A new national survey of 2,000 NFL fans ranks the Dallas Cowboys as the league’s most “despised” franchise, with 21% of respondents naming the Cowboys as their most-hated team. The New England Patriots placed second at 11%, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs at 9.2%, and the Philadelphia Eagles at 8.1%, according to the study published by Hard Rock Bet.
On the other end of the spectrum, the New Orleans Saints drew the least animosity nationwide at 2.5%, while the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Chargers were tied for the second-lowest “despised” share at 2.9%. The Los Angeles Rams also ranked near the bottom of the hate scale.
Hard Rock Bet says the findings combine an August 2025 survey of 2,000 NFL fans with anonymized betting data, and the write-up focuses on how younger fans consume the league. The firm notes that rivalries remain strong even as Gen Z gravitates more to players than teams.
Why this matters in Dallas: “Most hated” lists aren’t championships—but they do reflect national attention and polarization, two things the Cowboys reliably generate. It’s also a moving target: different methods produce different winners in different years, which is why past social-media sentiment analyses have crowned other teams.
Methodology note: This is a sportsbook-commissioned survey, not an academic poll. Results depend on the sample and wording, but the topline figures—Cowboys at 21% most-hated and Saints at 2.5% least-hated—are clearly stated in the source material.
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