Photo by Ian Witlen
Audio By Carbonatix
When sports historians look back at 2020, one of the first topics of conversation will be how odd it was to watch professional sporting events take place in empty arenas and stadiums because of COVID. Instead of watching together at sports bars or watch parties, most fans have learned how to entertain themselves during games while watching alone at home.
Surprisingly, a new survey claims fewer Miami Dolphins fans decided to binge-drink during games than most other fans. That doesn’t sound right, but let’s take a look at the data.
According to a new survey by the sports betting website Lines, 59 percent of Dolphins fans reported binge-drinking during games. While that number might sound high, Miami’s fanbase actually ranks 22nd overall in the NFL. (A summary of the survey does not define the term “binge-drinking,” but the phrase typically refers to more than five drinks in two hours for men and more than four drinks in two hours for women.)
About 41 percent of Dolphins fans also said they smoked marijuana during games, with the fanbase ranking 28th overall for weed consumption.
The survey found there was a clear winner in the “sports fans most likely to get lit” department: fans of the 4-12 Atlanta Falcons. Falcons fans topped the list, with 86 percent admitting to binge-drinking and 77 percent reporting smoking marijuana while watching games. Clearly, they’re still not over their team blowing a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots in 2017’s Super Bowl LI. Who can blame them, really?
On the flip side, Patriots fans reported binge-drinking and smoking weed the least, which is interesting given that Boston is notorious for its indulgence in alcohol and has some of the most relaxed marijuana laws in the entire country. Patriots fans even had a fantastic excuse to take away the pain, with former quarterback Tom Brady recently winning a Super Bowl in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Graphic courtesy of Lines
Lines also found that among fans of the major sports leagues, NFL fans were the most likely to drink more when their favorite team won, with 34 percent saying that was true. St. Louis Cardinals fans reported drinking the most when the team was losing, while Baltimore Ravens fans reportedly drank more while their team was in the lead.
For the survey, Lines collected responses from 1,683 sports fans using Amazon Mechanical Turk. Of the respondents, 37 percent were female, while 63 percent were male. Respondents ranged in age from 25 to 75, with an average age of 37.
For whatever reason, Dolphins fans are out there claiming to be slightly less indulgent during games. That, or Lines didn’t ask about the right party favors.
Or, possibly, Miami thinks Lines is a cop. You can never be too careful. Savvy move, Dolphins fans.
