PUMA has decided to find an answer to an eternal question many people would like to know—whether soccer fans love their team more than their wives and girlfriends. In collaboration with Droga5 and Bristol University researchers, the sports apparel brand did a study based on information from Newcastle United fans. Before the test began, the male fans had told researchers that their love to both their wives and their teams was equal. 

20 Newcastle United fans’ stress levels were measured and it was done in a fun way—fans had to destroy pictures of their favorite players or their partners. A skin conductance response machine was used to find out what the test subjects really had in mind.

Each person tested had been in a committed relationship for at least five years, and had also been a season ticket holder for the same amount of time. An average age of participants was 46, and the average relationship was 21 years.

The participants were given a pair of scissors and instructed to open envelopes containing photos—a high resolution photo of their partner, their favorite Newcastle United team, an unknown woman and an unfamiliar rugby team. They had to cut the photos up while a Galvanic Skin Response machine, which recorded their electrodermal activity (EDA) signal, testing their unconscious reaction to cutting up the pictures, says Campaign Brief.

During the study, several participants refused to cut the team photo, but could easily destroy the photo of the wife. However, but most of them showed affection for their partner is five times stronger than for their team. After the test was over, the participants were interviewed and some of them said that they’d been sure that their love for their team was stronger, and were surprised by the result that demonstrated the opposite.

Official white paper will be available soon on a dedicated web site, where people can also take part in a survey.

Being the long-term partner of the Jamaica Olympic Association and the Jamaica Track & Field team  PUMA has been celebrating the London 2012 Olympics with opening of the PUMA YARD, an experiential venue for fans.