The NFL is by far the most popular professional league in the United States of America. According to Forbes, NFL games on television have averaged 17.5 million viewers, an 8% year-on-year increase. On the other hand, the NBA pales in comparison to the NFL in terms of viewership. The league has seen an average of around 1.7 million viewers across ABC and ESPN, reflecting a 16% increase from the previous season, but nowhere close to the NFL’s figures.

Given such skewed viewership figures between the two leagues, one would assume that teams in the NFL would earn more playoff income. However, that couldn’t be further away from the truth.

NBA teams earn more playoff revenue than their NFL counterparts

Despite being the most popular and most watched professional league in the USA, the NFL fails to adequately incentivize good teams who make it to the playoffs. NFL teams, on average, generated approximately $545 million in ticket sales revenue in 2022. However, teams generally only get around $20 million plus from the league in terms of shared gate receipts. The home teams do get to keep their share of revenue from concessions and parking, which usually amounts to around $1 million to $2 million a game for most teams.

The NFL’s method of shared ticketing revenue has had many detractors. Because of this method, NFL teams don’t receive a huge financial windfall from a playoff run. On the contrary, the NBA provides the most substantial financial benefits to its playoff teams. In response to heightened demand for playoff game tickets, certain teams often raise ticket prices by up to 200% during the NBA finals. Traditionally, the league retained 45% of home ticket revenue during the playoffs, as opposed to only 6% during regular season games. However, in 2016, the NBA opted to decrease its share to 25% of home ticket revenue, offering teams a substantial increase in profits during their postseason campaigns.

NBA’s encouraging attendance figures

The 2022-23 NBA season marked a historic period on multiple fronts. LeBron James achieved the status of the league’s all-time highest regular-season scorer. The Denver Nuggets secured their inaugural NBA title. Additionally, the season set records for attendance figures.

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A total of 22,234,502 fans attended NBA games, the highest-ever figure recorded in NBA history. Moreover, NBA games recorded an average attendance of 18,077, another all-time high. Furthermore, a record 791 sellouts shattered the previous record of 760 set during the 2018-19 season. NBA arenas were filled to an all-time high of 97%.

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What are your thoughts on these differing numbers? Let us know in the comments.