Study shows winning the big game leads to fan intimacy

Every little community in which the local team wins it all temporarily transforms into a raucous Gamorrah, flowing with celebratory fluids. The police are helpless to stop it, but the next day, things pretty much return to normal, with everyone involved left to wonder if it was all a dream.

Nine months later, some people discover that no, it was certainly not a dream, and this is all very real.

In 2009, Catalonia, Spain, went through such a cycle. Nine months after a miraculous goal gave FC Barcelona a win over Chelsea FC, the communtiy saw a 16% climb in births. Andrés Iniesta, the owner of the foot that kicked the critical score, was responsbile for a small chunk of the population.

Researchers dove into the data, formed a 60-month control period for comparison, and came to this non-startling conclusion:

"We may infer that—at least among the target population—the heightened euphoria following a victory can cultivate hedonic sensations that result in intimate celebrations, of which unplanned births may be a consequence."

Yes, it seems that winning the big game can lead to heightened instances of affection.

Who knew? Other than everyone in Catalonia.