Fans of the Indianapolis Colts and the Los Angeles Chargers got the drunkest at National Football League (NFL) games this season, with an average BAC of 0.082 percent, according to a BACtrack report. Four of the top six drunkest fan bases are in the Midwest, giving the area the moniker “Binge Belt.”
The report cited geography as the most effective predictor of alcohol consumption habits and found that region has more sway than team performance or ticket price, reversing 2024’s trend showing that win record was the most influential factor for drinking.
Heavy drinking on game days is most common in the Midwest because stadium beer is relatively cheap, there’s a strong tailgate culture, and cold weather leads fans to drink more alcohol for warmth. Fans of the Detroit Lions created a statistical anomaly — despite their Midwest location, Lions fans were the least drunk.
BACtrack released its report of fan bases’ drinking habits just five days ahead of Super Bowl LX, the yearly apex of both sports and drinking cultures. The breathalyzer company corralled over 26,000 anonymous blood alcohol content (BAC) results logged into its app during the 2025-26 season. To associate a locale’s average BAC to a fan base, BACtrack compared its data against an online NFL Fan Map database created by an analyst named Matt Sorenson.
Other major shifts from 2024 include a plummet for Titans fans — who dropped from the first seed to the 21st spot — and Steelers enthusiasts — who fell from the second drunkest to 26th. Both fan bases saw a 35 percent decrease in overall consumption.
NFL viewers’ drinking volume slumped by 10 percent from 2023, marking the first time that “the ‘sober-curious movement’ is showing up in game day data,” the report finds. Most sobriety is concentrated in the South, where warm weather and dry municipalities likely deter imbibing.
Looking ahead to the Super Bowl, Seahawks fans recorded an average 0.069 percent BAC, 21 percent higher than Patriots fans who averaged 0.057 percent BAC. The game’s results will show if an inebriated fanbase gives a team an edge.
