What States Don’t Have NFL Football Teams?

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC).

Reasons for no NFL teams in some states

There are a few reasons why some states don’t have NFL teams. One reason is that some states don’t have the population to support an NFL team. Another reason is that some states don’t have a good enough stadium to host NFL games. Lastly, some states simply don’t have the interest in NFL football.

Lack of market

The most common reason that a state doesn’t have an NFL team is because there isn’t a large enough market for the team. This is usually because the state doesn’t have a large enough population, or because the people in the state aren’t particularly interested in football.

Other reasons for why a state might not have an NFL team can include a lack of suitable stadiums, or a lack of interest from potential team owners.

Lack of interest

There are several reasons why some states do not have NFL teams. The most common reason is simply a lack of interest in the sport. In states where the population is spread out over a large area, it can be difficult to generate enough interest to support a professional team. Additionally, many of the states without NFL teams are located in the southern and western United States, where college football is more popular than professional football.

Another reason why some states do not have NFL teams is that they do not have stadiums that meet the requirements of the league. Most NFL stadiums must have a minimum seating capacity of 65,000. They must also have a certain number of luxury suites and other amenities that generate revenue for the team. Many small cities and rural areas do not have stadiums that meet these requirements.

Finally, some states do not have NFL teams because they are not considered good markets for the league. This is often due to factors such as population density, income levels, and television coverage. For example, California is the most populous state in the country but only has two NFL teams (the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams). This is because California is so vast that it is difficult to get enough people to attend games in person or to watch them on television.

Lack of stadium

In order for a city to have an NFL team, they must have a stadium that meets NFL standards. Most importantly, the stadium must have a capacity of at least 65,000 people.

There are several cities that have populations over 1 million people, but they do not have an NFL team because they do not have a stadium that meets NFL standards. For example, San Antonio has a population of over 1.4 million people, but their largest stadium only has a capacity of 65,662 people.

States without NFL teams

There are currently 13 states that do not have an NFL team. They are Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Iowa,Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.

Alaska

Although Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area, it does not have a professional NFL team. There have been several attempts to start an NFL franchise in Alaska, most notably by Bill Walsh in the 1980s, but Walsh ultimately abandoned his efforts due to the small population of the state and the difficulty of attracting fans from outside Alaska.

There are a number of reasons why Alaska is unlikely to ever get an NFL team, including its small population (which is less than 1% of the United States as a whole), its distance from other states (making travel for away games logistically difficult and costly), and its climate (which would make playing outdoors in winter nearly impossible). Even if an NFL team were able to overcome these obstacles, it would still face competition from other professional sports leagues for attention and fans.

Hawaii

Despite having a rich football culture dating back to the early 1900s, Hawaii does not currently have a team in the NFL. The closest team to Hawaii is the Oakland Raiders, who are based in Oakland, California. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to bring an NFL team to Hawaii, including the failed Hawaii Islanders franchise that was intended to be a part of the American Football League (AFL) in the 1960s. More recently, there was talk of the Raiders moving to Hawaii, but those plans ultimately fell through.

There are several reasons why an NFL team has not yet been successful in establishing itself in Hawaii. First and foremost, there is the issue of distance. Playing games in Hawaii would require significant travel for all other teams in the league, which would add additional costs and logistic complexities. There is also the matter of time difference; with Hawaii being located in the Pacific Time Zone, games played there would start very late (or very early) for fans on the East Coast of the United States. Additionally, Hawaiian weather can be unpredictable and sometimes unsuitable for playing football; for example, high humidity levels can make it difficult for players to stay hydrated during games.

Despite these challenges, there is still hope that an NFL team will one day call Hawaii home. In 2017, Honolulu was selected as one of five finalists for a new NFL franchise, though no team ended up being awarded to the city. As the state continues to grow economically and demographically, it seems likely that at some point an NFL team will take notice and decide to make Hawaii its home base.

Montana

The state of Montana does not have an NFL team. This is because the state’s population is too small to support a professional team. There are only two major cities in Montana (Billings and Missoula), and neither of these cities has an NFL team.

The closest NFL teams to Montana are the Seattle Seahawks (in Washington state) and the Minnesota Vikings (in Minnesota). However, both of these teams are over 1,000 miles away from Montana, so it is unlikely that Montana residents are very diehard fans of either team.

North Dakota

While there are no NFL teams based in North Dakota, that doesn’t mean that fans in the state don’t have a team to root for. In fact, many North Dakotans are avid fans of the Minnesota Vikings, which is the closest NFL team to the state. There are also a number of other pro football teams that have a strong following in North Dakota, including the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Kansas City Chiefs.

South Dakota

South Dakota is one of 21 states without an NFL team. The other states without an NFL team are: Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming.

Vermont

Vermont is the only U.S. state without an NFL team. There have been several Vermont-based efforts to bring an NFL franchise to the state, but none have been successful.

The closest Vermont has come to having an NFL team is the Boston Patriots, who played one game in Burlington in 1969. The Patriots were considered for relocation to Burlington on multiple occasions in the 1970s, but ultimately decided against it.

There are many theories as to why Vermont doesn’t have an NFL team, including the state’s small population, lack of a major city, and lack of interest in football. However, the most likely reason is simply that no one has ever seriously pursued bringing an NFL team to Vermont.

Wyoming

Wyoming is one of only four U.S. states without an NFL team. The others are Alaska, Montana, and North Dakota. All four of these states have populations below five million people.

The closest NFL teams to Wyoming are the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams are over 500 miles from the state capital of Cheyenne.