Fact: Seven of the 10 NFL teams that have gone to the Super Bowl the most (five times or more) are from cities with HIGH median home prices, when compared to the average median home price of cities with NFL teams.

Fact: Nine of the 13 NFL teams that have gone to the Super Bowl the least (one time or less) are from cities with LOW median home prices, when compared to the average median home price of cities with NFL teams.

These two facts beg the following question: Is there somehow a correlation between the number of times a professional football team has gone to the Super Bowl and the real estate prices found in their home city? Keep reading to find out!


Is there a correlation between real estate prices and Super Bowl appearances?


Super Bowl and Real Estate Facts

Here are more facts that indicate a correlation between Super Bowl appearances and real estate prices:

  • The 10 teams that have been to the Super Bowl the MOST come from cities with an average median home price of $339,800. These cities have home prices that are an impressive 40 percent higher than the average median home price of cities with NFL teams, $243,341.
  • The 13 teams that have been to the Super Bowl the LEAST come from cities with an average median home price of $231,985. These cities have home prices that are 5 percent lower than the average median home price of cities with NFL teams.

See for yourself how the Super Bowl appearances of NFL teams stack up against the real estate prices in their respective cities:

TEAM NAME, CITY NAME SUPER BOWL APPEARANCES MEDIAN HOME PRICE
STEELERS, PITTSBURGH 8 $92,500
COWBOYS, DALLAS 8 $135,600
PATRIOTS, BOSTON 7 $375,700
BRONCOS, DENVER 6 $244,600
49ERS, SAN FRANCISCO 6 $751,600
PACKERS, GREEN BAY 5 $129,800
GIANTS, NEW YORK 5 $517,900
REDSKINS, WASHINGTON, D.C. 5 $443,700
RAIDERS, OAKLAND 5 $445,200
DOLPHINS, MIAMI 5 $261,400
COLTS, INDIANAPOLIS 4 $120,400
VIKINGS, MINNEAPOLIS 4 $220,900
BILLS, BUFFALO 4 $66,200
RAMS, ST. LOUIS 3 $121,300
CHIEFS, KANSAS CITY 2 $138,300
BEARS, CHICAGO 2 $261,600
BENGALS, CINCINNATI 2 $126,000
EAGLES, PHILADELPHIA 2 $150,000
RAVENS, BALTIMORE 2 $168,400
JETS, NEW YORK 1 $517,900
BUCCANEERS, TAMPA 1 $180,800
SAINTS, NEW ORLEANS 1 $192,600
CHARGERS, SAN DIEGO 1 $445,500
FALCONS, ATLANTA 1 $257,200
TITANS, NASHVILLE 1 $166,400
PANTHERS, CHARLOTTE 1 $175,600
SEAHAWKS, SEATTLE 1 $452,000
CARDINALS, PHOENIX 1 $182,300
BROWNS, CLEVELAND 0 $84,000
LIONS, DETROIT 0 $67,000
JAGUARS, JACKSONVILLE 0 $166,500
TEXANS, HOUSTON 0 $128,000

Comparison to the 2013-2014 NFL Playoffs

If there really is a correlation between real estate prices and Super Bowl appearances, there is no better proof of it than the matchups in the conference championship games coming up this weekend. Interestingly, all four of the teams playing in the semi-finals of the 2013-2014 NFL season come from cities with comparatively high real estate prices. Three of these teams, the 49ers, the Patroits, and the Broncos, can be found in the above infographic. Housing prices in their home cities range from $244,600 (Denver) to the exorbitantly high $751,600 (San Francisco). The only team not found in the above infographic, the Seahawks, also come from a city with famously high real estate prices.

Regardless of who wins in the upcoming conference championship games, two teams from cities with comparatively expensive housing are guaranteed to play in the Super Bowl!

Is There Actually a Correlation Between the Super Bowl and Real Estate?

Despite the validity of the facts listed throughout this article, we can conclude that there is no correlation between Super Bowl appearances and real estate prices. As you can see in the below graph, there is nothing to indicate that there is a direct correlation between the two.

Graph mapping Super Bowl appearances and the median house price of the cities with NFL teamsAs most knowledgeable football fans probably noticed, three of the NFL’s most successful teams – the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys – are notably absent from the above graphic. They were omitted because of their home cities’ relatively low real estate prices. The highest median home price between these three cities, $135,600 in Dallas, is still around $80,000 below the national median home price!

Football fans in Seattle and New York, cities with astronomical real estate prices, should also be quick to point out that the correlation doesn’t exist. If high real estate prices really did guarantee Super Bowl appearances, teams like the Seahawks and the Jets would have excellent chances of going to The Big Game each season!

Oh well, the Market Leader blog staff had fun thinking that we were on to something there. We hope you enjoyed reading this graphic and post as much as we enjoyed putting it together!