Just a couple of minutes ago, as I scanned my main sports news outlet, I found an article that says there might be a health risk linked to fans watching their favorite NFL team losing the Super Bowl. If this is true, I would like to see statistics for health hazards of all Buffalo Bills fans from the years 1991-1994. Did Buffalo's population decrease substantially at the end of that fourth horrid year?
Anyway, the study actually suggests that fans who watch their team lose in the Super Bowl have a greater risk for dying. That's right. And I thought only the losing team at the Super Bowl choked. (Get it? Get it? Oh never mind). According to the article, this is what was researched:
"To come to this conclusion, a team from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, looked at death rates in Los Angeles County on the day of two Super Bowls that had decidedly different outcomes for the home team: 1980, when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Los Angeles Rams in what has long been considered one of the most competitive match-ups in Super Bowl history; and 1984, when the Los Angeles Raiders handily beat the Washington Redskins."
Okay, so I think these scientists are total quacks! Hello! Buffalo Bills would be a perfect study. You have four years in a row of disappointment, heartbreak, and maybe even some heart attacks. Anyway, moving on, apparently during these Super Bowl upsets, "all-cause" deaths significantly increased. I can understand why there is a health risk with football fans, but it doesn't involve the Super Bowl in any way. When looking at a lot of football fans on TV, you know, the ones that don't wear shirts when its 20 below, or have comparable body weights to players like Sam Adams, Jason Peters, or Jonathan Ogden, but without the height factor. And look at the rituals based around watching football. Beer. Junk Food. Beer. Regular Food. Repeat. It's not a surprise that many football fans might already have poor health before the Super Bowl contenders are even decided.
So for all you football fans out there, watch your health right around the Super Bowl. If your team actually makes it to the game of games, prepare to call 911 in the event they lose. Keep the phone handy. Right by the beer, chips and onion dip. (P.S. if you are a Patriots fan, don't bother with the phone.) Cheers!
Jaclyn Kahn
1 comment:
Haha, just ridiculous. I guess my team would actually have to go to a Super Bowl for me to be sure. I'll take my chances with death that night though.
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