[Tell It Right]

How often do NFL stadiums fill to capacity anyway?

I know that college football is different. If you look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._stadiums_by_capacity and ignore #11 (used just once or twice per year), the top 14 stadiums will fill to capacity (85K to 107K) every home game and they're all college football stadiums.

You don't get into NFL teams until you get to the 15th largest stadium. And I wonder how many of them are filled on most home games.

So tax money for NFL stadium aren't just ethically wrong. If I'm right about their lack of use, they're also a big waste of money.

[Dr. Sivana]

How often do NFL stadiums fill to capacity anyway?

On paper, most of them, almost all the time. Corporations buy seats for business purposes. If the game doesn't sell out, a blackout rule kicks in to prohibit local broadcasting of the game.

In reality, some to many of these "paid for" seats are empty depending on the team, and who that team is playing. Last time I went to a game was the 2002 Rams in St. Louis against the Cowboys. I was in the nose bleed seats (Row VV), in the corner of the field. Astonishingly bad seats. I was surrounded by Cowboys fans and was badly out shouted. The local fans seemed to be tepid. The Rams never captured the imagination of the locals, whether it was in Cleveland, Los Angeles, Anaheim or St. Louis.

The New York Football Giants, on the other hand, had a 20 year wait list for PSL (Personal Seat Licenses) last I heard (many years ago, but if they had that when they REALLY stuck, they likely have that now.

There are a lot of people with money who like going to NFL games.