31% of Single NFL Fans Say Their Dating or Hookup Activity Increases During Football Season

There’s just something about Sunday Night Football that brings us together. In fact, 31% of people surveyed by DatingAdvice said that football season has led to an increase in dating or hookup activity in their own lives.

The thrill of competition and the strategy of gameplay might have something to do with this, but let’s be real: it’s those tailgates, watch parties, and sports bar crawls that really spark attraction. 

We’re not saying that football is a natural aphrodisiac, but it does cultivate connection — which in turns leads to romance. It doesn’t hurt that football season begins at the same time as cuffing season, leading to cozy nights watching football and adrenaline-filled victory laps. 

At a time when real life connection is more desired — and more difficult to achieve — than ever, football season seems to be a rare opportunity for people to bond IRL.

While some of our survey respondents described themselves as die-hard football fans, others said they were merely occasional fans, proving that football season is a rich opportunity for connection for everyone. 

Whether you’re flirting with the football fan sitting next to you at the stadium or cuddling up with someone you met at a watch party, football is ultimately what brought you together.

At a time when real life connection is more desired — and more difficult to achieve — than ever, football season seems to be a rare opportunity for people to bond IRL. It’s not only an ideal excuse to socialize, but to connect over a mutual love of football. 

52% of Gen Z Single NFL Fans Report More Dating or Hookup Activity During Football Season 

Autumn and football season go hand in hand, but there’s another reason to get excited when the leaves fall: Cuffing season. It’s no coincidence that more than half of Gen Z respondents told us that their dating lives heat up after kickoff. 

Just under half of respondents (49%) said that football and football season have no effect on their dating lives, but 45% of respondents disagree, saying football makes it easier to meet potential dates. Since just 6% of respondents said that football actively makes it more difficult to meet someone romantically, it’s clear that football is more of an opportunity for connection than a hindrance. 

This is especially true for Gen Z, the generation most likely to report an increase in dating or hookup activity during football season. We know by now that Gen Z daters struggle to make real-life connections away from their phones, so it’s no wonder they enjoy football season: It’s a natural opportunity for IRL socialization. 

In fact, 60% of Gen Z respondents say meeting dates is easier during football season, perhaps because this age group frequents sports bars and their college’s football games on a weekly basis. This generation craves IRL connection in a way they haven’t in the past, and the socialization associated with football season makes that connection less stressful. 

Millennials are second most likely to find romance during football season (36%). It’s less common for Gen X (23%) and baby boomers (12%) to report an increase in dating activity during football season, but this might be because these age groups are generally more likely to be in long-term committed relationships. 

Just as there’s a correlation between age and dating activity during football season, there’s a correlation by gender as well. Men are more likely than women to report increased dating and hookup activity (37% and 26%, respectively), perhaps because football season lends itself to the type of casual, low-stakes dating activities that make connection feel seamless. 

After all, 27% of respondents of all ages said that sports bars are the best place to combine football with romance. In second place were watch parties (19%) — a natural choice, considering how watch parties allow friends of friends to meet in a welcoming, low-stress environment. 

Sports bars are the best place to combine football with romance, according to respondents.

Tailgates have a reputation for being a defining part of football season, but only 16% of respondents said tailgates were a good place to meet someone romantically. Interestingly, over 20% of men said NFL games were the best place to meet someone, while only 12% of women agreed. 

For 52% of millennials, 42% of Gen X, and 24% of boomers, these football-themed activities make it easier to meet new people… and new love interests. 

29% of Single NFL Fans Have Dated or Hooked Up With Someone They Met Through Football

There’s a difference between meeting someone at a watch party and actually embarking on a new relationship, or even a brief hookup, with them. Nearly 30% of respondents say they’ve made this leap with someone they met through an NFL-related activity. 

Football is an exciting entry point to romance for these respondents, 16% of whom said they would be open to hooking up with someone they met through football. 

You might think Gen Z would be most likely to find love via football, considering how this age group had the highest percentage of respondents to report increased dating activity during football season. But just because one generation dates more frequently during football season doesn’t mean they’re actually in a new relationship. 

Millennials are actually the most likely to do just that (40%), followed by Gen Z (34%), Gen X (28%), and boomers (8%). Why does Gen Z suddenly clam up? The generation’s aversion to real-life meet-ups might have something to do with it. 

Again, things get more complicated when you add gender to the equation. Male football fans are much more likely to report having dated or hooked up with someone they met during the season (38% of men vs. 23% of women). For these daters, nothing conveys compatibility more than two people rooting for the same football team. 

Die-hard fans, regardless of gender, are particularly passionate. Half of those surveyed (50%) say they’ve dated or hooked up with someone they met through football, and an even bigger share of die-hard football fans (65%) say football generally makes meeting people easier. 

Dating apps have proven themselves to be a fruitful place for football fans to mingle, too. If you don’t have a small fortune to spend on football tickets, you can still celebrate your passion on your dating profile, which 38% of single NFL fans said led them to a match. 

For these daters, making their football teams part of their personality made it easier to find common ground with an eventual online match. 

You might think that die-hard football fans would be too distracted by their team’s performance to focus on romance, but this isn’t entirely true. Nearly half (46%) of these passionate fans told us that their dating activity increases during football season. And if even die-hard fans can tear themselves away from the game long enough to flirt, then anyone can. 

61% Find Same-Team Supporters More Attractive — But Only 5% Rule Out Dating a Rival

Could a Packers fan and a Bears fan ever truly make it work? They’re a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, torn apart by generations of trash talk. The rivalry between these two teams and plenty of other teams in the NFL are downright Shakespearean. But according to our respondents, even star-crossed football fans might have a chance at happiness. 

Only 5% of respondents said they would never date someone who supports a rival team. On average, more than half of respondents (54%) told us that dating someone who supports a rival team would not bother them. Not everyone is so accepting: 32% of respondents said the rivalry would still affect them, even if it didn’t stop them from pursuing a relationship. 

But overall, when push comes to shove, rivals are more likely to accept their differences than to reject them, especially if true love is at stake. 

This doesn’t mean rivals will have an easy go of it. Same-team attraction goes a long way with football fans, with 61% telling us that someone who supports the same team as them is more desirable than the alternative. 

Young daters are most likely to feel this way, with 73% of Gen Z respondents reporting an attraction boost. It’s only natural to feel a kinship, and eventually a spark, with someone who feels just as passionate about your team as you. Sixty-five percent of millennials, 59% of Gen X, and 46% of boomers agree as such.  

Of course, attraction is often more complex than the assumption that “We’re both Giants fans, so obviously we’re meant to be.” It’s not the teams we root for, but how we root for them that can make or break attraction.

In fact, 30% of respondents say that being fun to watch games with is a more attractive quality than simply rooting for the same team (19%). Football knowledge is the third most attractive quality (14%), but it pales next to the simple fact that being fun makes you more enjoyable to be around. 

Nearly Half of Single NFL Fans in Miami, New York, and Atlanta Report More Dating or Hookup Activity During Football Season

Chances are, you’d find more football fanatics per capita in Austin, Texas, than you would in, well, the entirety of Vermont. Football simply doesn’t have the same cultural hold in some states as in others, which means, generally speaking, that the odds of a football-inspired romance plummet in certain states. 

Similarly, some of the regions we analyzed in our study were more likely to produce dating or hookup activity than others. For example, single football fans in the Green Bay/Appleton region reported the smallest increase in dating activity (15%). Meanwhile, nearly half (48%) of respondents based in Miami said their dating activity increased during football season. 

Miamians aren’t all talk, either: 43% of Miami-based respondents say they’ve directly dated or hooked up with someone they met via football, the highest percentage of all the cities included in our study.

Nearly half (48%) of all Miami-based respondents said that their dating activity has increased during football season.

But just because Miami is home to the most romantically active football fans doesn’t mean passion isn’t alive and well in other cities. In fact, 47% of respondents in both New York and Atlanta reported increased dating activity because of football season. 

Atlanta in particular tops our list of the most passionate football fans. At 67%, respondents in Atlanta were most likely to say that football makes dating “easier,” probably because of an abundance of football-related activities. Atlantans also reported the highest percentage of same-team attraction (79%) compared to Miami (72%) and Detroit (67%). 

Cowboys Fans Are the "Most Attractive" — But Gen Z Disagrees

If you ask me, no one covered in sweat, face paint, and guacamole is going to be breaking many hearts, especially if they pay more attention to a football game (or, worse, their sports betting app) than to me. But judging by our study, I might be alone in this opinion.  

Respondents to our survey confirmed that some football fans are simply more attractive than others. Maybe it’s their unbridled passion for the sport, or the emotion they show when their team wins or loses. Or maybe they just look really good in a jersey. 

Whatever the reason, our respondents — or 20% of them, at least — claim that Cowboys fans are among the most attractive in the NFL. Another 13% said Falcons fans were most attractive, while 12% voted for Chiefs fans, and another 12% voted for Bills fans. 

Interestingly, the generations are almost in agreement on this topic, “almost” being the operative word. Yes, millennials (21%), Gen X (21%), and boomers (19%) all said Cowboys fans are the most attractive, but the highest share of Gen Z respondents (21%) said Falcons fans are most attractive. 

There’s just something about Cowboys fans that makes millennial, Gen X, and baby boomer football fans weak in the knees. Maybe it’s the name — what’s more romantic than a wild, rough-and-tumble cowboy? — or maybe it’s their association with the scantily-clad Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. 

Either way, Cowboys fans aren’t only considered to be “most attractive” by all but Gen Z respondents. They’re also the fans that millennial and Gen X respondents are most likely to date or hook up with (16%). Boomers, meanwhile, said they’d be most likely to date or hook up with a Chiefs fan. And Gen Z? Twenty-two percent said they’d be most likely to date or hook up with a Bills fan. 

Speaking of Bills fans, they certainly don’t intend to look too far from their hometown for a romantic partner: 88% of Buffalo-area respondents said they’d most like to date or hook up with… other Bills fans. 

This was a common pattern among the football fans we surveyed. Seventy-eight percent of Cincinnati respondents said they’d most like to hook up with Bengals fans; 77% of Kansas City respondents would hook up with Chiefs fans; 71% of Boston respondents would hook up with Patriots fans; and naturally, 70% of Dallas respondents would hook up with Cowboys fans. 

Hometown pride clearly goes a long way with football fans, whether they’re choosing a romantic partner or simply looking for a fun time with a fellow fanatic, “fellow” being the important word here. 

These findings show how sharing a passion for the same team can not only bring fans closer together, but strengthen their bonds. In this way, football is so much more than a pastime. It’s a conduit of true connection.