Major league soccer players show fewer alcohol-related health issues than the general male population, a pattern observed primarily since the 1960s. This trend was highlighted in a study reported by The BMJ.
Alcohol use sits at the heart of football culture, shaping experiences for players and fans alike. Across generations, several well-known players have faced alcohol-related challenges during and after their competitive years. While many observers have linked heavy drinking to the stress and constant pressure of the sport, comprehensive, large-scale research on this topic has been limited.
Researchers from the Swedish Carolingian Institute evaluated the health records of 6,007 male footballers who competed in Sweden’s top tier, Allsvenskan, between 1924 and 2019. Their data were matched with 56,168 men from the general population, adjusted for age and where they lived. The study followed participants for a median of 27 years, during which 257 football players (4.3%) and 3,528 men from the general population (6.3%) received diagnoses related to alcohol use disorders.
The findings indicate that the risk of developing an alcohol-use disorder among football players is roughly 30% lower than that of the broader male population. This protective association appears to be limited to players who began their careers at the highest level during or after the early 1960s; players from earlier eras carried similar risk to the average man. When age adjustments are considered, the landscape shifts: by age 75, former players show a higher likelihood of alcoholism than the general population. Importantly, these patterns do not reflect career success or goals scored, nor does position on the field appear to influence the likelihood of alcohol-related problems. In examining drug-related issues, the study found that football players experienced these problems 78% less often than the general population.
Looking ahead, the researchers expressed interest in extending this line of inquiry to football fans, aiming to understand how fandom and associated behaviors might relate to substance use patterns in the broader community.