The most popular US sports teams emerged, with the Dallas Cowboys in sixth place and the NBA teams at the top

Maybe basketball should be called ‘America’s Game’ now?

According to a study by Sidelines, the NBA is home to the two most popular sports franchises in the country.

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The study is said to have analyzed 150 franchises in the NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS and NHL, taking into account each team’s social media followers, mentions, engagement rate, average likes and average attendance.

According to the study, here are the five most popular sports franchises in the US:

1 – Los Angeles Lakers

At the top of the charts are the stumbling Lakers.

Despite their limited success so far this season, with the team currently sitting fourteenth in the Western Conference with a 3-10 record, their fandom is undeniable.

The study cites LA’s 20.5 million Instagram followers, using #Lakers over 7 million times, and the fact that they have the third-highest attendance in the NBA as reasons for their ranking.

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2 – Warriors of the Golden State

The Warriors represent another star-studded NBA franchise struggling to gain traction this season.

The 6-8 Warriors currently sit tenth in the Western Conference just months after winning the championship.

According to the study, the Warriors came very close to breaking out of that ranking, thanks in no small part to their 26.3 million followers, representing most in American esports.

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3 – New York Yankees

As the first representative of the MLB, the 27-time world champion took a respectable third place.

The Yankees just came off an ALCS loss to eventual World Series champions, the Houston Astros.

Though they have a far smaller number of followers than the Lakers and Warriors — just 3.1 million — the study attributes their high levels of fan engagement and high attendance (second in the league) to their ranking.

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4 – Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers, another baseball team that made its way into the Top 5, are poised for a return to the West Coast.

Dodgers fans will have been disappointed that their MLB-best 111 regular-season wins weren’t enough to propel them to World Series glory this season, but that apparently hasn’t hurt their popularity.

According to the study, the Dodgers have the highest attendance in the league, but they sit one spot below the Yankees due to their lower fan engagement rate and 0.1 million fewer followers.

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5 – San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco beats the Dallas Cowboys by one spot and leads the NFL.

The 5-4 49ers continue to fight hard for a playoff run, especially after their two recent wins over the LA Chargers and Rams.

The Niners made it into the top 5 thanks to their high attendance, which makes up for their slightly lower social media stats.

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Rounding out the aforementioned Cowboys in sixth place – not making the top five despite being the most valuable sports franchise in the world.

The Philadelphia Phillies are seventh after a narrow loss at the World Series.

They are followed by an NFL trio, rounding out the top ten with the New England Patriots in eighth, the Kansas City Chiefs in ninth, and the Cincinnati Bengals in tenth.

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