This is terrible news for [insert club/county/country you think are crap here] fans.
Just when you thought it was safe to wallow in the misery of your own team’s failings, scientists now have proof that cheering for a sh*t team is bad for you.
A study in the US, published by Psychological Science, looked at the eating habits of American football fans over two years. Those that watched their team lose ate 16 per cent more saturated fat than on a normal day, while those that watched their team win ate nine per cent less of the bad fats.
Not only that, but if your team lost a close game, or a game they were expected to win, the spiral of bad eating would get worse.
A similar study was performed with French fans and it was found that they would chose crisps and sweets if their team had lost, while they went for healthier stuff like grapes and tomatoes if their team had won.
Essentially this means if your team is crap, you are much more likely to eat badly and end up overweight and in bad health, while supporting a winning team gives you a better shot of being healthy.
The study, reported in the Irish Times, makes no mention of the effects of alcohol though, which is a large factor for most Irish fans, win or lose.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
