As Americans have watched more Super Bowls, they have eaten less beef per capita, a correlation that defies every cultural assumption about the relationship between football and red meat. Twenty-one years of data show Super Bowl viewership climbing while beef consumption declines, suggesting that the nation's most meat-associated event is being watched by an increasingly plant-curious audience. Somewhere, a brisket is feeling betrayed.
Super Bowl viewership grew from about 89 million in 2002 to a record 123 million by 2024, boosted by the Taylor Swift effect, streaming simulcasts, and the game's transformation into a cultural event that transcends football fandom. Per capita beef consumption declined from about 67 pounds to roughly 57 pounds during the same period, driven by the long-term shift toward chicken, health concerns about red meat, and the emergence of plant-based alternatives. The negative correlation exists because one metric has been gradually rising while the other has been gradually declining, pushed by entirely different forces. The Super Bowl audience grew because media access expanded; beef consumption declined because dietary preferences shifted. Both trends are real, and both are oblivious to each other.
Twenty-one years of more people watching the Super Bowl and fewer people eating beef is one of the more culturally dissonant correlations in the collection. The biggest game gets bigger, the biggest protein gets smaller, and the millions of viewers eating chicken wings and plant-based dips instead of burgers represent a quiet revolution that no halftime show has acknowledged. The stadium is full. The steakhouse is reconsidering its menu.
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Want to learn more about why correlations like “Super Bowl viewership” vs “Per capita beef consumption” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
