Just how popular is the NFL? I could point to the fact that most sports fans would prefer watching a preseason NFL game to going on vacation with LeBron James.
Or the fact that the NFL Draft rates higher in TV land than other major sports’ playoff games.
Football fans are the psychos of the sports’ universe when compared to mild mannered baseball and basketball fans. There is just no logical explanation for the lengths we football nuts will go in order to get more gridiron action.
The Atlanta Falcons’ new stadium is one of the best examples of America’s love for the game of football.
According to the AJC, more than 29,835 personal seat licenses have been sold for the new home of the Falcons, which won’t be finished for at least another year.
That’s $172.3 million dollars through April 30, according to the AJC, for you non-bean counters out there.
That money is basically a fee on having a prepaid ticket. You know, in case the line for tickets grows dramatically for a team that’s missed the playoffs for three years in a row.
Purchasers of these PSLs are paying for the right to pay for a season-long ticket.
It’s basically like paying $8 extra to pay your car payment over the phone. A “convenience fee” they would call it.
Pretty clever term for something that saves the corporation money by not having a human being take your payment over the counter at a brick and mortar establishment.
NFL fans appear more than happy to fork over the price of admission before paying the real price of admission. Sure, it’s going to be cool to be one of the first Falcons fans to see a live game in the Dirty Birds’ new nest.
But paying a voluntary tax to make sure they are among the first fans to do so?
The average Joe on the street would call that insane.
Of course that same average Joe would fork over the cash for the PSL if he wasn’t working two jobs to keep his mortgage company at bay.
The AJC has a nice update list on how the new stadium is coming along. It’s complete with cost increases and even some commentary from Falcons president Rich McKay, who has never even held a hammer or put on a pair of work boots.
The stadium could be built upside down and McKay would never notice until the opening kickoff.
“We’re pretty confident in our timetable,” Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay said. “June 1 is a good date for us. We’re working pretty confidently towards that date, and we feel very good about it. I would say that we’ve really picked up the pace on steel. You see the steel going up. We’re in a pretty good place.”
McKay will not be hosting “This Old House” anytime soon.
Another item of note in the updates is the number of HDTVs that will be found in the new stadium.
2,000!
Who could ask for more? Falcons fans will be able to watch the game live inside the most advanced stadium in the League and never miss a beat as they head to the hot dog stand or restroom.
The fact that many fans will leave behind their own 60 inch HDTV, a comfortable recliner, and fight Atlanta traffic in order to see a live Falcons game, shows the allure of the NFL.
Mix in people willing to pay the PSL fees, and it should be obvious just how obsessed America is with this game.