Getty Kansas City Chiefs fans cheer on their team on January 23, 2022.
Have you ever wondered which NFL stadium is the most fun to visit? — Besides the Kansas City Chiefs, of course.
Well, Bookies.com came up with a new study aimed at solving that exact question by ranking the “best pregame experiences” around the league. Here were the four determining factors that they based their algorithm on:
- Location or Miles From City Center: Close to the action, accessible to fans.
- Tailgating: The ability to park and enjoy a summer day with a beverage and grill.
- Entertainment Around Stadium: A vibrant bar and restaurant scene within walking distance to your seat.
- Fan Sentiment: Is the area safe and entertaining for kids and those with kids?
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Chiefs, Cowboys Share Top-5 Berth
Before we get to the best and worst of the 32 teams, let’s see where Chiefs Kingdom placed in each category. At the No. 5 spot in the rankings, KC ended up tying the Dallas Cowboys in terms of overall points.
Bookies.com contributor Adam Thompson reviewed the data:
When it comes to tailgating, the Bills and Packers are known for their fun. But it’s the Chiefs who top the list as the No. 1 locale to fire up the grill and lay out the spread. Its reputation as a world-class rib and BBQ city certainly doesn’t hurt. For those who don’t tailgate, KC still ranks in the top six in both family fun and overall atmosphere. It’s tough to have a bad NFL pregame experience at Arrowhead Stadium.
As stated by Thompson, this study determined that Chiefs Kingdom has the best tailgating fanbase in football and they weren’t far behind in fan sentiment (6th) and surrounding entertainment (5th). Kansas City’s worst area ended up being its location (23rd), and that’s expected to change in the coming decade or so.
For whatever reason, Thompson gave the Chiefs the edge over the Cowboys in the official order — must have been those finger-licking ribs.
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Storied Franchises Top Leaderboard
In case you were wondering, finishing last in the study were the Washington Commanders, followed by the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers.
On Washington, Thompson wrote: “FedEx Field is widely regarded as one of the bottom stadiums in all of the NFL. But the team doesn’t do itself a ton of favors to spruce gamedays up, either. It ranked dead-last in our rankings among the 32 teams for family fun and for overall atmosphere, and was 30th in tailgating. They’re considering a new stadium, but the proposed location is 23 miles outside of town. Not great…”
On the flip side, the Green Bay Packers topped the list as the number one pregame experience in the NFL.
Thompson voiced: “Going to Lambeau Field isn’t just an experience, it’s considered a pilgrimage for NFL fans, a bucket-list item that must be experienced at least once. Its only drawback was location — it’s surrounded by houses and is 100 miles away from the nearest “big” city of Milwaukee; even the local airport is small. Otherwise, Green Bay ranked No. 1 in overall pregame atmosphere and No. 3 in both tailgating and family and fan options. From live music to a full-sized turf field, a sledding hill in winter and the Packers Hall of Fame, Green Bay games have it all.”
The other three teams that beat Kansas City were the Seattle Seahawks — who technically tied the Packers in overall points — Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings.
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