A new survey on fan engagement suggests Houston Texans fans may have had their support in the team shaken due to the trade of DeAndre Hopkins.
On the eve of free agency in March, the Texans trade the three-time All-Pro to the Arizona Cardinals for a second-round pick and 2016 former All-Pro running back David Johnson.
According to data from Bookies.com, which gauged the support of NFL fan bases after a star player left their favorite team, 68.2% of Texans fans said they would stop supporting their favorite team upon a star player’s exit, which was the 12th-lowest approval rate among all 32 fan bases.
Texans fans also responded 50.3% in favor of a star player’s move to another franchise, which was the second-lowest approval rate among all 32 fan bases.
What the data suggests is that the trade of Hopkins impacted some fans’ support of the team.
Trading Hopkins was a baffling move because of how productive he was, how much he loved the city, and how much drama he didn’t create. His departure was also the hallmark of the personnel moves coach Bill O’Brien made as a general manager that was emblematic of his bad decisions.
With a coaching and a general manager manager vacancy, the Texans can warm up a lot of their sore fans with the right hire.
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