The 5 Most Popular Sports Teams in Ohio

The 5 Most Popular Sports Teams in Ohio
Fact Checked by Michael Peters

Whether it’s the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL or MLS, Ohio boasts a leading sports team in every major league. Home to some of American sport’s most prominent franchises, from the Browns and Bengals to the Cavaliers and Reds, Ohio has plenty of devoted fans who would die for their team each week. And with the launch of ESPN BET Ohio, residents of The Buckeye State can bet on them at a best-in-class sportsbook, too. 

Alternatively, we also recommend offers like the BetMGM Ohio bonus code

But are some Ohio teams more popular than others? And if so, who?

To determine the most popular teams in Ohio, we analyzed the number of Google searches each recorded over the last 12 months. We then calculated the average monthly volume and ranked the top franchises. Read on to see where your team places!

1. Cleveland Browns — 1,708,000 (monthly searches)

Leading the way as Ohio’s most popular sports team, we have the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, with an astonishing 1.7 million Google searches each and every month. This includes being ranked No. 1 in eight of Ohio’s 10 major cities and recording 246,000 searches in Cleveland (1st) and 165,000 in Columbus (1st).

The Browns are yet to ever reach the Super Bowl (although they did reach the playoffs in 2020), so it’s little surprise they’ll be longshots when thebest  Ohio sports betting promos kick off.

2. Cleveland Guardians — 728,000 (monthly searches)

In second, with more than 728,000 Google searches each month, including 60,500 in Cleveland (3rd), 8,100 in Parma (3rd), 6,600 in Akron (3rd) and Canton (3rd), and 2,400 in Lorain (3rd), we have the MLB’s Cleveland Guardians.

The Guardians have struggled to achieve any sort of success in recent years, with just one World Series appearance since 1997, though they’ve managed to maintain strong local support. They'll likely be longshots to win the World Series on Tipico Ohio Sportsbook

3. Cincinnati Bengals — 581,000 (monthly searches)

The Cincinnati Bengals are Ohio’s second-favorite NFL franchise, with 580,900 monthly Google searches from fans — a third of the amount the Browns recorded overall. The Bengals are the top team in two different Ohio cities, Cincinnati (1st - 90,500) and Dayton (1st - 14,800) and are second in Columbus (2nd - 60,500) and fourth in Cleveland (4th - 12,100). Cincinnati fans came moments from celebrating success last year, but the Bengals Super Bowl odds are only +1200 at Caesars Sportsbook.

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4. Cincinnati Reds — 435,000 (monthly searches)

The Cincinnati Reds are the state’s second most popular baseball team, with 435,000 monthly Google searches. They’re the top MLB team in Cincinnati, though, ranking as the joint-most popular team in the city alongside the Bengals.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers — 369,000 (monthly searches)

In fifth, with almost 370,000 Google searches a month, including 90,500 in Cleveland, we have Ohio’s most popular basketball team: the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers are outsiders for their second NBA Championship, with their first coming in 2016, but a dedicated fanbase will be cheering them on all season, nonetheless. Fans can use a Bet365 Ohio bonus code to sign up and wager on the Cavaliers to win the NBA title at +2000. 

Ohio’s Most Popular Teams by City

Columbus

Rank Team Avg. Monthly Search Volume
1🏈 Cleveland Browns165,000
2🏈 Cincinnati Bengals60,500
3⚾️ Cincinnati Reds60,500
4🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets40,500
5🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers33,300
6⚽️ Columbus Crew33,100
7⚾️ Cleveland Guardians22,300
8⚾️ Columbus Clippers22,200
9⚽️ FC Cincinnati2,400
10⚾️ Dayton Dragons800


Cleveland

Rank Team Avg. Monthly Search Volume
1🏈 Cleveland Browns246,000
2🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers90,500
3⚾️ Cleveland Guardians60,500
4🏈 Cincinnati Bengals12,100
5🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets4,400
6🏒 Dayton Dragons3,600
7⚾️ Cincinnati Reds2,700
8⚽️ Columbus Crew2,400
9⚾️ Akron RubberDucks2,200
10⚾️ Lake County Captains1,900


Cincinnati

Rank Team Avg. Monthly Search Volume
1🏈 Cincinnati Bengals90,500
2⚾️ Cincinnati Reds89,500
3⚽️ FC Cincinnati33,100
4🏈 Cleveland Browns22,200
5🏒 Cincinnati Cyclones4,400
6🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers3,600
7⚾️ Cleveland Guardians2,900
8🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets2,400
9⚾️ Dayton Dragons1,300
10⚽️ Columbus Crew1,000


Toledo

Rank Team Avg. Monthly Search Volume
1🏈 Cleveland Browns12,100
2🏒 Toledo Walleye9,900
3⚾️ Toledo Mud Hens4,400
4🏈 Cincinnati Bengals2,900
5🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers1,900
6⚾️ Cleveland Guardians1,800
7⚾️ Cincinnati Reds1,600
8🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets320
9⚽️ Columbus Crew210
10⚾️ Columbus Clippers140


Akron

Rank Team Avg. Monthly Search Volume
1🏈 Cleveland Browns27,100
2🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers9,900
3⚾️ Cleveland Guardians6,600
4⚾️ Akron RubberDucks3,600
5🏈 Cincinnati Bengals2,400
6🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets480
7⚾️ Cincinnati Reds320
8⚽️ Columbus Crew320
9🏒 Cleveland Monsters260
10⚾️ Columbus Clippers170


Dayton

Rank Team Avg. Monthly Search Volume
1🏈 Cincinnati Bengals14,900
2⚾️ Cincinnati Reds14,800
3🏈 Cleveland Browns12,100
4⚾️ Dayton Dragons4,400
5🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers1,900
6🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets1,300
7⚽️ FC Cincinnati720
8⚾️ Cleveland Guardians590
9⚽️ Columbus Crew480
10🏒 Cincinnati Cyclones210


Parma

Rank Team Avg. Monthly Search Volume
1🏈 Cleveland Browns27,100
2🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers9,900
3⚾️ Cleveland Guardians8,100
4🏈 Cincinnati Bengals1,300
5🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets590
6🏒 Cleveland Monsters590
7⚾️ Akron RubberDucks320
8⚾️ Cincinnati Reds210
9⚾️ Lake County Captains210
10⚽️ Columbus Crew170


Canton

Rank Team Avg. Monthly Search Volume
1🏈 Cleveland Browns27,100
2🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers6,700
3⚾️ Cleveland Guardians6,600
4🏈 Cincinnati Bengals2,400
5⚾️ Akron RubberDucks1,000
6🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets480
7⚾️ Cincinnati Reds390
8⚽️ Columbus Crew320
9🏒 Cleveland Monsters170
10⚾️ Columbus Clippers110


Lorain

Rank Team Avg. Monthly Search Volume
1🏈 Cleveland Browns9,900
2🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers3,600
3⚾️ Cleveland Guardians2,400
4🏈 Cincinnati Bengals1,000
5⚾️ Lake Erie Crushers320
6🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets170
7⚾️ Cincinnati Reds70
8⚽️ Columbus Crew70
9🏒 Cleveland Monsters70
10⚾️ Akron RubberDucks30


Hamilton

Rank Team Avg. Monthly Search Volume
1🏈 Cincinnati Bengals12,100
2⚾️ Cincinnati Reds12,100
3🏈 Cleveland Browns2,400
4⚽️ FC Cincinnati1,600
5🏒 Cincinnati Cyclones390
6🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers320
7🏒 Columbus Blue Jackets210
8⚾️ Dayton Dragons210
9⚾️ Cleveland Guardians140
10⚽️ Columbus Crew50


Watching sports is one of the most popular pastimes in Ohio, so it should come as no surprise to see such staggering search volumes for each of the state’s most popular teams. 

Be sure to check back with BetOhio for all the latest Ohio sportsbooks news. 

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