This is a very busy time of year for Ohio sports betting and for sports fans in general. The NBA and NHL seasons are in the stretch run before the playoffs, the MLB regular season starts soon and Major League Soccer (shout out to the “Hell Is Real” derby) just began its 30th season.
BetOhio.com wanted to know: Which professional sports teams are favorites among Ohio residents for internet volume? Using SEMRush.com, we ranked the top five most searched professional Ohio-based sports teams based on searches.
Ohio's Favorite Professional Sports Teams
Rank | Team | Search Volume |
1 | Cleveland Guardians | 1,830,000 |
2 | Cleveland Browns | 1,220,000 |
T3 | Cincinnati Reds | 1,00,000 |
T3 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 1,00,000 |
5 | Cincinnati Bengals | 823,000 |
Tradition Reigns Supreme With Ohio Teams
Professional sports teams in the state have a deep, rich tradition that predates legal Ohio sportsbook apps by, oh, a century or more.
When the National League was founded in 1876, there was a team called the Cincinnati Reds and the current franchise’s official founding dates to 1882 (but there were pro baseball teams in the city even before then). And when the National Association began in 1871, it included the long-gone Cleveland Forest Citys. The current Cleveland Guardians “only” date back to the American League’s formation in 1901.
Statewide interest in Ohio’s MLB teams endures in the modern age of internet searches. The Guardians were first in the time we studied with 1.83 million in search volume. Our page about Cleveland Guardians playoff chances is up to the present – no history lesson required.
The Reds came in tied for third for search volume at 1 million searches, alongside the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. In between was the Cleveland Browns, who were second at 1.22 million (the National Football League was also founded in Ohio, in Canton, in case you haven’t had enough history yet).
The state’s other NFL team, the Cincinnati Bengals, came in fifth on our list with a search volume of 823,000. If all the NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS action doesn’t thrill you enough and you just can’t wait for pro football to start in the fall, see our analysis of Cincinnati Bengals playoff chances for 2025, exclusively at BetOhio.com.
USA Today photo by Katie Stratman
