Fans of NFL’s worst teams tend to overeat after each loss, report shows
It’s inevitable in sports, losing. The deep, inexorable pain that hardcore NFL fans get when their team loses is like a punch to the gut.
Food and drink, of course, help ease the pain.
In a new report by Bookies.com, it’s revealed how wins and losses contribute to the amount of food NFL fans shove in their post-game faces — depending on the performance of their favorite team.
The report is based on research data from “From Fan to Fat? Vicarious Losing Increases Unhealthy Eating, but Self-Affirmation Is an Effective Remedy.”
“To understand the data, the average American eats 3,600 calories a day, according to Business Insider,” the news release says. “This means U.S. adults over the course of a 16-game season eats, on average, 57,600 calories. This number acts as the base for revealing the calorie change and percentage change for each NFL team – an example of the working can be found in the methodology.”
That’s bad news for fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team with the worst record (1-15) in the NFL last season.
Sure, you got Trevor Lawrence with the first pick of the NFL Draft, but Jags fans ate around 10 percent more calories the day after a Jacksonville loss.
“With just one win during the 2020-2021 NFL campaign, Jaguars fans were likely consuming more post-gameday calories than any other team, eating 9.06% more than the national average,” the survey says. “This equates to 5,220 additional calories over the course of the season.”
That’s about 326 calories per loss — roughly a chili dog — which is not enough to increase your waistline. Honestly, it seems like a decent way to soothe your freshly punched gut.
Because Kansas City had the best regular season record (14-2), Chiefs fans consumed 1800 less calories post-gameday than the average American. Again, not a game-changer, but the report notes that fans of winning teams are “inclined to cut out calories by five percent after their team wins.”
So in simple terms, losers eat more than winners, and we get that.
Here’s at look at each NFL teams’ won-loss record last year and the change in calories for fans over the course of the regular season:
| NFL Team | Win-Loss 2020-2021 | Calorie Change | Change % |
| Jackson Jaguars | 1:15 | +5220 | +9.06% |
| New York Jets | 2:14 | +4680 | +8.13% |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4:12 | +3600 | +6.25% |
| Houston Texans | 4:12 | +3600 | +6.25% |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4:11 | +3240 | +5.63% |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4:11 | +3240 | +5.63% |
| Denver Broncos | 5:11 | +3060 | +5.31% |
| Detroit Lions | 5:11 | +3060 | +5.31% |
| Carolina Panthers | 5:11 | +3060 | +5.31% |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6:10 | +2520 | +4.38% |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6:10 | +2520 | +4.38% |
| New York Giants | 6:10 | +2520 | +4.38% |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 7:9 | +1980 | +3.44% |
| New England Patriots | 7:9 | +1980 | +3.44% |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7:9 | +1980 | +3.44% |
| Washington Football Team | 7:9 | +1980 | +3.44% |
| Chicago Bears | 8:8 | +1440 | +2.50% |
| Arizona Cardinals | 8:8 | +1440 | +2.50% |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 8:8 | +1440 | +2.50% |
| Miami Dolphins | 10:6 | +360 | +0.63% |
| Los Angeles Rams | 10:6 | +360 | +0.63% |
| Cleveland Browns | 11:5 | -180 | -0.31% |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 11:5 | -180 | -0.31% |
| Indianapolis Colts | 11:5 | -180 | -0.31% |
| Baltimore Ravens | 11:5 | -180 | -0.31% |
| Tennessee Titans | 11:5 | -180 | -0.31% |
| New Orleans Saints | 12:4 | -720 | -1.25% |
| Seattle Seahawks | 12:4 | -720 | -1.25% |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 12:4 | -720 | -1.25% |
| Buffalo Bills | 13:3 | -1260 | -2.19% |
| Green Bay Packers | 13:3 | -1260 | -2.19% |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 14:2 | -1800 | -3.13% |
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 3:11 PM with the headline "Fans of NFL’s worst teams tend to overeat after each loss, report shows."