IN MID-SEPTEMBER OF 2007, I scored free tix to a Chicago Bulls-Los Angeles Clippers preseason game at the United Center. The Bulls were coming off of a 41-41 campaign, while the Clips finished 2006 at 47-35.
A meaningless meeting of two slightly-above-average teams? Count me in!
It was just as boring as any other NBA preseason game — the starters, what little they were on the court, half-assed it, while the rookies were, well, rookies. The only two things I recall:
I was sitting in the first balcony and had like six rows to myself.
For the entirety of the evening, one of the few other first balcony residents screamed “You suck, kid!” at rookie Joakim Noah over and over and over again, and it was so quiet that Jo probably heard him.
So the NFL isn’t the only professional sports conglomerate whose preseason blows. It just blows a whole lot harder.
AS THE FINE FOLKS AT FORBES tell us, each NFL franchise turned a tidy profit in 2025:
Dallas Cowboys — $629 million
Los Angeles Rams — $244 million
New England Patriots — $222 million
New York Giants — $181 million
New York Jets — $180 million
Las Vegas Raiders — $179 million
Houston Texans — $156 million
Seattle Seahawks — $143 million
Pittsburgh Steelers — $137 million
Tampa Bay Buccaneers — $130 million
Philadelphia Eagles — $117 million
Washington Commanders — $116 million
San Francisco 49ers — $115 million
Baltimore Ravens — $115 million
New Orleans Saints — $115 million
Indianapolis Colts — $109 million
Jacksonville Jaguars — $106 million
Los Angeles Chargers — $105 million
Buffalo Bills — $104 million
Denver Broncos — $103 million
Tennessee Titans — $93 million
Cleveland Browns — $90 million
Green Bay Packers — $83 million
Chicago Bears — $80 million
Minnesota Vikings — $70 million
Kansas City Chiefs — $66 million
Miami Dolphins — $63 million
Arizona Cardinals — $62 million
Cincinnati Bengals — $50 million
Atlanta Falcons — $37 million
Carolina Panthers — $36 million
Detroit Lions — $21 million
So it’s not like the Jags or the Colts or whoever are hurting for cash.
Yet as Ticketmaster calculates, the average price of an NFL preseason ticket is $110.60, and as the Chicago Sports Stuff abacus calculates, the average capacity of an NFL stadium is 69,000, and as my counting figures calculate, each of the Shield’s franchises gross over $7.5 million for each of their preseason “contests,” making it just under $25 million that get thrown into the coffers for this three-week run.
And that’s beyond absurd. Because preseason NFL football is hot garbage.
BUT OF COURSE it’s hot garbage, because we’re watching players who, the following week, will either be on an NFL practice squad or playing for the Orlando Storm.
No slight to these young men — they probably rank in the top-2,000 of their profession, and I’m sure as hell not one of the top 2,000 writers in the world — but is it fair to make us shell out near-regular-season prices (in-season tix average $131.20) to watch messy pigskin?
Outside of your monthly health insurance premium, that’s the worst bang-for-your-buck product in the United States.
There’s virtually 0% chance you’ll see quality football in August, as there’s virtually 0% chance a high-end player will get any significant burn. For that matter, as PFF’s snap count numbers from the first week of 2026’s preseason games make clear, there’s virtually 0% chance a guaranteed-to-be-rostered player will get any significant burn.
Numerical proof? Welp, last Saturday and Sunday, projected starters averaged 14 snaps, roughly 9% of a normal game.
Hmm, 9%, eh? Time to pull out the abacus again.
If we’re getting only 9% worth of the product, shouldn’t we have to pay only 9% of the cost…which shakes out to around $9.95?
But would $9.95 even make sense? After all, in any given NFL game, a fan spends an average of $34.00 on concessions, which, if you’re with a family of four, means that even with the cheap ticket, you’ll still be dropping somewhere in the neighborhood of $175.00.
For this.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.