In the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, travel site Expedia has released some data from a a recent survey regarding football fans (football of course, being a staple of the holiday).
80% of football fans with tickets to an “important” game would travel an average of 554 miles to see their team play, and 40%of football fans would pass up a “hot date” or their own birthday party to go to a professional football game according to Expedia.
Of course you won’t find many games as important as the upcoming Thanksgiving Day match-up between the undefeated-until-Sunday Tennessee Titans and the 0-11 Detroit Lions. Clearly I’m being sarcastic, although the absurdity of it (it’s ok, I’m a Lions fan…yeah, that’s right) and the holiday family-togetherness hasn’t stopped the game from being nearly sold out.
“More than two-thirds of Americans are fans of the NFL, and for many, that passion extends well beyond their living rooms, permeating their travel and social plans during the football season,” said Sean Kell, general manager of Expedia.com. “As the Official Travel Team of the NFL, Expedia is here to help fans plan their football weekends, whether they’re following their favorite team on the road or making a city weekend in their hometown.”
Expedia’s “Go Like Pro” survey is an extension of a deal the site has with the NFL, also called “Go Like Pro,” which is Expedia’s on and offline program connecting fans travel options to and from NFL cities.
The program showcases Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and Washington Redskins Quarterback Jason Campbell. The two star in Expedia’s national advertising campaign and provide personal travel tips in all 32 NFL cities, plus Honolulu. Expedia also offers two “Go Like Pro Show” webisodes, which are extended versions of the ads. The show features the two quarterbacks as hosts of a travel talk show.
But back to the survey. Some more fun facts for you from Expedia:
– 18% of pro football fans are so dedicated to their team that they could never marry a fan of their team’s biggest rivals.
– 25% of professional football fans have a better memory for pro football stats and scores than they do for birthday and anniversary dates of their friends and families.
– More than four in ten professional football lovers would rather see a child of theirs become a star professional football player than win a Nobel Prize.
– Nearly six in ten pro football fans would skip work if they had tickets to an important game.
– More than half admit it takes at least a day for their moods to recover after their team loses. In fact, the average time it takes for this group to feel better is two days (It’s pretty bad up until about 0-8, and then you start to become immune to it and just hope for a good draft pick).
– 61% of pro football devotees say they’d gladly spend their money on a Super Bowl ticket if their favorite team were to make it. The average price they’re willing to pay is $694.
– Those who spend money on being fans part with an average of $483 each year on everything from going to the games to collecting memorabilia to joining fantasy leagues.
– 23% of pro football fans who spend money being a fan, spend $500 or more a year
If you are not a football fan but plan to invite some into your home for Thanksgiving, think about these stats before turning on the dog show. Although, I’m sure there are plenty of people spending more than $500 a year on being dog fans.
