PHILADELPHIA — A nationwide survey released Monday found that 94 percent of American fathers believe they could coach a professional football team to victory from their living rooms, and that 71 percent believe they could do so without standing up.
The survey, conducted by the Center for American Leisure, asked 2,100 fathers to watch a fourth quarter and describe, in real time, the decisions they would have made. The most common response was “run the ball,” followed by “not that.”
“There is a widespread and deeply held belief that the game is simpler than the people paid to play it are making it,” said Dr. Paul Whitaker, who led the study. “This belief is not supported by evidence, but it is remarkably stable across income, region and education.”
Respondents were also asked whether they would accept a coaching position if offered. Forty-two percent said yes. Of those, 88 percent said they would need to check with their wives.
The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, or roughly one bad call.