No Pro Football Team in Utah 

Without a franchise in the state, what do fans of the NFL in Utah cheer for the most? You may think a bordering state would do well. The Broncos or the Cardinals are nearby, but neither are a favorite. 

What about the Raiders who have moved into Las Vegas with just two hours of drive time separating them from Sothern Utah. Surely the Raiders are the new team for Utah. Nope. Not according to this survey done at the beginning of the season in 2024. 

It Has to Be the Steve Young Effect 

Utah’s favorite team in pro football is the San Francisco 49ers according to the survey. What is the draw for this team that is a couple of states away in a city that doesn’t have much in common with the beehive state? 

It seems like fans cheer for college heroes if they don’t have a pro team. Wyoming’s favorite team is the Buffalo Bills. That has to be because their quarterback, Josh Allen, played his college ball there. 

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I would imagine that Steve Young, who led San Francisco to a Super Bowl and ended up in the hall of fame had a big impact on who the state cheers for. Fans of BYU who cheered for him in the 80s followed him to the Bay Area. 

The 49ers currently have all-pro Fred Warner on the team who formerly played at BYU and Mich Wishnowsky who played for the Utes. That probably helps, but the genesis of many of Utah’s fandom had to start with Young. 

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