Sports fans are known for being passionate and devoted, but in some cases, the obsession can result in some pretty questionable life decisions, such as a dodgy tattoo of a club’s crest, or spending hours on end in sub-zero temperatures to prove their devotion to their team.
With this in mind, TopRatedCasinos.co.uk sought to find how far passionate sporting fans would go to follow the exploits of their team or athlete.
To get the results, TopRatedCasinos.co.uk surveyed 1,272 sports-mad Brits from each region of the UK, asking them if they’ve ever missed a commitment to watch sports and, if so, what type of occasions they ditched in the name of their favourite team or athlete.
The Results:
The study revealed that 82% of Brits had missed an appointment or commitment to watch sports at least once!
The types of occasions Brits have missed to watch sports:
WORK (London, West Midlands and Wales)
Work is first in London (78%), West Midlands (62%) and Wales (64%). Respondents in these regions admitted they have skived a day off to watch their team or sports idol perform. It seems a job isn’t enough to dissuade employees from pulling a sickie!
RELATIONSHIP OR WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES (South West England and Northern Ireland)
It seems that the priorities of sports fans in South West England (69%) and Northern Ireland (63%) are clear – and it doesn’t always involve their partners! The respondents admitted to missing relationship or wedding anniversaries to feed their sports addiction.
SOMEONE’S WEDDING (North West and North East)
Good food, drinks and music – we all love a wedding party! But 62% of Brits from the North West and 65% from the North East of England ditched someone’s wedding to support their team or athlete.
SOMEONE’S BIRTHDAY (Yorkshire and Humber and East of England)
Missing someone’s birthday party was the main occasion that Brits from Yorkshire and Humber (71%) and East of England (67%) missed to watch sports.
SPECIAL DATES (Scotland)
It seems that Special Dates such as Mother’s and Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day or Easter, aren’t Scots’ priority when it comes to sports – 68% admitted that they had ditched special occasions to watch sports.
FAMILY EVENTS (East Midlands)
63% of Brits in the East Midlands confessed that they had missed a family event like their auntie’s birthday or their sister’s graduation to support their team or athlete.
What type of sporting occasion are Brits most devoted to?
| TYPE OF SPORTS THEY WATCHED | % |
| FOOTBALL | 88 |
| RUGBY | 82 |
| OLYMPIC GAMES | 77 |
| CRICKET | 68 |
| TENNIS | 64 |
| HORSE RACING | 56 |
| CAR RACING | 41 |
| GOLF | 34 |
| ATHLETICS | 21 |
| NBA | 8 |
| THE TOP FIVE FOOTBALL TEAMS | % |
| WEST HAM | 28% |
| LIVERPOOL | 21% |
| NEWCASTLE | 16% |
| MANCHESTER UNITED | 12% |
| LEEDS UNITED | 9% |
When asked about what type of sports events Brits are the most devoted to, football competitions came in first, with 88% of Brits from all regions in the UK confessing that they had missed an occasion to watch a match.
TopRatedCasinos.co.uk also wanted to find out what club the fans that had ditched an occasion to watch football support.
And coming as no surprise, The Hammers are the most devoted fans – 28% of the total of respondents support West Ham.