What a study.
"Willingness to pay premium prices" just makes you a sucker, not a better fan. Attendance numbers are largely dependent on the team winning in most markets. Foxboro Stadium was a ghost town when the Patriots sucked. Social media following is another terrible metric. Anyone can be a bandwagon fan online, it's low-investment.
Bottom line is, it wasn't too long ago that the Patriots had one foot out the door to St. Louis or Hartford. They have no real fanbase, just a big-ass bandwagon. When Brady and Belichick retire, Gillette will be empty and Patriots "fans" will find the next bandwagon to ride.