Second Thoughts

One scoop good idea for parties

Watching Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday could be hazardous to one’s health, particularly for senior citizens, according to a recently released study from Tulane University.
Watching Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday could be hazardous to one’s health, particularly for senior citizens, according to a recently released study from Tulane University.

Cold and flu season is in full swing, and while there are many ways to prevent getting sick, there's one way to get sick most people likely don't consider: a Super Bowl party.

A study released by Tulane University revealed that cities with teams in the Super Bowl see a rise in flu deaths. According to the study, having a team in the Super Bowl leads to an average 18 percent increase in flu deaths among senior citizens.

Charles Stoecker, the lead author of the study, and his team examined county-level statistics from 1974-2009 to arrive at their findings.

"It's people that are staying at home and hosting small local gatherings, so your Super Bowl party, that's where people are actually passing influenza among themselves," Stoecker said on Tulane's website. "Every year, we host these parties that we go to and it changes mixing patterns, and you are coughing and sneezing and sharing chips and dip with people that you often don't, and so we get the influenza transmitted in novel ways that's going to eventually wind up in the lungs of a 65-year-old."

The effects are greater when the Super Bowl occurs close to the peak of flu season -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta notes flu activity most commonly peaks in the United States between December and February -- or when the dominant strain is more lethal.

While cities with teams in the Super Bowl are at a higher risk, researchers found no increase in flu deaths in cities hosting the Super Bowl. Stoecker said that's because the game is traditionally held in warmer locales where the environment is less favorable for transmission.

Stoecker said preventive measures are most effective in fighting the flu, along with washing hands and getting vaccinated. If all else fails, Stoecker offered one last suggestion: a giant sign that says, "Scoop once."

George Costanza from Seinfeld would wholeheartedly agree with that sign.

More super oddities

• In its coverage leading up to the Super Bowl, Sportsnet -- the Canadian equivalent of ESPN -- used the logo for the NHL's Florida Panthers in a graphic instead of the Carolina Panthers' logo.

A tweet from the Florida Panthers sent Wednesday morning shows two Sportsnet personalities discussing the game in front of the graphic and said, "Well, this is news to us."

The Panthers' skates may not work so well on the field at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

• Then there's the story of a Montrose, Colo., woman who makes Denver Broncos-themed coats for her dog and 14 goats.

"When [the goats] are born, they typically weigh 8 or 9 pounds, and they're cold," Rebecca Herberg told KCNC-TV, Channel 4, in Denver.

Herberg said making the coats and ranch duties take up every second of the day. The girls get orange sweaters and the boys get blue.

"It looks like a bunch of Broncos fans running out there," Herberg said.

Sports quiz

How many division championships have the Carolina Panthers won?

Answer

Six, including each of the past three seasons.

Sports on 02/05/2016

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