Can a Football Game Lead to Domestic Violence?

Card and Dahl looked at police reports of family violence on Sundays during football season, interested in learning what happened when a home team suffered an upset. For the purpose of the study, an upset was defined as a loss the home team had been predicted to win by more than three points.

After taking into account other controlling factors, such as a holiday or the weather, the study found that upset losses by the home team were associated with higher rates of domestic violence---an 8% increase to be exact.  Upsets involving a rival team had an even bigger effect on the rate of domestic violence between partners, as well as unexpected losses after games involving a high amount of sacks, turnovers, or penalties.

The increase was seen mainly in male-on-female domestic violence.  Upsets had no effect on the rate of domestic violence against children or female-on-male violence. The study also indicated that an upset increases the rate of violence against people the offender knew, but was not related to or romantically involved with, such as a friend or neighbor.

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