Sports Fans Take Their Tailgate Spreads Seriously

CHICAGO — As football season kicks off, new research from Mintel reveals that two-thirds of U.S. adults (67 percent) are sports fans. Per Mintel’s definition, these individuals watch at least half of their favorite team’s games or events in at least one sport.

A majority of sports fans (60 percent) agree that eating and drinking is a big part of watching games. Nearly all fans consume beverages while watching sports at home, with at least half reaching for water, soda or beer.

Among sports fans aged 21 and older, 63 percent report consuming alcoholic beverages while watching sports, with 50 percent of these fans drinking beer. Comparatively, 54 percent drink soda and 64 percent drink water.

Although fans report consuming alcohol while watching sports, Mintel reports that few are “drinking to get drunk.” Sports fans tend to opt for beer (50 percent) and wine (31 percent) over mixed drinks with hard alcohol (28 percent). Particularly, male sports fans (56 percent) are significantly more likely than female fans (42 percent) to consume beer while watching games.

Overall, 83 percent of fans snack while watching sports. Research reveals that 82 percent of U.S. adults buy salty snacks for themselves, and 68 percent of these consumers are fans who eat the salty snacks while watching games.

Outside of snacks, chili — considered a staple of many football tailgate spreads — is eaten by nearly one-third of sports fans (29 percent) during games.