NFL has become a victim of its own success: Fans would rather watch games on TV than in person

The Big Lead

The 2019 season was a bounce-back season for the NFL's TV ratings. But the 2019 season also saw NFL attendance dip to its lower point since 2004. As William Pitts points out, watching games on big-screen TVs has simply become more appealing than attending games. "Modern sports telecasts have evolved to the point that they can provide fans with a clearer, more nuanced experience than you can find sitting 200 feet away in the nosebleed section at the stadium," he says. "Not to mention, even though televised football has commercials, at least the networks don't charge $40 just to park your car roughly a mile and a half from your TV, or $25 for a hot dog and soda."