The hazards of watching football--are Australians at risk?

OBJECTIVE To review whether watching football increases the population cardiac event risk in New South Wales. DESIGN Analysis of hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction, other cardiovascular disease, and other acute injuries at the time of two stressful sporting events in NSW in 2005: the Sydney Swans playing in the Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final, and the Socceroos' penalty shoot-out in their World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay. RESULTS There were no increases in any of the studied admission events at the time of, or in the days immediately following, these football matches. CONCLUSIONS Australians appear to be resistant to acute stressors associated with watching sporting events, possibly due to higher rates of motivational deficiency disorder (MoDeD) than in European populations.