The NFL has released its attendance figures so far for the season.
Attendance numbers are a sometimes ignored metric used to see how many fans are going through the turnstiles to watch a game.
If a team is routinely selling out its stadium, it is normally because the fans are hopeful about the team.
On the contrary, low attendance figures may show us that the fans are not happy with the on-field action, or that the team’s stadium is too big for the market they are in.
The following figures are the attendance percentage and not the raw capacity of the stadium.
So, what do these figures tell us?
The Data
Attendance leaders in the #NFL. 👀 pic.twitter.com/gbrnoSqNcN
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) December 2, 2022
In first place is the Indianapolis Colts, who have an average percentage of 104.6%.
Second is the San Francisco 49ers with 104.5%, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in third place with 102.3%.
All of the top 10 have average attendance percentages of over 100%, meaning that every game is played to at least a full house.
What is interesting about this, is when you look at the records of the teams in the top five, three of them (Colts, Buccaneers, and Rams) have losing records this season, with the Buccaneers and the Rams having terrible seasons when compared to their last few.
Yet, they are still getting people to come to the games.
However, one could question the use of this kind of statistics.
While measuring the attendance as a percentage is a far better measure of attendance than just the raw attendance numbers, (as every stadium is a different capacity it would not be an accurate measurement of attendance), these figures ignore other factors, like the distance from major metropolitan areas, or ticket prices, both of which can prevent people from attending games.
Attendance figures are interesting, but take them with a pinch of salt.
NEXT: Travis Etienne Is Ready To Help The Jaguars