Fans of losing teams cope with misery in different ways, but one study shows at least one thing losing fans all have in common: overeating.
A report conducted by Bookies.com revealed a correlation between losing and commiserating in calories the day after a loss.
The study, which used football research data (From Fan to Fat, Cornll and Chandon, 2013), analyzed the calorie change in fans of losing teams from the U.S. average.
According to Business Insider, the average American consumes 3,600 calories a day. Over the course of a 16-game season that would equate to 57,600 calories.
At the top of the list was none other than the Jacksonville Jaguars, whose fans ate roughly 10% more calories the day after a loss during their 1-15 season.
Following the Jaguars were the Jets fans at 8.13% and Falcons and Texans fans both at 6.25%. These four teams were the four worst teams in the league last year.
On the flip side, the 14-2 Kansas City Chiefs fans consumed the fewest calories the day after a loss at -3.13% fewer than the national average. The Packers, Bills and Steelers — all playoff teams — followed the Chiefs.
Methodology (from Bookies.com):
Bookies.com came up with these numbers by using the average calories consumed a day, according to Business Insider, and results from academic papers (Cornil and Chandon, 2013)that showed fans ate 10% more calories when their teams lost, while eating 5% fewer when they won.
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.
So, the 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.
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