Although having some beer at and before (and after) a Cubs game is not the primary reason I’m itching to get back to Wrigley Field, I will cop to the reality: I like to have a drink or two while enjoying baseball in the bleachers. I like it, safe and reasonable choices can add to the ambiance, and it is not going to drink itself.
But I notice every time I’m at Wrigley Field that, even as there is a decent bit of drinking, it just isn’t the TOTAL drunk-fest that other baseball fans make it out to be. Sure, the bleachers are a little more raw than some other baseball seating thanks to the general admission and cultural evolution, but for the most part, people are still very much taking in the game while they imbibe.
Similarly, while the area bars in Wrigleyville are top notch places to do some pre-game and post-game drinking, I don’t think they get too nuts for folks to simply enjoy the area around game time.
So I found it fun to see a study that more or less confirms my own anecdotal take. A fan survey from NJOnlineGambling got into the average drinks consumed per game, the average spent on alcohol per game, and just how pre-gaming-y each fan base was. Cubs fans ranked right in the middle of the pack on how many drinks they have per game, were not close to the top in pregaming, and were also not all that high in how much game time they missed while out pre-gaming:
By this study, you’d basically call Cubs fans pretty average drinkers. So, hey, make good, safe, and fun choices when you finally get back to Wrigley Field and Wrigleyville this year, eh?