs, fourth heaviest of 27 NFL fanbases. Detroit Pistons fans average 199.0 lbs, the heaviest of all 22 NBA fanbases.
Both samples are large enough to sit above the small-sample threshold used elsewhere in this study, so the Detroit pattern isn't being driven by a handful of outlier responses the way some single-league toppers are.
The dataset doesn't include any information on diet, lifestyle or local food culture, so this is a pattern in the numbers rather than an explanation for it.
Houston Sits at the Bottom in Two Leagues, and Close to It in a Third
Houston Rockets fans average 164.0 lbs, 21st of 22 NBA fanbases, on a sample of 17. Houston Astros fans average 164.8 lbs, 21st of 25 MLB fanbases, on a sample of 19.
Houston Texans fans aren't far off the same position in the NFL, averaging 165.9 lbs, 22nd of 27, on a sample of 19. Three different fanbases in the same city, in three different leagues, all sitting in the bottom quarter of their respective tables.
The Heaviest and Lightest Fanbase in Each League
Every league shows a wide spread between its heaviest and lightest reporting fanbase:
- NFL: Indianapolis Colts, 220.2 lbs, versus Los Angeles Rams, 157.8 lbs. A gap of 62.4 lbs
- NHL: New York Islanders, 214.5 lbs, versus Seattle Kraken, 151.7 lbs. A gap of 62.8 lbs
- NBA: Detroit Pistons, 199.0 lbs, versus Portland Trail Blazers, 159.5 lbs. A gap of 39.5 lbs
- MLB: Los Angeles Angels, 202.0 lbs, versus Seattle Mariners, 159.9 lbs. A gap of 42.1 lbs
New York Knicks Fans Supplied the Single Biggest Sample
59 Knicks fans took part, more than double the next-largest NBA sample (Los Angeles Lakers, 44) and the biggest fanbase sample across all four leagues in the study.
Despite that size, Knicks fans land in the middle of the NBA table: 187.2 lbs average, fifth of 22, with a 34.7in average waist. The largest sample in the study is not the heaviest or the lightest, it's roughly in the middle of the pack.
The Full Rankings by League
NFL
| Rank | Team | Sample | Avg. weight | Avg. waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indianapolis Colts | 8* | 220.2 lbs | 42.5in |
| 2 | Los Angeles Chargers | 8* | 202.0 lbs | 37.0in |
| 3 | Las Vegas Raiders | 10* | 194.5 lbs | 34.8in |
| 4 | Detroit Lions | 23 | 192.3 lbs | 35.5in |
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | 20 | 190.5 lbs | 35.7in |
| 6 | Cleveland Browns | 13* | 189.1 lbs | 35.2in |
| 7 | Denver Broncos | 17 | 188.0 lbs | 33.2in |
| 8 | Dallas Cowboys | 44 | 186.0 lbs | 34.3in |
| 9 | Miami Dolphins | 13* | 185.7 lbs | 36.0in |
| 10 | Baltimore Ravens | 12* | 184.5 lbs | 33.3in |
| 11 | Chicago Bears | 23 | 184.3 lbs | 35.8in |
| 12 | New York Giants | 32 | 184.0 lbs | 35.1in |
| 13 | Philadelphia Eagles | 28 | 180.2 lbs | 33.8in |
| 14 | Atlanta Falcons | 12* | 180.0 lbs | 32.8in |
| 15 | Green Bay Packers | 16 | 179.8 lbs | 34.9in |
| 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 23 | 179.3 lbs | 34.0in |
| 17 | New York Jets | 10* | 176.5 lbs | 35.8in |
| 18 | Buffalo Bills | 17 | 174.2 lbs | 33.3in |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 10* | 172.0 lbs | 31.0in |
| 20 | New England Patriots | 31 | 171.1 lbs | 33.7in |
| 21 | San Francisco 49ers | 24 | 168.1 lbs | 32.3in |
| 22 | Houston Texans | 19 | 165.9 lbs | 33.6in |
| 23 | Minnesota Vikings | 14* | 165.6 lbs | 33.3in |
| 24 | Carolina Panthers | 11* | 165.4 lbs | 34.2in |
| 25 | Cincinnati Bengals | 12* | 165.4 lbs | 31.8in |
| 26 | Seattle Seahawks | 18 | 161.0 lbs | 31.8in |
| 27 | Los Angeles Rams | 12* | 157.8 lbs | 35.2in |
NHL
| Rank | Team | Sample | Avg. weight | Avg. waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Islanders | 14* | 214.5 lbs | 38.9in |
| 2 | Anaheim Ducks | 16 | 201.4 lbs | 35.2in |
| 3 | Colorado Avalanche | 16 | 197.6 lbs | 33.9in |
| 4 | St. Louis Blues | 13* | 196.0 lbs | 36.8in |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 28 | 195.6 lbs | 35.9in |
| 6 | Philadelphia Flyers | 26 | 190.7 lbs | 34.8in |
| 7 | Washington Capitals | 25 | 187.9 lbs | 34.2in |
| 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 11* | 185.5 lbs | 34.9in |
| 9 | Carolina Hurricanes | 21 | 181.6 lbs | 36.1in |
| 10 | New York Rangers | 28 | 178.1 lbs | 34.9in |
| 11 | Dallas Stars | 40 | 177.9 lbs | 33.8in |
| 12 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 25 | 177.3 lbs | 34.6in |
| 13 | Los Angeles Kings | 22 | 177.2 lbs | 33.9in |
| 14 | Boston Bruins | 43 | 177.2 lbs | 34.0in |
| 15 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 12* | 177.0 lbs | 34.0in |
| 16 | San Jose Sharks | 18 | 175.7 lbs | 35.6in |
| 17 | Florida Panthers | 16 | 175.5 lbs | 35.1in |
| 18 | Chicago Blackhawks | 28 | 175.1 lbs | 34.1in |
| 19 | Minnesota Wild | 14* | 172.4 lbs | 32.4in |
| 20 | Vegas Golden Knights | 19 | 169.0 lbs | 32.8in |
| 21 | Buffalo Sabres | 15 | 164.2 lbs | 33.9in |
| 22 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 17 | 160.7 lbs | 32.1in |
| 23 | New Jersey Devils | 14* | 160.6 lbs | 32.0in |
| 24 | Seattle Kraken | 14* | 151.7 lbs | 31.4in |
NBA
| Rank | Team | Sample | Avg. weight | Avg. waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit Pistons | 22 | 199.0 lbs | 36.2in |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | 19 | 193.7 lbs | 35.3in |
| 3 | Washington Wizards | 11* | 193.6 lbs | 34.7in |
| 4 | Orlando Magic | 8* | 189.5 lbs | 37.5in |
| 5 | New York Knicks | 59 | 187.2 lbs | 34.7in |
| 6 | Phoenix Suns | 15 | 185.5 lbs | 34.3in |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 19 | 184.0 lbs | 34.5in |
| 8 | Denver Nuggets | 14* | 182.4 lbs | 32.4in |
| 9 | Indiana Pacers | 9* | 181.8 lbs | 37.1in |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 14* | 180.9 lbs | 35.0in |
| 11 | Milwaukee Bucks | 11* | 180.5 lbs | 34.2in |
| 12 | Philadelphia 76ers | 30 | 179.9 lbs | 34.1in |
| 13 | Chicago Bulls | 35 | 176.5 lbs | 34.6in |
| 14 | Boston Celtics | 48 | 174.7 lbs | 34.0in |
| 15 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 20 | 174.3 lbs | 33.7in |
| 16 | Los Angeles Lakers | 44 | 174.0 lbs | 34.4in |
| 17 | Golden State Warriors | 29 | 173.7 lbs | 32.9in |
| 18 | Charlotte Hornets | 13* | 173.0 lbs | 35.1in |
| 19 | Atlanta Hawks | 13* | 164.9 lbs | 31.1in |
| 20 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 12* | 164.5 lbs | 32.5in |
| 21 | Houston Rockets | 17 | 164.0 lbs | 32.9in |
| 22 | Portland Trail Blazers | 11* | 159.5 lbs | 32.2in |
MLB
| Rank | Team | Sample | Avg. weight | Avg. waist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Angels | 10* | 202.0 lbs | 35.8in |
| 2 | Cincinnati Reds | 18 | 197.0 lbs | 37.0in |
| 3 | Miami Marlins | 9* | 196.7 lbs | 37.8in |
| 4 | Detroit Tigers | 23 | 194.9 lbs | 35.8in |
| 5 | Philadelphia Phillies | 26 | 190.9 lbs | 34.0in |
| 6 | Colorado Rockies | 9* | 188.9 lbs | 32.7in |
| 7 | St. Louis Cardinals | 11* | 183.6 lbs | 34.2in |
| 8 | New York Yankees | 58 | 183.5 lbs | 34.3in |
| 9 | San Francisco Giants | 16 | 183.0 lbs | 37.4in |
| 10 | Cleveland Guardians | 16 | 182.0 lbs | 34.1in |
| 11 | Texas Rangers | 24 | 182.0 lbs | 34.2in |
| 12 | Milwaukee Brewers | 8* | 181.4 lbs | 32.8in |
| 13 | Chicago Cubs | 29 | 180.6 lbs | 35.3in |
| 14 | Atlanta Braves | 37 | 178.4 lbs | 34.4in |
| 15 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 14* | 176.6 lbs | 34.6in |
| 16 | Boston Red Sox | 44 | 176.2 lbs | 34.3in |
| 17 | New York Mets | 16 | 175.1 lbs | 34.6in |
| 18 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 34 | 174.7 lbs | 34.2in |
| 19 | Baltimore Orioles | 11* | 170.5 lbs | 31.6in |
| 20 | Tampa Bay Rays | 8* | 169.5 lbs | 31.5in |
| 21 | Houston Astros | 19 | 164.8 lbs | 32.7in |
| 22 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 10* | 164.0 lbs | 32.6in |
| 23 | Chicago White Sox | 11* | 163.2 lbs | 34.0in |
| 24 | Minnesota Twins | 10* | 162.5 lbs | 32.6in |
| 25 | Seattle Mariners | 14* | 159.9 lbs | 31.7in |
* Small sample: under 15 responses. Fanbases under 8 responses are excluded from the study entirely.
Methodology
Who was surveyed: 509 self-selected US sports fans, 15–16 September 2026, via an anonymous online form. No identifying information was collected.
How figures are built: Waist (2in bands) and weight (10lb bands) are self-reported. Each fanbase's figure is the average of the band midpoints for fans who named that team.
Small samples: Fanbases under 8 responses are excluded entirely. Those under 15 are shown but flagged, as smaller samples are more easily skewed by individual responses.
This research reports self-reported waist and weight bands only. It does not calculate or claim to measure BMI, body fat, or any clinical health outcome, and should not be read as a health or medical assessment of any fanbase. Compiled by Gambling.com, a guide to US sportsbooks.
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