Aside from Paul Brown Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals), no other NFL stadium was at less than 80% capacity during the 2011 NFL season. Of the 32 NFL stadiums, four of them averaged crowds at more than capacity. Here are the 2011 NFL attendance numbers for all 32 teams. How did your favorite team fare in attendance?

 

1. AT&T Stadium - (684,096)

2. Metlife Stadium (Giants) - (635,800)

3. Metlife Stadium (Jets) - (631,888)

4. Fedex Field - (615,368)

5. Sport Authority Field at Mile High - (602,618)

6. Mercedes-Benz Superdome - (584,336)

7. Bank of America Stadium - (578,342)

8. Arrowhead Stadium - (576,659)

9. Reliant Stadium - (571,969)

10. M&T Bank Stadium - (569,792)

11. Lambeau Field - (564,097)

12. Candlestick Park - (557,856)

13. Lincoln Financial Field - (553,152)

14. LP Field - (553,144)

15. Georgia Dome - (551,892)

16. Gillette Stadium - (550,048)

17. CenturyLink Field - (531,311)

18. FirstEnergy Stadium - (526,874)

19. Qualcomm Stadium - (523,143)

20. Lucas Oil Stadium - (518,627)

21. Ford Field - (509,940)

22. Heinz Field - (504,279)

23. The Metrodome - (502,529)

24. Ralph Wilson Stadium - (438,864)

25. Everbank Field - (498,655)

26. Soldier Field - (497,166)

27. University of Phoenix Stadium - (489,455)

28. Sun Life Stadium - (487,089)

29. O.co Coliseum - (473,938)

30. Raymond James Stadium - (396,300)

31. Edward Jones Dome - (451,153)

32. Paul Brown Stadium - (394,009)

 

It's only natural that America's team - the Dallas Cowboys, had the highest overall attendance in 2011. AT&T Stadium is also the third largest stadium in the NFL behind only MetLife Stadium and Fedex Field. While some fans may find these numbers very pleasing, truth is, all 32 stadiums have seen a decline in attendance these last four seasons.

Just a sign of the times in my opinion. When the economy declines, the first thing to go is discretionary spending and other small luxuries. Additionally, the widespread growth of massive televisions has kept NFL fans at home. The presentation of NFL games on television are amazing and who feels like paying loads of money to watch games in the cold weather? 

The attendance at Paul Brown Stadium dropped by 18% from 2010 to 2011 for Cincinnati Bengals home games. The stadium as a whole averaged less than 50% of the stadium's capacity per game. Only twice did the Bengals sell out home games; vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. To our surprise, the Jacksonville Jaguars had actually improved their home attendance during the 2011 season compared to the previous season. Looking at the top three NFL stadiums on the list, it's obvious why the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins receive all of the prime time games. They have millions of fans and dominate the largest football markets.

 

Reference:

ESPN

 

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