Study maps how wins and losses affect MLB fan happiness

Written By Nick Crain | Last Updated at July 13, 2026

Colorado Rockies fans suffer the biggest drop in happiness after a loss, while Angels and Cubs fans experience MLB's largest post-win spike. Those are the findings from The Lines' MLB Happiness study.

Key findings:

How happy are you on a scale from 1 to 10? We asked 3,000 MLB fans that simple question for a week, right before and immediately after their favorite teams' games. The answers from before the games, along with responses from fans who didn't watch or didn't know the score, formed our 'baseline score': the fans' everyday happiness. But how much does that score get shaken up after a win or a loss?

Rockies fans suffer MLB's biggest drop in happiness after a loss

Colorado Rockies fans take the biggest emotional hit: after a loss, their happiness score drops from a 6.5 average to a 4.5. Pirates fans record the second-largest dip after a loss, dropping from a 6.2 to a miserable 5. Next are Cleveland Guardians fans, who slide 0.8 points after a lost game, going from a 7.3 to a - still very solid - 6.5.

Cubs and Angels fans experience the biggest post-win happiness spike

Sports also bring an incredible amount of joy, as clearly shown by the numbers for the Chicago Cubs and L.A. Angels fanbases. Both fanbases rated their happiness an average of 1.2 points higher after their team won. This is the largest post-win increase among all fanbases. For example, the average happiness score among Cubs fans jumps from a 6.9 to an 8.1, and for Angels fans, it increases from a 6.5 to a 7.7. Winning also gives Tampa Bay Rays fans a major boost in happiness, as they climb from a 7.4 to an 8.5.

San Diego Padres fans stay cool, win or lose

Padres fans barely experience any mood swings: they keep a cool head, both in victory and defeat. After a loss, their happiness score drops just 0.2 points from their 6.8 baseline, and after a win, it rises a minimal 0.1 points.

Rays fans claim highest happiness score

Colorado Rockies fans hit the league's lowest happiness score after a loss, with their average dropping to a meager 4.5 out of 10. On the other hand, Tampa Bay Rays fans post the league’s highest happiness score at 8.5 after a win.

Methodology

For our 2026 MLB Happiness Study, The Lines surveyed 3,000 U.S. baseball fans repeatedly between May 24 and 31, 2026, capturing their responses through surveys conducted before and after their favorite teams’ games played during this period. Respondents rated their happiness from 1 to 10. To measure the exact emotional impact of a game, the data was split into three groups. Baseline Happiness shows how fans feel normally (counting only those surveyed pre-game, or those who didn't watch or check the score). The post-win and post-loss scores strictly isolate the fans who actively followed the game.

Of all respondents, 54% identified as male, 45% as female, and 1% as non-binary. The average age was 43 years. Toronto Blue Jays fans were excluded from the study due to insufficient data.