The NFL Fans That Eat and Drink the Most

Kathy Morris

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Updated:

Sep 02, 2026, 11:21 AM EDT

Updated:

Sep 02, 2026, 11:21 AM EDT

The NFL Fans That Eat and Drink the Most article feature image

13 min read

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Source: alamy/Action Plus Sports Images

For plenty of NFL fans, gameday starts well before kickoff. Outside stadiums, tailgates double as block parties with grills fired up; inside, fans pay steep prices to keep a beer in hand through four quarters.

Action Network surveyed 3,070 fans in August 2026 to map out drinking and eating habits around the league. The study measured pregame drinking, in-stadium alcohol consumption, and hot dog intake to evaluate overall game-day caloric impact across all 32 NFL fan bases.

Percentages refer to the share of each team’s surveyed fan base reporting a behavior.

Key findings

Los Angeles Rams fans top the NFL in total game-day intake, combining 1.5 pregame drinks, 2.6 in-game drinks, and an NFL-leading 1.7 hot dogs per game.
In-Game Drinking Leaders: Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons fans drink the most inside the stadium, each averaging 2.7 drinks during the game.
Atlanta Falcons fans lead in pregame consumption with an average of 1.9 drinks before kickoff, while Carolina Panthers fans post the highest participation rate (67% pregame).
Los Angeles Rams fans eat the most franks, averaging 1.7 hot dogs per game, with 52% eating two or more.
Across the NFL, the average fan consumes 1.3 pregame drinks, 2.2 in-game drinks (3.5 drinks total), and 1.2 hot dogs per game.
The average NFL fan consumes 885 calories from drinks and hot dogs per game.

How Much Do NFL Fans Eat and Drink?

NFL fans average 3.5 total alcoholic beverages and 1.2 hot dogs across a single gameday experience. However, consumption varies by fanbase.

Metric	Pregame Drinks	In-Game Drinks	Total Drinks	Hot Dogs Eaten
NFL Average	1.3	2.2	3.5	1.2
Participation Rate (1+)	48%	68%	72%	65%
Heavy Rate (5+ Drinks / 3+ Dogs)	7%	13%	19%	11%

Which NFL Fan Bases Drink the Most Before Games?

Pregaming is a staple of NFL gamedays, with 48% of all surveyed fans drinking before entering the gates. Atlanta Falcons fans lead in average volume, while Carolina Panthers fans have the highest participation rate.

Rank	NFL Team	Avg Pregame Drinks	% Drink 1+ Pregame	% Heavy Pregame (5+)
1	Atlanta Falcons	1.9	58%	9%
2	Carolina Panthers	1.7	67%	9%
3	Los Angeles Rams	1.5	57%	9%
3	Miami Dolphins	1.5	52%	8%
3	Tennessee Titans	1.5	59%	6%
3	Baltimore Ravens	1.5	54%	8%
3	Dallas Cowboys	1.5	52%	11%
8	Buffalo Bills	1.4	54%	11%
8	Las Vegas Raiders	1.4	55%	7%
8	Washington Commanders	1.4	49%	8%
8	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1.4	51%	8%
12	Chicago Bears	1.3	51%	8%
12	Denver Broncos	1.3	49%	2%
12	Detroit Lions	1.3	49%	7%
12	New York Giants	1.3	43%	4%
12	New York Jets	1.3	48%	8%
12	San Francisco 49ers	1.3	49%	5%
18	Arizona Cardinals	1.2	58%	3%
18	Cincinnati Bengals	1.2	52%	2%
18	Pittsburgh Steelers	1.2	49%	4%
21	Houston Texans	1.1	40%	1%
21	Indianapolis Colts	1.1	51%	2%
21	Jacksonville Jaguars	1.1	37%	4%
21	Philadelphia Eagles	1.1	41%	3%
25	Green Bay Packers	1.0	48%	0%
25	Cleveland Browns	1.0	49%	2%
27	Kansas City Chiefs	0.9	37%	4%
27	Seattle Seahawks	0.9	42%	2%
27	New Orleans Saints	0.9	51%	2%
30	New England Patriots	0.8	39%	1%
31	Minnesota Vikings	0.7	35%	2%

Which NFL Fan Bases Drink the Most During Games?

In-stadium consumption stays high throughout all four quarters, with 68% of surveyed NFL fans enjoying at least one alcoholic beverage inside the gates. Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons fans tie for the highest in-game average, while Los Angeles Rams fans record the highest rate of heavy in-stadium drinking.

Rank	NFL Team	Avg In-Game Drinks	% Drink 1+	% Heavy Drinkers (5+)
1	Chicago Bears	2.7	78%	15%
1	Atlanta Falcons	2.7	71%	12%
3	Los Angeles Rams	2.6	76%	17%
3	Minnesota Vikings	2.6	71%	10%
5	Los Angeles Chargers	2.5	70%	15%
6	Philadelphia Eagles	2.4	64%	15%
6	Dallas Cowboys	2.4	64%	10%
6	New England Patriots	2.4	62%	15%
9	Green Bay Packers	2.3	70%	18%
9	Washington Commanders	2.3	66%	13%
11	Buffalo Bills	2.2	69%	18%
11	Carolina Panthers	2.2	65%	14%
11	Indianapolis Colts	2.2	67%	8%
14	Denver Broncos	2.1	68%	13%
14	Detroit Lions	2.1	69%	9%
14	Baltimore Ravens	2.1	68%	11%
14	Cincinnati Bengals	2.1	68%	7%
14	Cleveland Browns	2.1	70%	10%
14	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2.1	67%	14%
20	Arizona Cardinals	2.0	68%	14%
20	Las Vegas Raiders	2.0	60%	13%
20	Seattle Seahawks	2.0	62%	12%
20	Tennessee Titans	2.0	57%	12%
24	Pittsburgh Steelers	1.8	62%	10%
24	Kansas City Chiefs	1.8	61%	7%
24	San Francisco 49ers	1.8	62%	6%
27	Houston Texans	1.8	54%	11%
27	Jacksonville Jaguars	1.8	67%	8%
29	Miami Dolphins	1.7	57%	4%
29	New Orleans Saints	1.7	71%	13%
29	New York Giants	1.7	62%	10%
29	New York Jets	1.7	62%	7%

Which NFL Fan Bases Eat the Most Hot Dogs?

Hot dogs remain the primary concession food across NFL stadiums. Fans average 1.2 hot dogs per game, with 29% eating two or more.

Rank	NFL Fan Base	Avg Hot Dogs	% Eat 2+ Hot Dogs	% Eat 3+ Hot Dogs
1	Los Angeles Rams	1.7	52%	19%
2	Arizona Cardinals	1.6	56%	20%
2	Carolina Panthers	1.6	54%	16%
4	New York Jets	1.5	39%	13%
4	Miami Dolphins	1.5	46%	22%
4	Tennessee Titans	1.5	46%	15%
7	Atlanta Falcons	1.4	38%	13%
7	Cleveland Browns	1.4	39%	9%
7	Las Vegas Raiders	1.4	44%	14%
7	San Francisco 49ers	1.4	43%	10%
11	Baltimore Ravens	1.3	33%	8%
11	Buffalo Bills	1.3	32%	8%
11	Chicago Bears	1.3	31%	2%
11	Dallas Cowboys	1.3	33%	4%
11	Denver Broncos	1.3	33%	9%
11	Houston Texans	1.3	36%	6%
11	New Orleans Saints	1.3	33%	3%
11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1.3	37%	12%
11	Washington Commanders	1.3	31%	4%
20	Green Bay Packers	1.2	28%	8%
20	Indianapolis Colts	1.2	26%	6%
22	Cincinnati Bengals	1.1	31%	11%
22	Jacksonville Jaguars	1.1	29%	3%
22	Kansas City Chiefs	1.1	25%	3%
22	Philadelphia Eagles	1.1	23%	7%
22	Seattle Seahawks	1.1	22%	3%
27	Detroit Lions	1.0	32%	0%
27	Pittsburgh Steelers	1.0	28%	1%
29	New England Patriots	0.9	20%	5%
30	Minnesota Vikings	0.8	22%	3%

Game-Day Calorie Analysis: Which Fans Consume The Most Gameday Calories

Rank	NFL Fan Base	Est. Calories / Game	Season Calories (8 Home Games)	Hypothetical lbs Gained
1	Los Angeles Rams	1,125	9,000	2.6
2	Atlanta Falcons	1,110	8,880	2.5
3	Carolina Panthers	1,095	8,760	2.5
4	Chicago Bears	990	7,920	2.3
5	Dallas Cowboys	975	7,800	2.2
5	Miami Dolphins	975	7,800	2.2
5	Tennessee Titans	975	7,800	2.2
8	Arizona Cardinals	960	7,680	2.2
9	Las Vegas Raiders	930	7,440	2.1
10	Buffalo Bills	930	7,440	2.1
11	Washington Commanders	915	7,320	2.1
12	San Francisco 49ers	900	7,200	2.1
13	Baltimore Ravens	885	7,080	2.0
14	Denver Broncos	870	6,960	2.0
14	New York Jets	870	6,960	2.0
14	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	870	6,960	2.0
17	Green Bay Packers	855	6,840	2.0
17	Cleveland Browns	855	6,840	2.0
19	Indianapolis Colts	855	6,840	2.0
20	Philadelphia Eagles	855	6,840	2.0
21	New York Giants	840	6,720	1.9
22	Cincinnati Bengals	825	6,600	1.9
23	Houston Texans	825	6,600	1.9
24	Detroit Lions	810	6,480	1.9
25	Seattle Seahawks	765	6,120	1.7
26	New Orleans Saints	780	6,240	1.8
27	Jacksonville Jaguars	765	6,120	1.7
28	Pittsburgh Steelers	750	6,000	1.7
29	Kansas City Chiefs	735	5,880	1.7
30	New England Patriots	750	6,000	1.7
31	Minnesota Vikings	735	5,880	1.7
—	NFL Average Fan	885	7,080	2.0

To place food and beverage metrics on a unified scale, an estimated calorie model was applied:

Alcoholic Drink: 150 calories (standard 12 oz beer equivalent)
Hot Dog & Bun: 300 calories (standard frank and bun, excluding additional toppings)

\text{Estimated Game Calories} = (\text{Pregame Drinks} + \text{In-Game Drinks}) \times 150 + (\text{Average Hot Dogs}) \times 300

The season-long figure projects the total across an 8-game regular season home schedule.

What the Numbers Mean

1,125 Calories per Game: Los Angeles Rams fans average the highest single-game caloric total from beer and hot dogs alone.
The 8-Game Home Impact: Over an 8-game home schedule, attending every game and maintaining these consumption habits adds 9,000 extra calories for Rams fans, equivalent to 2.6 lbs of hypothetical weight gain (based on the standard 3,500-calorie per pound benchmark).
NFL vs. MLB Calorie Comparison: Because MLB plays 81 home games compared to the NFL's 8 or 9 home games, MLB fans consume more total calories over a full season schedule (74,115 calories on average). However, on a per-game basis, NFL fans average 885 calories, roughly comparable to MLB's single-game average (915 calories).

The Final Score on NFL Game-Day Consumption

Whether you're pacing the parking lot before kickoff or tracking game-day trends from home, how fanbases indulge is a core part of NFL culture. While Los Angeles Rams fans take the crown for single-game caloric impact, every stadium brings its own unique energy to the gameday spread.

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Methodology

Survey Operator: Research Without Barriers (RWB) on behalf of Better Collective.
Dates: August 18–26, 2026.
Sample Size: 3,070 U.S. NFL fans.
Standards Compliance: Adheres to MRS Codes of Conduct (2023) and ICC/ESOMAR World Research Guidelines. RWB is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and compliant with GDPR.
Calorie Model Calculations:
$\text{Calories} = (\text{Pregame Drinks} + \text{In-Game Drinks}) \times 150 + (\text{Hot Dogs}) \times 300$
$\text{Hypothetical Weight Gain (lbs)} = \frac{\text{Season Calories}}{3,500}$
You can see the full dataset here.

About the Author

Kathy is a researcher at Action Network where she creates fun, data-based content. Her research has been featured by the WSJ, FastCompany, Cornell, the LATimes, and more. She lives in St. Louis, MO, home of the worst pizza and the best baseball team. She spends her free time building data visualizations, reading, and hoping this year the Cards make it far enough that she gets to wear her Cardinals’ sweatshirt.

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