NFL analyst points out reasons for "so-so" attendance at UFL season opener

The UFL began this weekend with meager attendance even as the merged USFL and XFL combined to form a spring football league. With two different competing leagues eliminated, one would have expected higher numbers.

Instead, as NFL analyst Mike Florio pointed out, lower numbers feed into a vicious cycle where fans find it hard to get excited. As they see empty seats on TV, it feeds into the narrative that it is not such a big deal and people tune out. He wrote:

"The NFL had a blackout rule for decades because it wanted televised games to look like a big deal with images of full stands. The inverse is also true; empty stands will make it harder for fans at home to feel compelled to watch."

He also chided the UFL organizers for scheduling the opening during March Madness and when baseball is back on television. He added:

"It’s not exactly an ideal weekend to make a dent in the Nielsen numbers, which is another piece of constructive criticism for spring football leagues that are already facing strong headwinds. Put more bluntly, why start this weekend, with the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournament in the process of forging its final four, and with baseball back in full bloom?"

Looking at UFL attendance figures

The opening game took place between the Arlington Renegades and Birmingham Stallions in front of 14,153 fans. The second game saw 9,444 fans watch the home team Michigan Panthers against the St. Louis Battlehawks.

The first game was held at the Choctaw Stadium. It has a reported capacity of 25,000 for football, meaning there were more than 10,000 empty seats. Even worse was the second game, which attracted below 10,000 fans to Ford Field, which seats 65,000. That's more than 55,000 empty seats.

As Mike Florio pointed out, it might make more sense if they started with smaller stadiums so that there is more of an atmosphere and it looks fuller on television. Also, the St. Louis Battlehawks could be a better place to start next time because they draw traditionally larger crowds. That can be traced back to the NFL allowing the Rams to move from that city to Los Angeles.

There can be many solutions proposed and the UFL can examine each one to see what works best. But they cannot deny that something needs to change so that they remain a viable organization with robust attendance.