NEWS: Watching Too Much Sports Can Kill You, FYI

CULTURE: Watching Too Much Sports Can Kill You, FYI

You have your casual sports fans, and then you have the crazies ... those people that take things way too seriously and get overly wrapped up in what is, after all, just a game.

Yes, I'm talking to you, Patriots' fans!

While watching a dramatic game, you might turn to the person next to you and say something along the lines of, "Holy shit ... I think I'm going to have a heart attack!"

Hey, you may be right!

Well, that's never good.

Of course, if you already have heart problems you are at a greater risk of suffering an attack, but even if you're healthy, you are in no way in the clear.

And if you think you're safe because you're not one of those crazy European soccer fans, think again.

A few years ago, during a tense playoff game, a Pittsburgh Steelers' fan had a heart attack while watching the game at a neighborhood bar.

Being a true fan, he took it all in stride.

Well said, my friend.
Well said.


crispy has had 173 heart attacks over the past thirty years from watching Philadelphia teams repeatedly lose. This has only made him stronger.

this is the exact reason i stopped watching professional sports. When was the last time Cleveland won anything?

This is old news for Bill Swerski.

When Man U loses it tends to be other people around me who have to worry for their health.

Namely Chelsea fans who don't keep their mouths shut.


Does excessive excitement cause heart attacks? I've been led to believe that. Poor diet contributes no doubt. When I think of all the times I've joined my friends to catch a game and we've sipped a fine red pinot wine with a couple Advil chasers I'm stunned to believe there is a different way. Save for that time we were drinking, smoking and eating steaks at a bar one night for a De La Hoya fight I had $100 riding on.
No...wait...thats about par for me. I'm sure I'm unique though.

Wow...that reads way more catty and sarcastic then I meant it. Sorry.

Our football (American football) stadium has a capacity of 60,000. We have an ambulance ready every game because at least one person has a heart-related incident every game (usually caused by heat). Only once in few decades does someone die. It is not widely publicized. That happened a few years back. He died in the stadium, but they pretended to be working on him while taking him out on the stretcher. That is when I found out about the statistics for heart-attacks, etc. But I don't think they are all or mostly heart attacks. We also have a lot of older alumni come to games.

Colleges whose teams lose have lower sperm counts, lower testosterone, do more poorly on tests, but the effects only last 24-36 hours. Colleges happen to be where they conduct most tests on sperm counts, etc.

This is good news jk.

That was the first thing I thought of when I read this.

continuously being the only guy in yoga class does interesting things to your blood pressure, too.

I threw my lighter at my TV today at the end of the Flyers game.
I don't think I had a heart attack, but my blood pressure was definitely up.

Your big problem is being a Flyers fan...

That said, I'm pretty sure the last Oilers cup run took ten years off my life. Between the stress and the sheer volume of booze consumed I'm convinced my body will never be the same.

if you play the sport and are a fan of it, then your heart will be healthy, and all you have to worry about is the good chance of having a playing field related death....

hmmm guess sports aren't safe on either side

Seriously. That sucked.