Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
Since last Thursday's NFL schedule release, the Las Vegas Raiders have enjoyed immense success in the ticket sales department.
By the numbers: According to data from SeatGeek, the Raiders are not only the top-selling team, but also boast by far the highest average ticket price ($622), roughly 30% higher than the second-place Seahawks ($439).
- Three of the top five selling games on SeatGeek are Raiders home games against the Saints (Week 2), Bills (Week 4) and Chiefs (Week 10).
- StubHub, meanwhile, says the Raiders are the second-best selling team on their platform, trailing only the Cowboys. Last season they ranked 16th.
The big picture: Fan interest tends to spike when a team arrives in a new city, but even with that taken into account, the Raiders have sold more tickets than many in the industry expected, given the uncertainty surrounding the NFL season.
- Maybe it's the combination of newfound confidence in refund policies and a desire to envision a football-filled fall after months of no sports. Or, maybe people just really like Vegas.
Looking ahead: This is inarguably great news for the Raiders, the NFL and the city of Las Vegas, but that hardly means we're out of the woods yet.
- If these games are canceled or fanless, the cascade of refunds involving teams, third-party platforms, buyers and sellers won't be pretty.
- Plus, the percentage of Raiders' tickets sold to visiting fans is likely higher than any other team (who doesn't want to plan a Vegas trip around a football game?), meaning the hospitality industry will also suffer.