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While baseball used to be known as America's Favorite Pastime, almost twice as many Americans chose football over baseball as the country's favorite sport. These are followed distantly by basketball, soccer, auto racing and hockey. Studies show that these numbers stay steady across gender, age and some racial and ethnic groups. Every year, at the pinnacle of football season, well over 100 million people tune in to watch the Super Bowl. While we know much of this is about culture, commercials and halftime, the reality is that most Americans love to kick back and watch a game with their family and friends.
The popularity of football may stay the same across generations, but when you break down individual teams and players, things change a bit. To better understand what players each generation favors, we've put together a list of the ten most popular football players according to Baby Boomers by using YouGov 's survey numbers and ranking from least popular to most.
The survey looked at how many Boomers recognized a player's name and then discussed how many of them liked the player. While the fame of the players is all over the board, most of the players only garnished around 30% of the popularity vote, except for a few who have been in the limelight for many reasons and have won three Super Bowl rings with their team.
Why We Care About This
The NFL generates billions of dollars each year in revenue.
According to the National Football League, the last Super Bowl in 2024 is the most-watched program ever, bringing in around 123 million viewers across all platforms. Compared to that, the 2023 broadcast only brought in 115 million viewers. In 2023, the NFL earned more than $13 billion between ticket sales, TV deals, merchandise, partnerships, stadium naming rights and sponsorships. With 32 teams in the league, that spending is spread across the entire country for consumers. A better understanding of why people spend the way they do helps advertisers pinpoint ways to get you to spend your money. At 24/7 Wall Street, we want all our readers informed before they spend their hard-earned money anywhere, including sports.
10. Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins has been on the roster for the Commanders and Vikings and currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons.
- Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked the player as popular: 26%
The current quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, Kirk Cousins played college football at Michigan State and has been in the league for 13 years. While 53% of Baby Boomers recognized his name, he came up as number ten on our most popular list with only 26% ranking him as popular. While he's currently on Atlanta's roster, he also played for the Washington Commanders and the Minnesota Vikings. His last NFL season was cut short by an Achilles injury in week 8 in 2023, but he is expected to be back at full speed for the 2024 season.
9. Josh Allen
Josh Allen has played for the Buffalo Bills his entire professional career.
- Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked the player as popular: 27%
The current quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, Josh Allen is 28 and has played in the league for seven years. He went to college in Wyoming and is originally from Firebaugh, California. In the first round, he was drafted in 2018 as the seventh pick for Buffalo. During his last full season, he had a 66.5% completion passing rate with 19 game-winning drives. While almost half of Baby Boomers recognized his name, only 27% considered him popular enough to rank on this list.
8. Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco is currently with the Colts, but has more than 18 years of experience in the NFL.
- Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked the player as popular: 28% (tied)
Joe Flacco is tied with two other famous NFL players for 8th place in our most popular list. He was drafted in 2008 in the first round as the 18th pick by the Baltimore Ravens and is a current quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. He played from 2008-2018 for the Ravens, was traded to the Broncos for a year, then spent three years with the New York Jets before returning with the Cleveland Browns for the 2023 season. He went to college in Delaware and has 18 years of experience in the league. Flacco is well-known by Baby Boomers at 52% but may be on a decline in popularity as his percentage sits at 28.
7. Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson was drafted in 2018 and is a steady, strong presence for the Ravens.
- Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked the player as popular: 28% (tied)
Lamar Jackson ties with Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco when it comes to popularity but is better known by Baby Boomers than both. The current quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, Jackson graduated from Louisville and was drafted in 2018 in the first round as the 32nd pick. His pass completion rate hit 67.2% in the 2023 season, where the Raven sadly fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in their run for the Super Bowl. While Jackson hasn't won any championships in the National Football League, he's a long-standing favorite of the Ravens and coach John Harbaugh.
6. Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks and coach Pete Carroll.
- Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked the player as popular: 28% (tied)
In 2023, quarterback Russell Wilson was included on the list of the world's athletes with the highest earnings . A former quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers, Wilson's career has been a bit of a roller coaster over 13 years. He was drafted in 2012 during the third round as the 75th pick by the Seattle Seahawks. He played with the Seahawks until he was traded to the Denver Broncos in 2022. During his time with the Seahawks, he had two Super Bowl appearances and took home one ring. Wilson will return in the 2024 season as a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
5. Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. won one Super Bowl during his career with the Rams.
- Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked the player as popular: 29% (tied)
Odell Beckham Jr. is a wide receiver with a decade of experience in the National Football League. He attended college at Louisiana State University and was drafted in 2014 during the first round as the 12th pick. He played for the New York Giants, the Cleveland Browns, the Los Angeles Rams and the Baltimore Ravens before moving to the Miami Dolphins for the 2024 season. He won one Super Bowl during his career with the Los Angeles Rams.
4. Matthew Stafford
Stafford played for the Lions for 12 seasons before moving to the Rams where he won a Super Bowl.
- Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked the player as popular: 29% (tied)
Matt Stafford was drafted in 2009 as the first pick of the overall draft. He attended college in Georgia and has 16 years of experience in the National Football League. He first played for the Detroit Lions until 2020 when he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. He led his team to a Super Bowl win in 2022, where the Rams beat the Bengals. Stafford tied for fifth place with Odell Beckham Jr., although he was only recognized by 49% of Boomers as opposed to OBJ's 67%.
3. Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers was the Super Bowl MVP in the 2010 season when he led the Packers to a title.
- Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked the player as popular: 31%
80% of Baby Boomers recognized the name Aaron Rodgers, while only 31% of them found him popular. Rodgers is a quarterback for the New York Jets, but ended his 2023 season early with an injury to his Achilles, and recently made waves by missing training camp and feuding with the Jets owner. He's also known for his anti-vaccine stance and controversial comments made about the global COVID-19 pandemic. He was drafted in 2005 in the first round as the 24th pick and played for the Green Bay Packers until he was traded to the Jets in 2023.
2. Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce will begin his 12th season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024.
- Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked the player as popular: 40%
Travis Kelce is one of the greatest tight ends of all time and was recognized by 84% of Baby Boomers, with 40% ranking him as popular. His rise to fame started during the 2022 Super Bowl match-up when he played his brother Jason Kelce and the Philadelphia Eagles in one of the first brother-to-brother match-ups. Kelce also has a popular podcast with his brother and vaulted into the spotlight when he was first linked with pop superstar Taylor Swift in September of 2023. Kelce attended college at Cincinnati and was drafted by the Chiefs in 2013 during the third round as the 63rd pick. He has three Super Bowl rings, won in 2020, 2023 and 2024.
1. Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes has won three Super Bowl rings with the Chiefs, and is hoping to make history with a third-consecutive win during the 2024 season.
- Percentage of Baby Boomers who ranked the player as popular: 48%
Known by only 76% of Boomers but with a 48% ranking of popularity, Patrick Mahomes is clearly the darling of the National Football League. The young quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Mahomes has led the team to four Super Bowl appearances since 2018. He won his third Super Bowl in 2023 against the San Francisco 49ers and is set to welcome his third child with his wife Brittany. Mahomes is also well-known for his push for women's sports as an investor with the women's professional soccer team in Kansas City and for his philanthropic work with his 15 and the Mahomies Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of children.
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