Philadelphia sports fans have earned plenty of labels over the years—passionate, loyal, relentless, and depending on who you ask, a little intimidating.
Now, there’s another title to add to the list.
According to a new analysis by The Action Network, Philadelphia 76ers fans are officially the NBA’s most foul-mouthed and most negative online fanbase after researchers analyzed more than 1.6 million Reddit comments from all 30 NBA team communities.
Is anyone in Philly actually shocked?
The City of Brotherly Love has long embraced its reputation as one of America’s toughest sports towns. Philadelphia fans are known for celebrating championships with unmatched energy, holding their teams to sky-high expectations, and never hesitating to let players, referees, or opposing fans know exactly how they feel. To outsiders it may sound harsh. Around here, it’s just called being invested.
Sixers fans led the league in profanity 🗣️
Researchers examined 1,657,917 Reddit comments posted between June 2025 and June 2026, looking at how often fans used profanity and whether comments were positive, neutral, or negative.
Philadelphia finished at the top of the profanity rankings, with 10.50% of comments containing swear words.
For comparison, the next closet fanbases were:
- Houston Rockets — 8.89%
- Atlanta Hawks — 8.80%
- Miami Heat — 8.67%
- Boston Celtics — 8.67%
That’s a sizable gap between first and second place—something Philly fans might proudly add to the resumé.
The NBA’s most negative? It depends how you look at it 💡
The study also ranked the emotional tone of each team’s subreddit, where Philadelphia once again landed at No. 1.
Researchers found 31.67% of Sixers fans’ comments carried a negative tone, narrowly edging out:
- Houston Rockets — 31.35%
- Orlando Magic — 31.11%
- Cleveland Cavaliers — 30.65%
- New Orleans Pelicans — 30.61%
Of course, context matters. The study measured sentiment, not whether fans were justified. Considering Philadelphia has endured heartbreaking playoff exits, superstar drama, injuries, and endless debates over “The Process”, it’s fair to say Sixers fans have had plenty to discuss over the past several seasons.
Some fanbases kept it surprisingly wholesome
While Philadelphia embraced its reputation for colorful language, Utah Jazz fans landed on the opposite end of the rankings.
The Jazz were named both the NBA’s most polite fanbase, with just 5.19% of comments containing profanity, and the league’s most positive, with 52.92% of comments carrying a positive tone.
The Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, and Los Angeles Lakers rounded out the top five most positive fanbases.
Whether you Philly’s first-place finishes as an insult or badge of honor probably depends on where you’re from. But if there’s only thing this study confirms, it’s that Philly fans continue to be exactly who they’ve always been: passionate and outspoken—and never afraid to keep it real.
