Detroit Lions land last in NFL in ticket revenue for 2021

With the combination of factors pointing to it, it’s not too big a surprise the Detroit Lions were last in the NFL in ticket revenue last year.

In general, winning (or a shiny new stadium, etc.) gets fans to buy tickets and attend sporting events. To that end, according to Sportico (subscription required), the Las Vegas Raiders led the NFL in ticket revenue in 2021 with $119 million. On the other end, the Detroit Lions came in last with $51 million in ticket revenue last year.

The Raiders sold just the 25th-most tickets in the league, so pricing for Allegiant Stadium, the highest ticket price in the NFL, drove the big revenue number. They also had a high no-show rate, for another piece of the equation where ticket revenue did not equal a full stadium (or anywhere close) on game days for a team that made the playoffs.

AFC teams also had a ninth home game in 2021, which helped the Raiders too.

An easy combination of things put the Detroit Lions last in ticket revenue

The Lions finished 3-13-1 last season, with an 0-10-1 start. They last made the playoffs in 2016, and last had a winning record in 2017. For most of the last 25-30 years, they’ve not been very competitive or won many games. So it’s safe to assume anything less than the hardest of the team’s hardcore fans aren’t making it a huge priority to go to games at Ford Field.

Via Lions Wire, the Lions also have one of the cheapest tickets in the NFL–$91.89 average price last year. Prices were not raised for 2022.

So it’s simple economics on the most elementary level. Low ticket prices plus not selling a lot of tickets=low ticket revenue. Two of the Lions’ worst losses last year were home games (Week 6 vs. Bengals, Week 8 vs. Eagles), so those who did attend probably left those games early.

With more optimism around heading into the 2022 season, local Lions’ fans may make more of an effort to attend home games this year.

If you live in the Detroit area, are you thinking about getting tickets to a Lions’ game this year? When’s the last time you attended a home game?