A new survey says White Sox fans aren’t just showing up to Rate Field. They’re showing up thirsty.
According to a 2026 study from Action Network, 18.5% of White Sox fans said they consume five or more alcoholic drinks during a game, the highest rate in Major League Baseball.
Anyone who has walked through the parking lots outside Rate Field knows the scene. Tailgate grills send smoke into the air, coolers are cracked open hours before first pitch, and vendors are scattered throughout the street selling beers and shots.
The liquid courage has been needed to watch the last decade of White Sox baseball filled with failed rebuilds and 100-loss seasons. It’s why the phrase “Baseball, Beer and Bullshit,” popularized by the Section 108 podcast, has resonated with many South Siders.
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While there has been plenty of the latter on the field in recent years, the Action Network survey suggests one part of that slogan is undeniably true. When it comes to drinking beer at the ballpark, South Siders are in a league of their own.
The survey, conducted June 12–22 among nearly 4,000 MLB fans, found White Sox fans are tied for first in average in-game drinks at 2.5 per game. Before first pitch even arrives, they’re already at 1.5 pregame drinks, tied for second in baseball. Add in the best ballpark food in baseball, and the White Sox rank second in MLB in combined in-game calories from alcohol and hot dogs at about 1,110 per game.
That number gets even wilder over a full home schedule. If a fan kept that same pace across all 81 home games, the total would come out to roughly 89,910 calories, which equals approximately 26 pounds.
That’s the kind of stat that jumps off the page, especially for a fan base that has spent the last few years trying to laugh through the pain.
While North Siders are known for their debauchery in the bleachers, Cubs fans were lower across the board, averaging 2.2 in-game drinks, good for sixth in MLB. So while the Cubs may have the better record this season, White Sox fans have officially claimed Chicago’s beer belt.
It’s also not the first time the White Sox have rated near the top in this kind of survey. Similar fan-behavior studies from 2021 also ranked Sox fans near the top of MLB in drinking, and rebuilding teams often rank near the top in MLB booze consumption.
Washington Nationals fans were tied with the White Sox at 2.5 in-game drinks on average, and other struggling or middling teams like the Anaheim Angels also showed up high in the rankings.
The stereotype of White Sox fans hasn’t changed much. What has changed is the number of them coming through the gates.
Over the White Sox’s last 23 home games, the club has averaged 27,577 fans, including six sellouts. That surge has raised the team’s season average to 22,818 after it drew just 17,605 fans per game over its first 21 home dates.
The turnaround is significant for a franchise that averaged just 17,848 fans per home game last season.
While the White Sox have been the butt of attendance jokes, especially from their North Side counterparts, one thing has remained consistent. The crowds are reflective of the product on the field.
During last year’s third consecutive 100-loss campaign, they didn’t reach 1 million tickets sold until home game No. 57. This season, the White Sox are battling for the AL Central crown and, in the process, have surpassed 1 million in their 44th home game.
