Game day diets: foods and sports associations

Eating food and watching sports go hand in hand. While you are sitting back watching athletes work up their appetites, you might as well join in and get a snack.

If you ever feel lost on what to grab, the good thing is, the most popular sports have a snack that’s almost mandatory to get.

Baseball

The first classic food that comes to mind with baseball is a hot dog. It’s almost a tradition, and it’s an extremely convenient food choice since you don’t need utensils. To show how ingrained hot dogs are in baseball culture, sports writer Chris Landers wrote an article for Major League Baseball (MLB) explaining the progression and significance of hot dogs with regard to baseball.

Another item that comes to mind is the novelty MLB team helmets that are often served with a scoop of ice cream or nachos. What’s better than eating a delicious snack while representing your team of choice?

Football

While it may not always be in the stadium, football has a long, extensive list of food typically eaten while watching a game. Most of these are finger foods or dips, which can include nachos, wings and buffalo chicken dip.

An at-home watch party of a football game or the Super Bowl wouldn’t be the same without the food aiding these social traditions.

Hockey

Maybe it’s because hockey arenas are cold, but the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of hockey is a hot, fresh soft pretzel. Nothing could be better than enjoying a warm snack while watching players race around the chilly rink. Plus, soft pretzels are easy to hold and share with a friend.

Basketball

Whenever I think of a basketball stadium, I think of the viral videos of angry or excited fans jumping up and spilling popcorn everywhere. Besides just the comical effect that popcorn can add to a game, it’s a perfect snack for basketball.

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Part of the big correlation between popcorn and basketball comes from the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and his obsession with popcorn. He famously reports on and ranks popcorn across different arenas.

No matter what sport or team is your favorite, there will always be a delicious treat for you to eat.

chaffele@miamioh.edu

Ren Chaffee is a sophomore strategic communication major with a minor in rhetoric/writing and has a passion for writing and music. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, spending time in nature and hanging out with her dog.