You're 3x as likely to smash your phone if your team loses the Super Bowl
If you're a North Carolina or Denver native, try to keep your phone in your pocket on Sunday. Just in case.
People in the home states of losing Super Bowl teams request smartphone repairs almost 200% more the day after the big game than on an average day, according to smartphone repair and trade-in company iCracked.
A perfect storm of impassioned football fandom, coming this close to winning the championship and (probably) a higher-than-average blood alcohol level apparently leads to — who would have guessed? — a lot of shattered phone screens.
iCracked noticed the spike last year, iCracked spokesperson Jordan Barnes told Mashable. So it then looked two years back — and the spike was even higher.
"When we discovered the pretty hilarious trend, we knew sports fans across the U.S. would relate to the frustration of such a crushing loss," iCracked cofounder and CEO AJ Forsythe said in a statement. The company works with iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices.
When the Seattle Seahawks lost last year, iCracked saw a 176% boom in repair requests in Washington, and when the Denver Broncos lost in 2014, Colorado saw a 184% increase in repair requests. when the Denver Broncos lost in 2014, Colorado saw a 184% increase in repair requests.
The days following holidays always see an increase in business, too, Barnes added.
“We have a running joke in the office that the Monday after [July 4th] is all-hands-on-deck every year,” he said.
iCracked sees a 51% increase in repair requests after Independence Day, a 50% increase the day after Halloween and a 68% increase the day after Christmas.
So whether you’re rooting for Denver or Carolina this weekend, keep your smartphone in your pocket or tucked away in a drawer — otherwise, you might regret it Monday morning.