The Miami Heat Have the Third-Happiest Fans in the NBA

A new study tells us what we already knew.

July 11, 2022

Fans arrive at FTX Arena in Miami prior to the first game of the 2022 NBA playoffs. Photo by Michael Reaves via Getty Images

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Ask any Miami Heat fan and they'll tell you a bad day supporting their team beats a good one cheering on the home team in most other NBA cities.

In many burgs, a painful season can mean 15 wins and NBA Draft lottery Ping Pong balls. For Heat fans, pain usually comes from a crushing loss to end a deep playoff run. Simply put, Heat fans are a happy bunch. Six NBA Finals appearances and three championships since 2006 tend to put a smile on your puss.

But hey, don't take a Heat fan's word for it. Trust the science!
A new study by online betting guide OLBG found Miami to be home to the third-happiest fan base in the NBA, trailing only Memphis and Chicago. Cue the offseason Pepas!

To gauge fan happiness, the study took a deeper look at the average likes received by teams on their Twitter and Instagram accounts, as well as taking the ratio of “love” reactions to “angry” reactions to content published about them on Facebook. OLBG also factored in each team’s number of followers, the number of posts or videos, and the number of likes or views.

To the surprise of no Heat fan, when the happy-o-meter spat out its findings, Miami fans were near the top of the list. Now, if we're keeping it real, it is a bit odd to see Memphis fans at the top and the NBA champion Golden State Warriors fans below Miami, but who are we to disagree with science?

So, there you have it — Miami Heat fans are a happy bunch. Just like we keep telling everyone.

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Ryan Yousefi, a sports journalist and MBA holder in business healthcare management, has been a dedicated weekly contributor to the Miami New Times since 2013. Beyond his sports journalism career, he's held leadership roles in web3 gaming companies. He enjoys southeast Asia travel, pho, and whiskey, but most of all, being Lincoln's dad.

Contact: Ryan Yousefi

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