Beer is widely recognized as the alcoholic beverage that matches the taste and liking of any type of sports enthusiast who drinks while watching competitions. The link between beer and sports is not in the context of status, demographics, culture or sexual orientation. Generally, beer drinking for any reason or occasion is a common choice because they are the most affordable, whilst not as intoxicating as wines and liquors.
Still even if wine and liquor are more expensive, they are still popular choices among the moneyed or wealthy sports spectators. That being a given, producers of alcoholic beverages thought it best to conduct a survey to determine which sports attract the most number of alcohol-drinking fans.
Pairing the Alcoholic Beverage with Sports Fans
One such survey aimed to determine the percentage or size of beer-drinking fans tied to a particular sport.
Football – 77%
Baseball – 70%
Car Races – 55%
Hockey – 51%
Basketball – 48%
Boxing – 39%
Soccer – 34%
Beach Volleyball 25%
Golf – 17%
When it comes to wines and liquors, a smaller size of alcohol-drinking audience said they preferred these types of adult beverages when watching the following sports events:
Horse Races – 25%
Tennis – 19%
Golf – 14%
Refining Data for Wine or Liquor Paired with Sports Type
Since fewer alcohol-drinking sports audience are into wine or liquor, additional data were gathered to give marketers a clearer picture of the types of wine matching a certain sports competition. Although the major sports competitions in the U.S. has not yet resumed, major league sports in other countries have resumed and are currently being streamed or broadcasted live by UK TV stations.
National Football League (NFL) – Football competitions usually start and peak during the holidays, which is also the red wine season. The most popular choices are Malbec, Mourvèdre, Petite Sira, Syrah/Shiraz,and Touriga Nacional.
National Basketball Association (NBA) – NBA games take place in city environments often described as high energy yet disorganized. Two high-intensity wines are popular for having a metropolitan appeal: Red Rhône Blend and Dry and Sparkling Champagne-Style Wine.
Major League Baseball (MLB) – MLB games have their start in the summer, usually extending to the moth of October. Hotdogs remain as the favorite summertime treat, which liquor-drinking spectators pair off with white wine.
The above data about alcoholic drinks are still relevant in America today, even if restaurants, bars and pubs remain closed or have been ordered to shut down again. Many operators of bars and liquor stores are still selling alcoholic beverages but limited to beer, spirits and/or wine delivery.