Did you know? NFL fans get an average of 25 more hours of free time than their non-NFL fan partners over the course of the league’s regular season.
With American football games taking up hours of viewing time each week, BettingUSA.com looked into how this could impact the household’s balance of free time and chores, surveying 3,000 NFL fans who live with partners who don’t follow the league. Read on for a closer look at the study.
Key Findings
Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears fans enjoy 43.2 more hours of free time than their non-NFL fan partners each over the course of the regular season, the largest leisure gap in the league.
On average, NFL fans enjoy 5.1 hours of free time on a weekend game day, compared to 3.7 hours for their non-fan partners. Over the course of the league’s regular season, this would add up to 25 more hours of free time for NFL fans.
Although 42% of fans claim that they take on the majority of household tasks on non-game days, this number falls to 31% on game days.
Moreover, 55% of households say watching sports occasionally sparks debate or tension over the balance of chores at home.
NFL Fanbases with More Free Time
Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears fans top the study with 43.2 more hours of free time than their non-NFL fan partners over the course of the regular season for an equivalent of a full workweek. Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals fans follow with 39.6 hours. Miami Dolphins fans round out the top five with 36 hours.
NFL Fanbases with Less Free Time
Jacksonville Jaguars fans trail the study with just 7.2 hours of free time than their non-NFL fan partners for the smallest seasonal leisure time gap. Washington Commanders fans follow with nine hours. San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos fans trail with 10.8 hours each. New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs fans tie and round out the bottom five with 12.6 hours apiece.
Where Does the Dallas Cowboys Fanbase Rank?
The Dallas Cowboys are also known as “America’s Team,” but where does the Cowboys fanbase rank in the study? Read on to find out.
Cowboys fans get 23.4 more hours of free time in the regular season then their non-NFL fan partners.
Cowboys fans get 4.8 hours of free time on game days compared to 3.5 hours for their non-fan partners — a 37% gap that adds up to 23.4 hours over the course of the regular season.
Moreover, 55% of Cowboys fans say watching sports occasionally causes debate or tension over the balance of chores at home. 50% of the Cowboys’ fans said that they do more chores than their non-fan partners on non-game days, but this number drops to 40% on game days.
Methodology
For the 2026 NFL Game-Day Leisure Gap Study, BettingUSA.com screened and surveyed 3,000 U.S. residents, who are the primary NFL fan in their household and lives with a partner who doesn’t follow the league, in October 2026.
The respondents were asked to select their favorite NFL team and share how many hours of sports they watch on an average weekend game day. They were also asked to estimate their average leisure hours on a weekend game day compared to those of their non-fan partner, along with how household chores are divided on non-game days rather than a weekend game day. In addition, they indicated whether time spent watching sports has caused debate or resentment regarding household balance.
To calculate the free time gap between fans and their non-fan partners, BettingUSA.com calculated the average difference in reported leisure hours on a weekend game day for each American football fanbase. The average difference was then multiplied by 18, to represent the 18-week NFL regular season and subsequently estimate the cumulative free time gap over the course of the season.
Of all respondents, 53% identified as female, 46% as male, and 1% as non-binary. The average age among the respondents was 44 years old.
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