How many calories will NFL fans consume?

A new report from Bookies.com, reveals how many calories NFL fans consume post-gameday depending on their team’s win-loss record - with Jaguars fans potentially consuming 5220 additional calories over the 2020-21 season.

NFL Fans vs Calories

A new report from Bookies.com reveals how many calories NFL fans consume post-gameday depending on their team’s win-loss record.

After their team finished 1-15, Jacksonville Jaguars fans potentially consumed 9% more calories than the average American.

Fans of the 14-2 Kansas City Chiefs consumed 1800 less calories post-gameday than the average American.

The NFL is the most popular spectator sport in the U.S., attracting millions of fans each season who support their favorite team no matter the result. While it has a significant effect on mood, have you ever wondered how a team’s performance could affect the eating habits of its fans?

A new report from Bookies.com reveals how the results of the 2020/21 NFL season could have influenced fans’ calorie consumption. By using football research data (From Fan to Fat, Cornil and Chandon, 20131), Bookies.com highlights the NFL’s biggest comfort eaters, uncovering the calorie change from the U.S. average.

To understand the data, the average American eats 3,600 calories a day, according to Business Insider2. 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.

Calories consumed per win/loss

With the research suggesting that NFL fans are more likely to overeat when their team loses (10% increase), it’s not good news for Jacksonville Jaguars fans. 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. This equates to 5,220 additional calories over the course of the season.

Following the research, fans are inclined to cut out calories by 5% after their team wins. This means Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers fans experienced the healthiest post-gameday calorie count. Thanks to an impressive 14 wins, Chiefs fans could have eaten 1,800 (-3.13%) fewer calories than the national average over the 2020-2021 season.

The table below shows which NFL Fans consume the most calories depending on whether their team wins/loses:

Team

Calorie Change Compared to US Average (over 16 game season)

Percentage Change from US Average (over 16 game season)

Jacksonville Jaguars

5220

9.06%

New York Jets

4680

8.13%

Atlanta Falcons

3600

6.25%

Houston Texans

3600

6.25%

Denver Broncos

3060

5.31%

Detroit Lions

3060

5.31%

Carolina Panthers

3060

5.31%

San Francisco 49ers

2520

4.38%

Dallas Cowboys

2520

4.38%

New York Giants

2520

4.38%

Los Angeles Chargers

1980

3.44%

New England Patriots

1980

3.44%

Minnesota Vikings

1980

3.44%

Washington Football Team

1980

3.44%

Chicago Bears

1440

2.50%

Arizona Cardinals

1440

2.50%

Baltimore Ravens

1440

2.50%

Miami Dolphins

360

0.63%

Los Angeles Rams

360

0.63%

Cleveland Browns

-180

-0.31%

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

-180

-0.31%

Indianapolis Colts

-180

-0.31%

Baltimore Ravens

-180

-0.31%

Tennessee Titans

-180

-0.31%

Cincinnati Bengals

-360

-0.63%

Philadelphia Eagles

-360

-0.63%

New Orleans Saints

-720

-1.25%

Seattle Seahawks

-720

-1.25%

Pittsburgh Steelers

-720

-1.25%

Buffalo Bills

-1260

-2.19%

Green Bay Packers

-1260

-2.19%

Kansas City Chiefs

-1800

-3.13%

Further information can be found on site here: https://bookies.com/news/which-nfl-fans-have-the-highest-calorie-count.

Methodology

To begin, data was first collected regarding the 2020/2021 NFL season, looking at each team’s win-loss record during their 16-game season. Following this, data was then collected on how many calories an average person in the U.S. consumes; according to a Business Insider article, this came to 3600 calories. This figure was then multiplied by 16 games to see the average calorie consumption during these days (16x3600kcals=57,600kcals).

Following the results from an academic paper (Cornil and Chandon, 2013), it showed that when an NFL team lost a game, fans ate about 10% more calories than they normally did. However, when a team won, its fans consumed 5% fewer calories than they normally did.

Using this research determined that losing led to a 10% increase, taking the average daily calorie intake up to 3960 calories, while winning saw a decrease of 5% to 3,420 calories. Each team's win-loss record revealed the total calories over 16 games.

Example: Jaguars won one game, meaning they had a decrease of 5% in their calorie intake (3,429 calories) and lost 15, which added 10% per game, equaling 59,400 calories. Adding the overall intake equaled 62,820 calories spread across the 16 games. This figure is then removed from the average U.S. daily consumed figure to calculate an average calorie intake per game (62,820-57,600 = 5220 calories), leaving a 9.06% increase compared to the 16-game U.S. average.