--- title: Super Bowl Cities See an 18% Spike in Flu Death description: Call it Super Bowl fever. In cities that send teams to the big February game, researchers see an 18% spike in flu death in adults... canonical: https://time.com/3689414/super-bowl-flu/ author: Mandy Oaklander article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-30T17:23:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:47:26.295Z article:section: Health og:title: Super Bowl Cities See an 18% Spike in Flu Death og:description: Call it Super Bowl fever. In cities that send teams to the big February game, researchers see an 18% spike in flu death in adults... og:url: https://time.com/3689414/super-bowl-flu/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7359c9d04a21602/69877ccd5f570f3a01b1500c/super-bowl-2015.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1904 og:image:height: 1071 og:image:alt: Super Bowl Football og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Super Bowl Cities See an 18% Spike in Flu Death twitter:description: Call it Super Bowl fever. In cities that send teams to the big February game, researchers see an 18% spike in flu death in adults... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7359c9d04a21602/69877ccd5f570f3a01b1500c/super-bowl-2015.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Super Bowl Teams' Cities See 18% Spike in Flu Death > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8cb77937-1407-4c0f-9778-61c007cd28fc&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8cb77937-1407-4c0f-9778-61c007cd28fc&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=8cb77937-1407-4c0f-9778-61c007cd28fc&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Jan 30, 2015 5:23 PM UTC  The University of Phoenix Stadium, host of Super Bowl XLIX, is seen on Jan. 29, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. The University of Phoenix Stadium, host of Super Bowl XLIX, is seen on Jan. 29, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. Charlie Riedel—AP  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Jan 30, 2015 5:23 PM UTC Call it Super Bowl fever. In cities that send teams to the big February game, researchers see an 18% spike in flu death in adults age 65 and older, a new [paper](http://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/tul1501.pdf) from Tulane University shows. And the effect can get seven times worse when the game happens close to the peak of a particularly bad flu season—like the one we’re in right now. Economists looked at cities hosting and sending teams to the Super Bowl between 1974 and 2009 and analyzed data from death records, population and weather. Cities that _hosted_ the Super Bowl weren’t at increased risk for negative health outcomes, they found—probably in part because they tended to be in warmer areas, which protects against the flu. But in the cities that sent a team to the game, there was an 18% spike in influenza deaths in people 65 and older. Researchers were able to determine causality, they say, since participation in the Super Bowl is as good as random. And it’s not like the heartbreak of a losing team could be blamed: There wasn’t a difference between winners and losers as the effect seemed to occur in the time leading up to the game, says lead author Charles Stoecker, PhD, assistant professor in the department of global health management and policy at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Can you blame the spike in socializing and the communal nachos? “People go out to a bar or to a Super Bowl party, and they have contact with people they wouldn’t normally or in ways they wouldn’t normally,” he says. “There’s few occasions when we share chips and dip.” **MORE**: [Here’s How Many Calories You’ll Eat During the Super Bowl](http://time.com/3687510/super-bowl-snacks-calories/) Flu death spikes are common after big one-time events like the winter Olympics and rock festivals, Stoecker says, but the Super Bowl may be in a league of its own since it always happens squarely in flu season. Would it be a good idea to move the Super Bowl out of the bounds of flu season? Maybe, says Stoecker, especially in years when the influenza strain looks particularly deadly—or in years like this one, when the [flu vaccine is only 23% effective](http://time.com/3669900/flu-shot-vaccine/). “In lieu of canceling the Super Bowl outright, it would be one way of mitigating transmission.” So if you must dip, do your part to help: Wash your hands first. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3689414/super-bowl-flu/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3689414/super-bowl-flu/"},"headline":"Super Bowl Teams' Cities See 18% Spike in Flu Death","datePublished":"2015-01-30T17:23:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:47:26.295Z","description":"Call it Super Bowl fever. In cities that send teams to the big February game, researchers see an 18% spike in flu death in adults...","url":"https://time.com/3689414/super-bowl-flu/","keywords":["Public Health","Super Bowl","influenza","flu shot","flu season"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7359c9d04a21602/69877ccd5f570f3a01b1500c/super-bowl-2015.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mandy Oaklander","jobTitle":"Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7359c9d04a21602/69877ccd5f570f3a01b1500c/super-bowl-2015.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Super Bowl Football","caption":"Super Bowl Football","creditText":"Charlie Riedel—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/public-health/","name":"Public Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3689414/super-bowl-flu/","name":"Super Bowl Teams' Cities See 18% Spike in Flu Death"}}]}] ```