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A ranking of the “booziest baseball fans” — a comparison of all 30 Major League Baseball teams — shows that Chicago White Sox supporters drink more alcohol than any other fanbase. Sox fans are the only fans who consume an average of more than four drinks per game. The fanbase is also one of five that spend $40 or more on drinks per game.
White Sox fans are bombarded by ballpark beer marketing — the team has elected to partner with a handful of breweries instead of choosing a single sponsor. Chicago is also the city that claims the most breweries in America. When South Side fans sit back, relax, and strap it down, they tip back about 4.2 drinks per game and spend $46, according to a survey by New Jersey Online Gambling. The gambling site’s findings made their way to White Sox Twitter Thursday morning. The next-closest fanbase to the Sox, the Atlanta Braves, were the only others to consume at least four drinks per game. The survey results are from 2,631 respondents who answered from January 27 through February 17.
On the other side of town, Chicago Cubs fans drink about 3.4 drinks per game, ranking No. 14. They also spend $1 less compared to Sox fans, spending about $45 per game. New York Mets fans spend the most on drinks at $53 per game and consume a modest 3.5 drinks per contest. Philadelphia Phillies fans rank at the bottom with 2.4 drinks and $23 in average spending per game. That’s no way to pay for Bryce Harper’s $330 million contract.
Though fans weren’t allowed inside stadiums last year due to COVID-19 concerns, Guaranteed Rate Field — the home of the Sox — is known for its superior craft beer selection. Though some may pine for a cheap, domestic canned beer (Cubs fans still savor Old Style in Wrigley Field’s bleachers), Sox Park has become a haven for local breweries. The stadium stocks selections from darlings including Off Color, 18th Street, and Maplewood. That’s all in the shadow of Budweiser, the parent company of Chicago’s Goose Island Beer Co., the club’s official craft beer sponsor.
Brooks Boyer, the club’s chief revenue and marketing officer, mentioned four beer brands in a statement to Eater:
We’ve always known White Sox fans enjoy good baseball and good beer. We’ve been lucky to have iconic beer partners like Budweiser, Modelo, Goose Island, and Revolution Brewing to help us bring the best beer options in the world to the ballpark and even create spaces like the Goose Island Craft Kave. Nothing goes better than White Sox baseball and beer.
Baseball and beer marketing has a history. The St. Louis Cardinals, which ranked at No. 26 with 2.7 beers consumed a game, play at Busch Stadium. The park is famously named after the family who owned the team, not the beer. Back in the ‘50s, MLB nixed the Cardinals’ first choice, Budweiser Field. not wanting the association with alcohol. After naming the original stadium, the makers of Budweiser would release Busch Beer to get around the league’s request.
