A Brief Economic History of NFL Stadiums

By J.C. Bradbury

The National Football League (NFL) got off to a tenuous start during its first few decades of operation, but it would ultimately grow to supplant Major League Baseball (MLB) as the US’s preeminent major sports league. The NFL was founded in 1920 after the era of modern concrete-and-steel stadiums had begun, thus its early members were able to rely upon existing facilities that were built for other purposes. Now its teams play in the largest and most expensive sports venues in the country, and their construction costs continue to grow higher.

In our article Public Policy Toward Professional Sports Stadiums: A Review, Dennis Coates, Brad Humphreys, and I separate stadium construction into three eras, which are distinguished by venue designs and construction costs. As the figure below shows, NFL stadium openings were concentrated within these periods, with peaks occurring around 1925, 1970, and 2000. Six new NFL stadiums are scheduled to open between 2026 and 2031, which is consistent with the pattern of a 30-year stadium replacement cycle.

Below, I describe how NFL stadium construction has progressed across eras, and then examine the next generation of stadium-building that is underway. I include historical images as examples to illustrate how professional football venues have evolved over time.

The Inaugural Era (1900s – 1950s): NFL Teams as Stadium Tenants

In the early days of the NFL, as its teams searched to build an audience with churning membership, its franchises found homes in existing venues that were not built primarily for them, or even to host football. Many NFL teams played in local baseball stadiums, which provided MLB team owners an additional revenue source from their private venues. However, this was not an ideal arrangement, because it required squeezing football’s rectangular gridiron within ballpark dimensions, which meant walls abutted the playing field and made viewing difficult for spectators.

Some NFL teams played in municipally owned stadiums, which were becoming more common in big American cities. Often built as public works, and thus frequently named as memorials to war veterans, they were intended to host a variety of large community events, including sports. Their oval- and horseshoe-shaped designs had the seating capacity to serve the basic function of holding games. For example, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Chicago’s Soldier Field, and Buffalo’s War Memorial Stadium were not originally constructed as homes for the NFL teams that would later play in them.

College football stadiums from this era were another venue option sometimes used by NFL teams, even into the late 20th century. Examples include Pitt Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers), Tulane Stadium (New Orleans Saints), and Sun Devil Stadium (Arizona Cardinals).

Unlike MLB team owners, who had to incur the expense of building and maintaining their facilities, NFL owners were able to rely on existing stadiums. In this sense, the NFL was a leader in transitioning stadiums from being privately to publicly provided, because its franchises weren’t heavily invested in the private business of venue-building. However, because of their subordinate status, NFL teams often moved from stadium to stadium. For example, the Philadelphia Eagles played in two ballparks—the Baker Bowl (Phillies) and Shibe Park (Athletics and Phillies)—Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, and Franklin Field (home of the Penn Quakers).

Stadiums of the inaugural era improved gradually over time, and the real costs of venue construction were relatively stable. Even bigger stadiums that opened in the 1950s, like Milwaukee County Stadium (Green Bay Packers) and Metropolitan Stadium (Minnesota Vikings), were not well suited for football, and their NFL teams were secondary tenants.

The Superstadium Era (1960s – 1980s): The Rise of Public Multipurpose Stadiums

As the NFL gained popularity in the 1960s, teams sought better facilities that would allow them to host more fans as well as increase their control over operations and revenue. Expanded multi-sport public stadiums offered the solution of replacing aging private ballparks and basic municipal facilities. These superstadiums were built large enough to accommodate both baseball and football field playing dimensions.

These mega-structures employed expansive circular designs and standard dimensions. Many of these venues were so similar that they were often described as “cookie cutter” stadiums. These included RFK Stadium (Washington Commanders and Senators, 1961), Shea Stadium (New York Jets and Mets, 1964), Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium (Falcons and Braves, 1965), Busch Memorial Stadium (St. Louis NFL and MLB Cardinals, 1966), Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (Raiders and Athletics, 1966), San Diego/Jack Murphy Stadium (Chargers and Padres, 1967), Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals and Reds, 1970), Three Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates, 1970), and Veterans Stadium (Philadelphia 1971).

Mid-century superstadiums may not seem impressive by today’s standards, but were substantial upgrades over inaugural era facilities. They offered more restrooms and concessions, as well as being surrounded by parking lots to serve the dominant automobile culture of US cities. Though they were considerably more expensive than their predecessors, they were considered prudent as public investments, because they could handle two major sports—more if they were domed (e.g., Houston Astrodome, Seattle Kingdome, Minneapolis Metrodome).

These venues may not evoke nostalgic feelings among sports fans, but they were celebrated as architectural achievements at the time. Architect Philip Bess explained that their similarity was part of the attraction for the communities that built them:

“The ubiquity of the form leads one to suspect that the role of the stadium itself as a community icon has superseded its importance as an arena for the events it shelters. One can imagine residents of these cities being told that they needed one of these stadiums, in order to be a ‘world class city’" (Lowry 1986 , p. 13.)

Though the bulk of stadium construction during this period occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, the three NFL venues that opened in the 1980s—Minneapolis’s Metrodome, Indianapolis’s Hoosier Dome, and Miami’s Joe Robbie Stadium—used similar architectural designs.

Stadium Mania (1990s – 2010s): Football-Specific Stadiums and Rising Costs

Stadium mania is sweeping the United States. City officials from Tampa Bay to San Francisco have embraced the idea that stadiums and commercial sport are essential in projecting a "world-class" image (Baade and Dye 1990, p. 1).

The next major shift in stadium construction emerged in the 1990s. As 30-year leases on municipal superstadiums began to expire, MLB and NFL teams wanted their own facilities. Shared venues were not ideal for spectators of either sport, and owners wanted more control over their facilities. Cities didn’t just replace their old venues, they often came two at a time, which resulted in a construction surge so great that it was dubbed “stadium mania,” eclipsing the stadium-building boom of the 1960s and 1970s.

Not only did more venues open, but their designs changed. MLB teams sought to recreate the feel of classic ballparks, using retro-designs that mimicked early 20th century architecture, with asymmetric fields, brick, and exposed steel. Baltimore’s Camden Yards became the new template for MLB franchises to emulate.

No longer co-tenants, NFL teams finally got the football-first designs befitting the country’s dominant major sports league. When Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie self-funded his eponymous showpiece with advance sales of skyboxes and club seats in 1987, he demonstrated the value of catering to high-end patrons with luxury amenities and exclusive spaces. In addition to football-first designs, owners sought replacements that could capitalize on this customer cohort while still having taxpayers cover much of the cost.

The shift from inaugural venues to superstadiums resulted in a ratcheting up in the cost of building new stadiums. Though a similar jump occurred with the beginning of stadium mania, the increase in construction costs wouldn’t be a one-time event. Building expenses continued to grow at an increasing rate, as owners tried to one-up each other with every new venue that opened. While the real cost of venues remained relatively constant from the 1960s through the 1980s, from the 1990s through the 2010s, the median cost of NFL stadiums per decade more than quadrupled.

Though public subsidies have not kept pace with overall construction costs, they continued to grow, increasing the taxpayer burden. More expensive designs were incentivized by cost-sharing, which lowered the personal expense to owners of including more opulent features—a phenomenon known as “gold-plating.” For example, in a privately built facility, a $100 million feature that generates only $75 million in revenue isn’t a prudent investment; but when government is covering at least a quarter of the cost, it makes economic sense.

The visual comparison (below) between the Atlanta Falcons’ two stadium-mania era venues is illustrative of how facilities improved. The Georgia Dome, which opened in 1992, is dwarfed by its replacement Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened in 2017. Though seating capacities are nearly identical, the newer venue uses a larger footprint to furnish its upgraded amenities. In inflation-adjusted real terms (2024 dollars), the construction cost of Mercedes-Benz Stadium ($2 billion) was more than four times as expensive to build as the 100% publicly funded Georgia Dome ($448 million), and its public expense ($900 million) was approximately double.

The Next Generation: NFL Stadium Construction Since 2020

The 2020s have already been a productive and expensive era for NFL stadium-building. By the end of the decade, five new venues will have opened, and three more are slated to be built in the 2030s.

Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium is an outlier in terms of its high costs, hosting two teams, and as a privately funded venue. The remaining stadiums show a continuation of the escalating cost trend, with expenditures reaching $3 billion. The average public contribution for these facilities exceeds $1 billion, ranging from $750 million to $1.8 billion. Cost information for a new Denver Broncos stadium has not been announced.

Newer venues continue to include upgraded amenities and opulent private spaces. All the stadiums are domed, except for the Buffalo Bills’ new Highmark Stadium; however, its stacked design includes a specially-designed snow-melting canopy and heated concourses, so that 64% of seats are covered.

Ten NFL stadiums are benefiting from extensive renovations. Five renovations were privately financed by the teams—three of which are associated with hosting 2026 World Cup games. Five stadiums have received/will receive substantial government subsidies for their upgrades, with the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars respectively receiving $650 million and $725 million from taxpayers.

The Future: NFL Stadiums and the 30-Year Replacement Cycle

The history of NFL stadium construction shows a pattern of replacement every 30 years, or significant renovations that happen periodically. All seven NFL stadiums that opened in the 1990s are being replaced or received renovations of $100 million or more. However, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2018 improvements were relatively small and largely privately funded. The team plans to pursue a more substantial billion-dollar upgrade, with the expectation that two-thirds of the costs will be covered by taxpayers. This request is consistent with the in-progress Jaguars and Panthers renovations.

Notes: Costs are in millions of current dollars and reflect the announced replacement/renovation cost in the year of actual/expected completion. Major renovation defined as at least $100 million.

The 2000s were an even busier decade for NFL stadium construction, with 11 new venues opening between 2000 and 2009. The table below records their replacement/renovation histories.

Notes: Costs are in millions of current dollars and reflect the announced replacement/renovation cost in the year of actual/expected completion. Major renovation defined as at least $100 million.

NFL venues that opened in the 2000s are now approaching the age at which the 1990s cohort began being replaced or received major renovations. A few teams have already announced replacements (Broncos) or substantial renovation projects (Bengals, Patriots, Cowboys). Four teams (Steelers, Seahawks, Texans, Colts) have not undergone/announced any major renovation projects (noted in bold), and three teams (Lions, Eagles, Cardinals) received relatively small renovations that were mostly privately funded (noted in italics).

If the replacement/renovation cycle continues, then the NFL’s current building boom may continue well into the next decade. The growing expense of venue improvements, the pursuit of increasingly extravagant features, and the willingness of government officials to subsidize upgrades suggest that the burden to taxpayers will continue to escalate.

First published: September 9, 2026

About the author

J.C. Bradbury is a professor of economics at Kennesaw State University. His research focuses on sports economics, public finance, and local economic-development policy. He is the author of This One Will Be Different: False Promises and Fiscal Realities of Publicly Funded Stadiums, published by Oxford University Press.

Related resources

• Do Sports Stadiums Help Local Economies? — A primer on the economic effects of stadiums.
• How Much Do Sports Stadiums Cost? — Construction costs, public subsidies, renovations, and historical trends.
• How Are Stadiums Paid For? — A primer on public financing of stadiums.
• Stadium Economics — Articles, research, videos, and public presentations.
• This One Will Be Different — A comprehensive examination of publicly funded sports stadiums.