How can that headline be, you ask… popular, yet low-ranked?
↵The Wall Street Journal says the Bears are the fourth-most popular team in the NFL in a new Nielsen survey:
↵↵↵In a first-of-its-kind study performed this summer, Nielsen Co., the media-research firm, developed a system for ranking the popularity of NFL teams based on each team’s local and national TV rankings, how often they’re mentioned on the Internet and how many visitors they attract to their official websites. The report, dubbed the Nielsen Sports Media Exposure Index, is the company’s first attempt to classify pro-football teams in this manner.
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Only the Cowboys, Steelers and Giants rank higher than the Bears, who are tied with the Packers and Vikings in this ranking.
↵That won’t last long, though, if the Bears don’t improve on power rankings like this one from SI.com, where the Bears rank fourth — from the bottom; their 29th spot in this ranking puts them ahead of only the Rams, Bucs and Bills.
↵The season opener is three days away. If the Bears don’t beat the Lions at home, get ready for a long season.