Are SEC stadiums louder than NFL stadiums?

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow said in October last year that SEC stadiums are "way louder" than any NFL stadium. This controversial statement did not sit well with a lot of fans and fellow NFL players. As a result, everyone took a shot at him.

There however could be an argument here, as the SEC houses several of the most famed college football programs ever. In addition to this, they play in stadiums that are far larger than several NFL stadiums. Having said that, this article will see whether Burrow's claims have any weight.

Are SEC stadiums louder than the NFL?

SEC stadiums are not louder than the loudest NFL stadiums by sheer decibels. But there are different levels to this.

For one, SEC stadiums are among the largest stadiums in the United States. Take Kyle Field, for instance. The home of the Texas A&M Aggies is currently the largest SEC stadium in the U.S. in terms of seating capacity, with an official count of 102,733 (via TopEndSports). It is the fourth largest stadium in the U.S. after Ohio Stadium, Beaver Stadium, and Michigan Stadium.

With that many people screaming in unison, it's safe to say that any unmeasured db level is enough to damage one's eardrum.

Talking in decibels

The highest decibel level ever recorded in the NFL was in Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2014, the stadium registered an insane 142.2 decibels, louder than a jet plane taking off a few feet from your ears (via Fox Weather). As for the other NFL teams with the loudest stadiums, SportsBrief compiled those that fall just below that of Arrowhead. The decibel records of said stadiums are as follows:

• Lumen Field (Seattle Seahawks) - 137.6 db
• Caesars Superdome (New Orleans Saints) - 130 db
• State Farm Stadium (Arizona Cardinals) - 130 db
• Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers) - 123 db
• U.S. Bank Stadium (Minnesota Vikings) - 120.1 db
• Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots) - 106.4 db
• M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens) - 105 db
• Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles) - 93 db
• Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Panthers) - 90 db
• AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys) - 87 db
• Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis Colts) - 86 db

How does this compare to the highest decibel record in the SEC? Last year, a game between LSU and Alabama recorded a maximum of 133 decibels after a TD was scored in OT. This sound was so loud it shook the earth, which was recorded by a seismograph at the school's geology department:

Here are the highest sound levels of some of the other teams in the SEC:

• Bryant-Denny Stadium (Alabama) - 98 db
• Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn) - 100 db
• Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Florida) - 115 db
• Neyland Stadium (Tennessee) - 118 db
• Kyle Field (Texas A&M) - 126 db
• Sanford Stadium (Georgia) - 132.6 db

So are SEC stadiums louder than the NFL ones? No, if we're talking decibels.