As the at-home viewing experience gets better and better, the NFL has struggled in recent years with the challenge of luring fans to the stadium. The results of a new survey demonstrate the depths of the NFL’s struggles to give fans the same kind of game-day experience that other sports provide.
Via the San Jose Mercury News, the Temkin Group collected data on fan feedback for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Nascar, the PGA, Major League Soccer, the WNBA, and ATP (which I think is tennis or something). The survey focused on nine different aspects of the game-day experience, and the NFL finished last in eight of the categories.
The topics were: (1) the ability to select and purchase tickets; (2) parking; (2) entry to the arena or stadium; (4) process of finding the seat; (5) bathroom access; (6) food purchases; (7) souvenir purchases; (8) watching the game; and (9) exit from the arena or stadium.
It’s not a surprise, in large part because the NFL draws the biggest crowds. The more people who attend, the more of a pain in the butt it is to get tickets, park the car, get to the stadium, find the seat, get to the bathroom, buy stuff, have great sight lines, and get out of the building when the game is over.
Throw in the presence of drunk, profane, hostile, and/or violent fans, and who would choose to go to a game? To improve fan satisfaction, the NFL needs to continue to strive to give fans something more than can get at home, with the holy grail being access to the communications between the sidelines and the quarterback and/or the defensive player with the green dot on his helmet.
