CHICAGO – APRIL 09: Fans of the Chicago White Sox line up their empty beer bottles on top of the White Sox dugout as Paul Konerko #14 stands at the plate against the Kansas City Roayls at U.S. Cellular Field on April 9, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The Royals won 2-1. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Chicago White Sox fans were found to drink the most of any fan base in Major League Baseball, a new study showed.
According to the study, White Sox fans drink an average of 4.2 drinks per game and spend about $46, placing them in the No. 1 spot of the "Booziest Baseball Fans" list.
"Chicago’s 'South Siders' have been known to get a little rowdy, so it might not be a surprise that the White Sox rank No. 1 on our list of MLB fans who drink the most," NJ Online Gambling said.
Chicago Cubs fans ranked No. 14 in the list, reportedly drinking an average of 3.4 drinks per game and spending about $45, just a dollar less than White Sox supporters.
The White Sox also ranked in the company's list of "Biggest Pregamers" sitting at No. 3, just behind Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals fans. Approximately 67% of White Sox fans reported to have drunk before the game starts, the study showed.
According to a similar study, 49% of White Sox fans also reported to have "likely missed some or all of the game due to drinking too much," placing them in the No. 1 spot once again.
NJ Online Gambling's study surveyed MLB fans over the age of 21 from across the U.S. According to the company, 58% of respondents were male and 42% female, with the average age being 36.
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For a full list of rankings, click here.
Chicago could potentially see the return of some fans into the stands, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday, as the city prepares for baseball season to kick off.
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"Not at this time, but I think there will be a point sometime this season where you'll see fans in the stands of both Wrigley and Guaranteed Rate field, which I still call Sox Park," Lightfoot said.
The White Sox are scheduled to return home on April 8 after starting their season on the road, while the Cubs are set to kick off their home opener at Wrigley Field on April 1.
Lightfoot's comments come as some fans begin to return to stands in places long shut down, like Barclays Center in New York.
"What I've said before is that we're in discussions with both of the sports teams," Lightfoot said. "I think they've come up with a very good plans and when we are ready, we will announce what the future will look like for other potential spectators in the stands."
Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week said discussions were also "underway" for Illinois.
"I don't want to jump ahead of this process. I mean, honestly, we are relying upon the epidemiologists as well as the, you know, figuring out how we can practically get that done," Pritzker said Friday. "We all are very, very hopeful that the numbers - as they have really done well in the state of Illinois so far - keep going that way. But you know, Sen. [Dick] Durbin talked about the other variants that are out there. And so we just want to be wary and careful about what we do. But but certainly those discussions are continuing."
Earlier in February, Dr. Allison Arwady, the director of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said that while the city is making “good progress,” sports teams were still likely “months away” from allowing fans to attend games.
The Cubs and White Sox played their 2020 seasons without fans in the stands, and the Chicago Bears did the same at Soldier Field, with no fans in attendance at any of their eight home games.
Each of the teams said they are keeping in close contact with health officials about the situation.
