The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly posted the highest ticket revenue for the 2021 NFL season.
The Raiders, who relocated from Oakland in 2020, benefited from their new $1.9 billion home field, Allegiant Stadium. Fans weren’t allowed to attend games in 2020, leading to high ticket prices in 2021.
- The team generated $119 million in net gate revenue, excluding luxury suites.
- Despite being top in revenue, the Raiders ranked 25th of 32 NFL teams in tickets sold.
- A caveat to the ranking is Allegiant’s capacity at 65,000 — third-lowest in the NFL.
Slightly behind the Raiders in ticket revenue for the 2021 season were the San Francisco 49ers. The team generated $117 million in ticket revenue behind a $20 increase on season tickets.
In addition to the allure of calling Las Vegas home, the Raiders profited from a unique strategy to generate their top-ranking ticket revenue: The team held back blocks of single-game tickets that would later be available with fan-favorable pricing after the secondary market soared.
Work to Be Done
At the bottom of the pack in terms of ticket revenue were the Detroit Lions with $51 million in 2021. The Washington Commanders were just ahead of the Lions but ranked last in tickets sold.
