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An NFL Sunday and a cold beer can often feel like a package deal, but not everyone wants alcohol to be part of game day. Bridges Sober Living Apartments surveyed 1,011 NFL fans about their game-day drinking, and the results challenge the usual tailgate stereotype. Most fans said football and drinking go together, and the average fan had about two drinks per game. Yet more than 2 in 5 fans were sober or cutting back, and most said the game was just as enjoyable without alcohol. A new index also shows which NFL markets may make a sober Sunday easier.
Miami, Atlanta, and Seattle rank as the easiest NFL markets for a sober game day.
Las Vegas, Jacksonville, and New Orleans rank as the hardest NFL markets for a sober game day.
The Minnesota Vikings have the largest sober or sober-curious fan base in the NFL.
Cleveland Browns fans were the most likely to have regretted how much they drank during a Sunday game (50%), followed by New England Patriots fans (48%) and San Francisco 49ers fans (47%).
More than half of NFL fans (56%) say football and drinking just go together.
More than 2 in 5 NFL fans (41%) are sober or sober-curious on game day, either not drinking or trying to cut back.
More than 1 in 3 NFL fans (36%) have regretted how much they drank during a Sunday game, and about 1 in 7 NFL fans (14%) have called out of work the Monday after a Sunday game.
Nearly 1 in 10 fans who are cutting back (8%) cite a weight-loss medication like Ozempic or Wegovy as a reason.
Drinking remains closely tied to game day for many fans, from the couch to the tailgate. For some, the effects can linger into Monday.
More than half of NFL fans (56%) said football and drinking just go together, and the average fan has about two drinks per game. The morning after tells the rest of the story: more than 1 in 3 (36%) have regretted how much they drank during a Sunday game, and about 1 in 7 (14%) have called out of work the Monday after.
Younger fans felt the most pressure to drink. Gen Z fans were the most likely to have felt pushed to drink during a game (38%), ahead of millennials (34%), Gen X (23%), and baby boomers (21%). They were also the most likely to have skipped a tailgate or watch party to avoid drinking (29%). Beer remained the go-to for nearly half of fans (49%), and men reached for it more often than women (57% vs. 41%). Hard seltzer was a Gen Z favorite (25% vs. 1% among baby boomers).
Some fan bases also reported more game-day drinking than others. Cleveland Browns fans were the most likely to say football and drinking go together (73%), followed by Atlanta Falcons fans (72%) and Baltimore Ravens fans (68%). Chicago Bears and New York Giants fans reported the biggest game-day tab at a median of $20 per game.
Browns fans were also the most likely to regret how much they drank (50%), followed by Patriots fans (48%) and 49ers fans (47%). Falcons fans were the most likely to have called out of work the Monday after a game, at 28%, which is double the overall average.
At the same time, many fans are choosing to skip alcohol or drink less, and their reasons are clear.
More than 2 in 5 NFL fans (41%) are sober or sober-curious on game day, either not drinking or trying to cut back, and more than 4 in 5 (84%) said a game is just as enjoyable, or better, watched sober. Among fans who are cutting back, health and fitness was the top reason (60%), and nearly 1 in 10 (8%) pointed to a weight-loss medication like Ozempic or Wegovy, a reason women cited nearly twice as often as men (11% vs. 6%).
Drinking habits and reasons for cutting back varied across generations. Gen Z fans were the most likely to say they are actively trying to cut back (15% vs. 3% of boomers) and to cite saving money as a reason (57%). Baby boomers were the most likely to skip alcohol entirely, with nearly 1 in 3 (32%) not drinking during games. More than half of female fans (54%) said drinking is not an important part of their football experience.
Among fan bases, Minnesota Vikings fans had the largest share of sober or sober-curious fans (56%), followed by Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers fans (55% each). Denver Broncos fans were the most likely to say a game was just as good sober (97%) and that drinking was not an important part of the experience (69%). Vikings and Steelers fans reported the lowest median at one drink per game, while Seattle Seahawks fans were the most open to a dedicated alcohol-free section or sober tailgate (43%).
To find the friendliest places for a sober game day, the study ranked all 32 teams based on alcohol-free availability at their stadiums and the number of sports bars near each stadium.
Miami, Atlanta, and Seattle ranked as the easiest NFL markets for a sober game day. Miami led with six documented alcohol-free beers at Hard Rock Stadium and relatively few sports bars in its metro area. Seattle's Lumen Field had eight documented alcohol-free beers, the most of any NFL stadium.
At the other end, Las Vegas ranked as the hardest market, with 254 sports bars in the metro area and no documented alcohol-free beer brand at Allegiant Stadium. Jacksonville and New Orleans had the next-lowest scores. Jacksonville's EverBank Stadium was the only NFL venue whose official concessions guide listed no alcohol-free beer option of any kind, while New Orleans, despite two documented alcohol-free beers at the Caesars Superdome, ranked low largely because of its dense metro bar scene (137 sports bars).
Overall, only 6 of 30 stadiums stocked three or more alcohol-free beers, while 9 stocked just one. Among the venues reviewed, MetLife Stadium was the only one with an official alcohol-free beer partner, Athletic Brewing.
Football and drinking may go together for many fans, but alcohol is not essential to the experience. More than 2 in 5 fans said they were sober or cutting back, and 84% said the game was just as enjoyable, or better, without alcohol. For many fans, a sober Sunday is simply another way to enjoy the game.
Bridges Sober Living Apartments surveyed 1,011 American NFL fans about how they drink on game day, how often they watch sober, whether they are cutting back and why, and what has happened after a Sunday of drinking. The sample was 18% Gen Z, 48% millennials, 27% Gen X, and 7% baby boomers. Percentages that do not total 100% are due to rounding.
The sober game day index scored all 32 NFL teams from 0 to 100. Teams that share a stadium share a score. Alcohol-free availability at each stadium made up 60% of the score, based on the number of documented alcohol-free products (non-alcoholic beers plus other alcohol-free options such as zero-proof spirits and mocktails), where they were sold, any official alcohol-free partnership, and whether options extended beyond beer. Sources included SoberFan , BeerForDriving, and official venue and press materials.
Sports bars in each stadium's metro area, counted on Yelp, made up the remaining 40%, with fewer bars scoring higher. Because the count covered the full metro area rather than a walk-up radius, larger-market teams may score lower on this component regardless of the immediate game-day scene.
Venues where alcohol-free beer is confirmed to be sold but no brand is documented (Las Vegas and Los Angeles) were credited with confirmed availability, though no specific product could be named. Jacksonville scored zero in this category because its official concessions guide lists no alcohol-free beer option, and Minnesota, where no alcohol-free beer or other alcohol-free product could be confirmed, was credited for its official non-alcoholic "dirty soda" concession (Sweet Habits) as its only documented alcohol-free offering.
Availability reflects what was publicly documented for the 2025–2026 season, and rankings apply only to the venues included in this study.
Bridges Sober Living Apartments provides structured, apartment-style sober living in Los Angeles for individuals transitioning from treatment to independent living. Through one-on-one mentoring, accountability, and peer support, Bridges offers a recovery-focused community where residents can rebuild routines, strengthen life skills, and take the next step toward independence.
You are welcome to share these findings for noncommercial purposes. Please credit Bridges Sober Living Apartments and link back to this page so readers can view the full study and its methodology.
This study was conducted by Bridges Sober Living Apartments and is based on a survey of 1,011 American NFL fans. It was written by David Beasley, Program Director at Bridges, and reviewed by Sheldon Cohen, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist with nearly a decade of experience supporting people through addiction and recovery.