Philadelphia Eagles Fans Top List Of 'Most Depressed'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new study finds Philadelphia to be the unhappiest pro football city. Are Eagles fans really that depressed?
According to an analysis by Avvo, a company that offers free ratings and profiles for 90 percent of licensed doctors and lawyers in the U.S., they are. Avvo looked at 14 NFL cities that never won the "big game," and found Philadelphia topped the list of most depressed. Atlanta and Cincinnati followed Philly.
Avvo says the rankings were based on several different factors including, unemployment rate, psychiatrists, adults with hypertension, heavy drinking and average time it takes to commute to and from work. >>> PHOTOS: Depressed Eagles Fans
"Americans are extremely passionate and loyal to their favorite football teams, but when their beloved team loses, or just plain underachieves, it's not uncommon for them to be depressed or melancholy," said Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo.
Director of Structural Heart Disease and Non Coronary Interventions at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Dr. Nicholas Ruggiero says, "We have all of our stresses in our own life and you expect to turn on your television on Sundays, route for your team and have a wine and unfortunately you get a loss, and it just gives you more heartache than anything else."
Ruggerio says the heavy drinking contributes to hypertension, "Small quantities of alcohol -- one to two drinks a day -- have been shown to be beneficial. However, if you drink more than that it has been shown to raise your blood pressure."
The most depressed pro football cities that made the list are (in order):
• Philadelphia
• Atlanta
• Cincinnati
• Houston
• San Diego
• Detroit
• Jacksonville
• Cleveland
• Charlotte
• Seattle
• Phoenix
• Buffalo
• Nashville
• Minneapolis
For more information on the study, visit www.avvo.com.
Reported by Michelle Durham, KYW Newsradio
