The average NFL crowd grew by 3.25% to 69,442 per game in 2022, the second-largest figure in the last 19 years, according to an SBJ analysis of published box score attendance.
The NFL’s post-pandemic surge in attendance nearly wiped out a precipitous decline that began late last decade after the league’s 2016 high-water mark of 69,487. This year’s total attendance of 18.8 million soared past the previous record, but analyzing the per-game averages allows for a better comparison of before and after the addition of a 17th game in 2021, and the uneven distribution of home games in the new schedule.
With pandemic restrictions fully gone in all markets and fear of COVID-19 dissipating, the growth was widespread — 24 teams posted increases and only six posted declines. This is the first year since 2019 that an apples-to-apples, year-to-year comparison is possible, both because of the absence of pandemic restrictions and because no new venues opened.
Top gainers were the resurgent Lions (23.1%), Jaguars (10.8%) and Commanders (10.15%). The defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals, up 9.8%, were the only team that, for official purposes, had only seven home games because the Jan. 2 matchup with Buffalo was ruled a no-contest in the wake of Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffering cardiac arrest. The biggest declines for a team that didn’t play a game in an international stadium came from the Bears (-1.7%) and the Panthers (-0.8%).
Broad consumer behavior and economic conditions were part of the story. Experts say most NFL tickets were sold this year during a brief period after the COVID-19 threat had passed and before inflation became serious.
But the NFL deserves credit too, said Jessica Gelman, CEO of KAGR, a key data analysis vendor to the league. She said the NFL has effectively addressed weaknesses in fan avidity.
Throughout the league, 96.7% of all seats were sold, up from 95.1% last year and 94.6% in 2019, the last year before the pandemic zeroed out attendance in most markets.
“What has impressed me is how the NFL is reaching down [for younger fans] while maintaining the older fan base, and it’s been successful doing that,” Gelman said. “My concern remains the same from the preseason, which is the increasing price of the ticket, and the most avid, loyal fan still having the wherewithal to be season-ticket members.”
Box score attendance figures, not to be confused with ticket sales or revenue, have limitations. They generally include all tickets distributed, whether sold or given away, and not actual turnstile activity. Team and ticketing industry veterans say there’s little rigor or oversight to methodology, which changes from time to time. For instance, this year the Pittsburgh Steelers started including tickets distributed but not used — making their numbers appear larger than in prior years, when they counted actual attendees.
Also, this analysis includes five “home games” in foreign neutral sites that affect totals. For instance, the Packers’ average in this analysis declined 2.3% because it included a game at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (62,500 capacity). Counting only the eight games at Lambeau Field, the team’s per-game average increased by 84 fans a game, or 0.1%.
The NFL’s 2022 per-game average of 69,442 is just 45 fans short of its the high mark, reached in 2016, since SBJ began tracking the data in 2004. It is only the second time in those years that the average eclipsed 69,000.
Growth from 2021 to ’22 appears to be about continued progress coming out of the pandemic. However, in a historical context, experts agree that the openings of SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas continue to be a key factor in boosting numbers higher compared to the 2010s, when the Raiders, Chargers and Rams played in older venues.
Note: Includes a Buffalo Bills home game played at Ford Field in Detroit with a capacity of 64,500
Note: Includes a Buffalo Bills home game played at Ford Field in Detroit with a capacity of 64,500
Note: Includes a Buffalo Bills home game played at Ford Field in Detroit with a capacity of 64,500
