Study: Marlins Fans Drink the Most of Any Fanbase When Their Team Is Losing

If any Major League Baseball fanbase historically has a valid built-in excuse to drink heavily (and often), it's the Miami Marlins'. But as it turns out, a new study reveals Marlins fans haven't truly taken advantage of their get-out-of-sober cards as often as one may think. Which is to say: until the games get out of hand. Then nobody gets lost in the sauce like a Miami baseball fan.

NJ Online Gambling recently surveyed more than 2,000 MLB fans over the age of 21 to learn about their drinking habits and to find out which fanbases drink the most. When all was said and done, Marlins fans were found to be the 16th-booziest fans in baseball, spending $31 per game on an average of 3.3 drinks per fan.

In addition to the overall averages, Marlins fans were found to be the 17th-most-likely fanbase to down a few beers before the games begin. That might be because Miami doesn't exactly have a rich tradition of tailgating for Marlins games like it does a Hurricanes or Dolphins game. We sort of show up, sit down, and start drinking in our seats.

The top of the list is a who's-who of longtime franchises with a rich tradition in baseball. The study found that the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians had the fanbases that drank the most on average.

Now that we've covered what an average day at the ballpark means for most baseball fans, let's get to what Marlins fans are most familiar with: numbing the pain.

The study found that while Marlins fans place in the middle of the pack when it comes to drinking, nobody drinks more than a Marlins fan when the team is playing poorly. Data showed that 32 percent of Marlins fans reported drinking more when the team is tanking — first among MLB fanbases.

That literally means nobody does it better than a Marlins fan when the Marlins' opponent is doing it better than the Marlins. Because if there's one thing being a Marlins fan has taught us, it's that being down to the Braves 12-2 doesn't suck as badly with a cold beer in your hand. That's just science.

Unsurprisingly, the increased consumption of alcohol also seems to correlate with a decrease of consumption of the actual baseball game. The study found that 41 percent of Marlins fans admitted to having missed some or all of a game because they drank too much — fifth among MLB fanbases.

So there you have it, Marlins fans. As you prepare for another season that kicks off April 1 at Marlins Park against the Tampa Bay Rays, take this data into account. And maybe work on your coping mechanisms if things don't go our way.