Which States Don’t Have an NFL Team?

A look at which states don’t have an NFL team and why that might be the case.

Introduction

In the United States, there are 50 states. Out of those 50 states, only 19 of them have an NFL team. So, which states don’t have an NFL team?

There are 31 states without an NFL team. Those 31 states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island South Dakota, Utah , Vermont , West Virginia , and Wyoming .

Some of these states (like California and Texas) have multiple NFL teams while otherstates (like Florida) have zero. It’s interesting to see which states have been left out when it comes to having their own professional football teams.

The Four States without an NFL Team

There are four states in the US without an NFL team: Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, and North Dakota. There are several reasons why these states don’t have teams. One reason is that they are small market states and it’s not economically viable to have a team there. Another reason is that these states don’t have a lot of interest in football.

Oregon

Oregon is one of four states without an NFL team. The others are Alaska, Hawaii, and Montana. There have been several attempts to bring an NFL team to Oregon, but none have been successful. The most recent was in 2015, when a group tried to bring the Portland Seahawks to the state.

Montana

While most of the United States is home to at least one NFL team, there are four states that are currently without a professional football team. These states are Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Montana is the largest of the four states without an NFL team. The state has a population of over 1 million people and is home to the city of Missoula, which has a population of over 70,000 people. The state is also home to the University of Montana, which has a Division I college football team.

While Montana does not have an NFL team, the state is home to several semi-professional and minor league football teams. The most notable of these teams is the Missoula Maulers, who compete in the Rocky Mountain Football League.

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the US by area, and it is unsurprisingly sparsely populated. There are only about 740,000 people living in the state, which is just over 0.2% of the US population. Despite its small population, Alaska still has a few notable NFL fans, including Sarah Palin.

Hawaii

Hawaii was actually the first state to have a professional team in any sport when the Hawaii Islanders played in World Football League in 1974. But the islands have never been home to an NFL franchise, and it seems unlikely that will ever change. The main reason is that there would be significant logistical difficulties in travel for both the team and its opponents. Remember, every other NFL team is based on the mainland, so they would all have to make the long trip to Hawaii for each game, and then turn around and do it again the following week. There’s also the matter of time differences — with Hawaii being three hours behind the West Coast (and six hours behind the East Coast), it would be difficult for fans in other parts of the country to watch games live. For these reasons, it’s highly unlikely that Hawaii will ever get an NFL team.

The Reasons behind why these States don’t have an NFL Team

There are a few reasons why some states don’t have an NFL team. One reason is that the state might not have enough people to support a team. Another reason is that the state might not have enough money to build a stadium. Let’s take a look at some of the states that don’t have an NFL team.

Lack of Interest

Is it a lack of interest? Possibly, but more likely it has to do with each state’s available resources.Population certainly plays a role. A state like Wyoming, for example, has a very small population and not enough people to support an NFL team. Other states, like Montana, have a larger population but still don’t have enough people to support an NFL team. This is likely due to the fact that Montana is a rural state and many of its residents are spread out over a large area, making it difficult to get enough people to commit to attending games on a regular basis. There are also a number of states that have plenty of people but just don’t seem interested in football. Oregon is often cited as an example of this. The state has two major universities with football teams (Oregon and Oregon State) but no professional team.

Small Population

One big reason some states don’t have an NFL team is because they have a small population. It’s not only that the state might not have enough people to fill the seats in an NFL stadium, but also that the state might not have enough people to make up a significant TV market. Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the smallest city in the NFL with a population of just over 100,000 people, but it has a TV market larger than Dallas and Houston because it’s close to Chicago.

Another reason some states don’t have an NFL team is because they already have another professional sports team. In most cases, it’s because they have an NBA team. It doesn’t make sense for a state to invest in another professional basketball team when there are only so many fans to go around. This is why you won’t find an NFL team in Oklahoma (Thunder), Utah (Jazz), or South Carolina (Hornets).

Lack of Infrastructure

The absence of an NFL team in some states is due to a lack of infrastructure. A lot of effort and money is needed to build a suitable stadium for an NFL team as well as to support the logistics of hosting games and accommodating fans. Some states simply do not have the resources available to support an NFL team at this time.

Conclusion

There are nine states without an NFL team. Those states are Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. There are also three US territories without an NFL team. They are Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands.