DOGE exposes federal grant subsidizing study on sex, drinking, and the Super Bowl

A Senator from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is sounding the alarm over more than $1.2 million in taxpayer money spent on studies examining the drinking and sexual behaviors of Super Bowl viewers.

With DOGE looking to slash wasteful spending it's already made significant cuts, including canceling federal subscriptions to The New York Times, ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) funding, and ending millions in consulting contracts. One of these budget reviews saw Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst (R-IA) uncover spending related to the Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.

"We've been focusing on the Super Bowl, and what we have seen is about $1.2 million spent by the National Institutes of Health on a pair of studies to figure out if there is more binge drinking on Super Bowl Sunday, and then if there is a baby boom nine months later in the winning team city," Ernst told the Daily Mail.

One study, conducted in 2017 and titled "Super Bowl Babies': Do Counties with Super Bowl Winning Teams Experience Increases in Births Nine Months Later?" received $710,000 in funding. A second study published in 2014 and titled "Super Bowl Sunday: Risky Business for At-Risk (Male) Drinkers" was given $563,800. 

"The NIH, maybe they just think, well, we've got the money, so we're going to spend it. Well, what I would be saying right now is, I'm sorry you're not going to get that money anymore because you've wasted it."

"Why are we spending tax dollars on this?" she added. "I can't understand what the good is for the American people."

The findings of these studies proved just as underwhelming as expected. The $710,000 study on a potential baby boom found no consistent pattern of increased births in the hometowns of Super Bowl-winning teams. Meanwhile, the drinking study confirmed the unsurprising conclusion that men who already drink heavily tend to consume more alcohol on Super Bowl Sunday than on a typical Saturday.

The study concluded: "These findings suggest that heavy drinking during the Super Bowl (and in association with other sporting events), particularly among men, warrants additional attention due to the potential for deleterious public health consequences."