Top 10 Craziest Sports Fans (North America)

Be forewarned, things are about to get wild. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 craziest fan bases in North American sports.

For this list, we’re not exactly looking for the most devoted fans. Loyalty is important, but we’re focusing more on fan bases that take their passion to crazy heights. We’re talking bad behavior, rioting and everything in between.

Many cities tend to focus their fandom on one team, either because they only have one team to root for or because one team dominates the popularity contest. Boston is not one of those cities: Bostonians back three wicked good teams with equal enthusiasm and craziness. At Bruins games, they’re rowdy and loud, embodying Boston’s tough blue-collar attitude. The Red Sox fill Fenway Park with their faithful, who grow beards, sing, and trash talk Fever Pitch-style. And let’s not forget Celtics fans: a rich history with Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett has them screaming, “Anything is possible!” Beantown fans have garnered a reputation with outsiders as obnoxious and rude, but do you really think a single Bostonian cares?

One of the perks of being a college sports team is that each year you get a fresh batch of fans entering that stage of life known as college, where crazy behavior is to be expected. Duke’s fans, the Cameron Crazies, are no different in that regard, but they do stand out in that their students are extremely well organized in both their cheering… and jeering. The crazies notoriously distribute cheat sheets to their fans, which include chants personalized for opponents. They’ve poked fun at opposing players’ weight, throwing twinkies at Georgia Tech’s Dennis Scott, and even took on the Washington Post after they were the target of criticism. Oh, and they also invented the “air ball” chant back in 1979.

Everyone knows the 12th man… Okay, well, even if you don’t know these Seahawks fans, you can certainly hear them. The pride of Seattle, the Seahawks have only recently risen to prominence in the NFL, but their fans have been at the top of their game for some time. They’re known for being loud… really loud. They’re the reason the NFL has implemented a noise rule, which they never follow, and they’ve set the Guinness World Record for crowd noise - twice. Seismologists have noted that fans at CenturyLink Field even cause small earthquakes, notably Marshawn Lynch’s famous “beast quake” in 2011. These fans truly give the Seahawks an advantage against opponents, earning them their nickname as the 12th man.

It takes a certain amount of crazy to support a team as disappointing as the Cubs. These fans stick by their team despite no World Series wins since 1908. Fans truly believe this is a result of the Curse of the Billy Goat, apparently placed on the team back in the 1945 World Series by a disgruntled fan. Attempts have been made to break the curse – organized at the lowest levels by fans to the highest levels by the Cubs organization – but clearly, none has been successful. Somehow the Cubs still have a huge fan base, as during most of the early 2000s, fans would fill Wrigley Field almost to capacity. It seems losers are in fact loveable.

If you hail from the Great White North, you’ve likely been pegged as too nice and polite. That may be true for many Canadians, but it simply doesn’t apply to Vancouver Canucks fans. These die-hards are known for violent, hooligan-style rioting. After losing to the Rangers in game seven of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, Canucks fans took to the streets of Vancouver, injuring 200 people and causing $1.1 million in damages. The next time they reached the finals in 2011, fansstormed Vancouver once again after a game seven loss to the Bruins, causing 140 injuries and an estimated $5 million in damages. On a more positive note, the hijinks caused by unofficial mascots Force and Sully – the Green Men – were a joy to watch.

Pittsburgh sports fans are some of the best. Their loyalty is unquestionable, as they’ve recorded 299 consecutive sellout games. Steeler Nation introduced the world to the Terrible Towel, which rallies the team in a beautiful yellow wave. It’s become such a phenomenon that it’s reached the peak of Mount Everest, as well as the International Space Station. Fans come from all over, as the decline of the steel industry saw supporters spread out across the country. Still, they never abandoned their team, giving the Steelers incredible support at away games. At one point, the entire U.S. loved the Steelers, as Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa’s song Black and Yellow reached the top of the charts in 2010.

San Fran might be known as a hub for hipsters and coffee aficionados. But in the sporting world, the Golden Gate city is known for having some of the wildest football fans in the country. When it comes to watching their gang on the gridiron, Niners Nation gets rowdy… very rowdy. These fans have reached legendary status for their crowd brawls, which stopped shocking us a long time ago. The Niners seem to have a rivalry with everyone in the NFL, which fans use as an excuse to brawl. They fight Vikings fans… Cardinals fans… Raiders fans… you get the point.

We’ve already mentioned the nice guy image those up north tend to wear like a badge of honor. But like Canucks fans, the Habs faithful don’t fall into that category. They have a history for rioting dating back to 1955. When star player Maurice Richard was suspended for the remainder of that season and the playoffs, it sparked a politically motivated riot at the old Forum, causing an estimated $100,000 in property damages, 37 injuries, and 100 arrests. Since then, Canadiens fans have established a reputation for ¬– strangely enough – rioting after big wins, not losses. There was the riot after their ‘86 Stanley Cup win; the ‘08 riot after a first round win over Boston; and most famous of all, the riot after the ‘93 win causing $25 million in damages.

Between the successful Phillies, Flyers, and Eagles, Philadelphia fans have room to spread their crazy. And their passion is one manifested in both jeers and violence. On the softer side, they’ve booed Sarah Palin in front of two of her daughters, and assaulted the Dallas Cowboys with a hailing of snowballs. On the darker side, they’ve thrown batteries at a Cardinals player, prostituted themselves for tickets, and had a fan hop in the penalty box to brawl with hockey player Tie Domi. At one point, crowds at Eagles games had proven so bad that the organization built a courtroom and a jail, and even brought in a judge to the former Veterans Stadium – establishing the famous Eagles Court. No doubt about it, these fans show no brotherly love.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- New York Yankees
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Nascar Fans
- St. Louis Cardinals

It should surprise no one that Raider Nation takes our top spot, because, really, there isn’t a fan base in North America that can compete with the sheer insanity of these faithful. When it comes to Raider games, there’s no fan too young, old, or casual to dress up in full silver and black regalia. Opposing fans and players fear the Raiders’ Black Hole as the end zone in O.co Coliseum consists of the most aggressive, abusive fans in football. Not confined to the cities of Oakland or Los Angeles, Raider Nation’s proud status as working class fans spread throughout the country in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when rap group NWA donned team gear, ensuring Raider craziness now reaches every corner of America.

Do you agree with our list? Which fans do you think are the craziest in North America? For more fascinating top 10’s, published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.