Teams not only want to sell every ticket to every game. They also want every ticket to be used, so that fans will spend too much money for food, drinks, parking, etc.
For the first season with fans at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the venue experienced a surprisingly high no-show rate.
Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal reports that the Raiders had an average no-show rate of 14.3 percent for the first season in which it accepted fans. As Fischer notes, that number likely was influenced by the strict vaccinate mandate adopted for Allegiant Stadium in 2021.
The NFL is not required to release no-show numbers. Fischer pieced it together by looking at attendance reported in published box scores with figures listed in quarterly operating reports to the stadium authority.
Fischer explains that the number also may reflect that large blocks of tickets were sold to casinos and hotels, which then gave them to patrons who did not use them.
The number doesn’t include the Week 18 game against the Chargers, since it was played in 2022.
Still, it’s odd that the no-show rate was so high. The Raiders play in a new stadium, one of the nicest in the league. The team made it to the playoffs in 2021. They were competitive all year long, despite the unexpected departure of coach Jon Gruden in October.
The Raiders declined to comment to Fischer. The league opted for a comment that said nothing.
“We were very pleased with the enthusiasm fans and the business community demonstrated for the Raiders in Las Vegas throughout the season and look forward to another year at Allegiant Stadium in 2022,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Fischer.
It’s a situation that bears watching as the Raiders embark on their third season in Las Vegas, and their second with fans in the stands.