Dallas Cowboys: America's Most Popular Team, To America's Discredit

By Richard Connelly Fri., Sep. 10 2010 at 11:01 AM

The Neilsen Company, the people who give you TV ratings, have done an extensive study on how popular various NFL teams are.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the study examined "each team's local and national TV rankings, how often they're mentioned on the Internet and how many visitors they attract to their official websites."

And the most popular NFL team is...precisely who you wish it wouldn't be.

Yes, the heinous Cowboys with their southern-Donald-Trump owner are the most popular NFL team.

And by a big margin -- 23 percent more popular than the number-two team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As for the Texans, you have to go deep down the list to find them. Twelve? No. Maybe in the teens? Guess again.

The Texans were ranked 28th out of the 32 teams, tied with the Seattle Seahawks and barely edging out non-entities like Tampa Bay and Jacksonville and the worst team in the league, St. Louis.

Oddly, the team that finished ahead of the Texans was the San Francisco 49ers. They were a dominant team with a dedicated fan base, but it looks like their lengthy slump has caused interest in them to crater.