In a bit of surprising news, the Rams were the top contributor to the NFL ticket revenue pool in 2016. According to the Sports Business Journal, the Rams made an estimated $27 million in ticket sales despite both struggling on the field and the various mishaps that came with hosting games at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
The way the ticket revenue works is that teams will put in one-third of their ticket revenue into the pool which is where the figure of $27 million is derived. Again, it might seem surprising that the Rams would be this big an earner when television audiences saw many empty seats at the Coliseum and the team finished 4-12. That didn’t seem to matter much as a major chunk of revenue came from the Rams promising Coliseum ticket holders first crack at seats when the new stadium opens in 2019. Season tickets also played a big part due to the price range going from $360-$2065 dollars a ticket. The Rams withheld information regarding the tickets sales for the final season in St.Louis but one can imagine they weren’t pretty.
Now, this news doesn’t by any means conclude that the Rams were a big hit in LA but does confirm that Stan Kroenke’s decision to move the team back to LA a worthwhile gambit. After all, he did get the stadium by promising the NFL that his new complex would be the new home of the NFL Network and will host both the Pro Bowl and the Scouting Combine.
What also helped the Rams top ticket revenue was the capacity of the Coliseum which holds a lot less seats than the new stadiums in Dallas and New Jersey plus teams can withhold ticket revenue if they still have debt on their new stadiums. The Rams averaged 83,165 in attendance last year but next year will be a more accurate test on the Rams foothold in Los Angeles. Not only did fans see a bad team but next year they’ll have to compete with the Chargers who not only have an even smaller stadium to sell out but their team has a lot more stars than the Rams do. Outside of Todd Gurley the Rams don’t have as many players to sell fans on unless Jared Goff can morph into a star.
Yes, the Chargers aren’t an instant Super Bowl contended but their offense at least puts up points making them more exciting. Obviously, fans will still go to games and revenue will sky rocket once the new stadium is done but the growth of the team will greatly depend on how good the team is and if they can create new fans in Los Angeles. The Denver Broncos were second in ticket revenue with Oakland and Jacksonville coming in at the bottom.
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