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Diehard NFL fans are benching the booze this football season.
The sober-curious movement has tackled football tailgates, as a surprising new study reveals that football’s notoriously boozy fanbase is dialing back the drinking to save money and stay healthy.
Unsurprisingly, in a survey of 1,011 NFL fans, more than half (56%) still believe beer and football “go hand in hand.” But the ‘Sunday scaries’ and brutal Monday hangovers are taking a toll: one in three fans regret how much they drink during games and 14% admit to calling in “sick” the morning after.
Now, 41% of tailgaters identify as sober or sober-curious, pointing to physical fitness (60%) and saving money (46%) as their main motivators. Meanwhile, nearly 1 in 10 (8%) credit popular GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy for curbing their craving for alcohol.
And an overwhelming 84% insist the game is just as thrilling – if not better – without a liquid buzz.
The trend comes as the league tightens its grip on alcohol-related antics. The NFL recently fined 49ers star Kyle Juszczyk $14,926 for “engaging in an offensive demonstration” after he mimicked chugging a celebratory beer on the field.
Gen Z is quarterbacking the dry movement, with nearly 30% ditching watch parties entirely to avoid booze-heavy pressure. Younger demographics also report feeling the highest social expectations to drink on game day, followed closely by millennials.
Still, old drinking habits die hard in select fanbases. Cleveland Browns fanatics rank as the most likely to get hammered on game day, with Atlanta Falcons supporters right behind them. Meanwhile, Chicago Bears and New York Giants fans run up the highest bar tabs, shelling out an average of $20 per game.
For those opting for zero-proof options, stadium offerings vary wildly across the league. The report ranked all 32 venues on non-alcoholic beer options and surrounding sports bar density to find the most welcoming atmospheres for sober fans.
Miami and Atlanta topped the list for sober-friendly fanbases, with Hard Rock Stadium in Miami serving up six mock brews on tap. Seattle’s Lumen Field took third place, leading the league with eight non-alcoholic choices.
On the flip side, Sin City is the worst place for a sober Sunday Las Vegas packs 254 sports bars around Allegiant Stadium, which stocks zero documented booze-free beers. Nationwide, only six venues carry three or more non-alcoholic brews – leaving MetLife Stadium as the lonely pioneer featuring Athletic Brewing as an official partner.
The Minnesota Vikings take the crown for the highest concentration of sober or sober-curious fans in the entire league.
With a persisting wellness culture, more fans are proving you don’t need a cold six-pack to cheer on your team.
