Ranking the Top Fan Stadium Experiences in the NFL

The lockout is over. The preseason is over. After months of fevered anticipation, NFL fans will head to their stadiums to cheer on their favorite teams in the regular season.

When it comes to the in-person fan experience, some stadiums have gone the extra mile to appeal to their fanbases. Others have not. 

One question looms large over a list ranking the top fan stadium experiences: What determines a good stadium experience in the first place?

Fancy scoreboards? Good sight lines to the field? Tradition? Delicious food?

In all honesty, there isn't one complete answer to determine this. Thus, for ranking this slideshow, the ordering will be determined based on a collection of rankings on different parts of a fan's experience

In addition to two breakdowns of overall stadium enjoyment, this list relied on ranking breakdowns based on stadium food, atmosphere and ticket prices. Rounding this list out is a ranking of NFL tailgate experiences done by fellow featured columnist Matt Stein.

Here are the rankings for the top fan stadium experiences in the NFL.

Year created: 1995

Max attendance: 66,965

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 29th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: T-16th (with Cincinnati Bengals)

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 28th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 25th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 30th

Pros: Rapidly improving product on the field.

Cons: Limited parking space for tailgating, poor in-stadium beer selection, overpriced concession stands.

Year created: 1967

Max attendance: 71,294

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 26th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 27th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 22nd

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 20th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 23rd

Pros: Nice weather (great for tailgating if you're OK keeping it in a limited space).

Cons: Lousy sight lines to the field, Chargers fans regularly outnumbered (particularly during games against the Oakland Raiders).

Year created: 1982

Max attendance: 64,121

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 30th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 25th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 31st

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 5th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 27th

Pros: Cheaper ticket prices, loud fans can keep games interesting. 

Cons: Limited tailgating opportunities, long bathroom lines, team appears to be on slight decline, collapsed roof may be an issue.

Year created: 1992

Max attendance: 71,228

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 27th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 21st

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 25th 

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 19th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 24th

Pros: Team looks great heading into 2011 season, convenient public transportation access, highly praised tailgate food.

Cons: Pricy concessions, obvious criticisms of a football dome in Atlanta, fans don't like the stadium.

Year created: 1995

Max attendance: 67,164

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 22nd

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 24th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 29th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 13th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 22nd

Pros: Short walking distance to downtown Jacksonville, decent ticket prices.

Cons: Limited tailgating scene, Jaguars may struggle in 2011, humdrum stadium design.

Year created: 2000

Max attendance: 65,790

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 31st

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: T-16th (with St. Louis Rams)

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 24th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: Fourth

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 28th

Pros: Very reasonable ticket prices, chili from Cincinnati is highly rated.

Cons: Lousy in-stadium food, the Bengals will definitely struggle in 2011, tailgating scene subdued.

Year created: 2002

Max attendance: 64,500

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 16th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 20th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 21st

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: Ninth

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 31st

Pros: Good beer selection in the stadium, team looks to be on the rise in 2011.

Cons: Hard to repress the memories of past failed seasons, poorly ranked tailgating scene around the stadium.

Year created: 1975

Max attendance: 76,468

Esquire Magazine food ranking: Sixth

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 18th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 15th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 30th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 26th

Pros: Great fanbase, strong team for 2011.

Cons: Limited parking around the stadium, pricy tickets.

Year created: 1966

Max attendance: 63,026

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 17th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 26th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 30th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 18th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: Third

Pros: Wild fan support (the Black Hole can be the craziest fan group in sports), active and strong tailgating community.

Cons: Concerns of violence at stadium (particularly for non-Raiders fans).

Year created: 1999

Max attendance: 73,200

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 21st

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: T-13th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 23rd

Seatgeek.com Average ticket price ranking: 17th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: Eighth

Pros: Active tailgating community, easy access to downtown Cleveland.

Cons: Not friendly to fans of opposing teams, mixed opinions on nachos served in dog food bowl (for the Dawg Pound).

Year created: 1960

Max attendance: 69,732

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 11th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 31st

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 26th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: First

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 21st

Pros: Good in-stadium food, very reasonable ticket prices, weather is usually great.

Cons: Niners have not made the playoffs since 2002-2003, recent violence during preseason game versus Oakland Raiders showed major gaps in stadium security, stadium is not aging very well.

Year created: 1973

Max attendance: 73,079

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 28th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 30th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 20th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: Seventh

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: Fourth

Pros: Loyal fanbase, active tailgating base, decent ticket prices.

Cons: Uninspiring stadium design, team hasn't won a lot in the past decade.

Year created: 1999

Max attendance: 69,143

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 23rd

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 22nd

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 18th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: Third

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 19th

Pros: Good value on ticket prices, good fanbase.

Cons: Titans will be rebuilding in 2011, not a great place to tailgate if you don't like country music, lousy in-game beer selection.

Year created: 1996

Max attendance: 73,778

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 15th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 23rd

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking:17th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: Second

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 25th

Pros: Good value for tickets, Cam Newton has emerged as quarterback of the team's future, city of Charlotte is nice.

Cons: The Panthers might not be good for a while.

Year created: 1987

Max attendance: 75,192

Esquire Magazine food ranking: Seventh

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 28th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 27th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: Sixth

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 14th

Pros: Weather is usually excellent, decent ticket prices, average tailgating scene, good stadium food.

Cons: Baseball diamond on field is distracting, team may struggle in 2011 season.

Year created: 2008

Max attendance: 63,000

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 24th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: T-seventh (with Philadelphia Eagles)

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: Sixth

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 27th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 16th

Pros: Stadium looks excellent and is based in a great location, Colts will be good in 2011 (whenever Peyton Manning is ready), stadium gets loud with roof closed.

Cons: Pricy tickets, relatively standard stadium food.

Year created: 1997

Max attendance: 81,807

Esquire Magazine food ranking: Third

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 29th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 19th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 14th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 15th

Pros: Good stadium food (who's up for some Hooters wings during a game?), diehard fanbase, great NFC East rivalry games.

Cons: High parking prices, heavy traffic going to game, concerns about safety around stadium.

Year created: 2006

Max attendance: 63,400

Esquire Magazine food ranking: Eighth

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 10th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 10th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 16th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 29th

Pros: Innovative stadium design, protection from heat during warmer parts of the early season, good local food options.

Cons: Cardinals have been inconsistent since Kurt Warner left the roster.

Year created: 2002

Max attendance: 68,756

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 25th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: Fourth

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: Seventh

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 26th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 11th

Pros: Great tailgating scene, Patriots should be very solid in 2011, team boasts very loyal fanbase.

Cons: Limited food options inside the stadium, Foxboro location is somewhat out of the way for many fans.

Year created: 2002

Max attendance: 67,000

Esquire Magazine food ranking: First

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 15th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: Third

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 21st

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 32nd

Pros: Team's fans made for loud opening playoff win versus the New Orleans Saints, great food and beer selection inside the stadium.

Cons: No tailgating experience at the stadium, team may be struggling in 2011, tickets are somewhat pricy.

Year created: 2003

Max attendance: 61,500

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 9th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 11th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 12th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 28th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: Ninth

Pros: Great food and beer selections through the stadium, team is performing well, great location for stadium.

Cons: Games can be icy cold (that may be a pro for some), very pricy tickets.

Giants/Jets: MetLife Stadium

Year created: 2010

Max attendance: 82,566

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 14th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: Sixth

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: Eighth

Seatgeek.com Average ticket price ranking: Giants 32nd, Jets 15th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: Giants 17th, Jets 18th

Pros: Good public transportation access, neat design elements to make the stadium work for both teams.

Cons: A stadium for two New York team resides out of state, pricy tickets (especially for the Giants).

Year created: 1972

Max attendance: 76,416

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 20th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 19th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 13th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 11th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: First

Pros: Reasonable ticket prices for a playoff team, great tailgating scene outside the stadium, crowd gets very loud during games.

Cons: Average food selection inside the stadium, some concerns about violence in the neighborhoods around the stadium.

Year created: 2001

Max attendance: 76,125

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 18th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: 12th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 11th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 10th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 12th

Pros: Nice tailgating scene, reasonable ticket prices, well-designed stadium.

Cons: Price for food inside stadium is high for even stadium food, fan favorite Tim Tebow does not look like a starter anytime in the near future in Denver.

Year created: 1998

Max attendance: 71,008

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 12th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: Fifth

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 14th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 22nd

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 10th

Pros: Nice tailgating options, Inner Harbor area of downtown Baltimore area can be very pretty, Ravens fans are very passionate.

Cons: Somewhat pricy tickets, eight-dollar hot dogs seem a little expensive

Year created: 2009

Max attendance: 80,000

Esquire Magazine food ranking: Second

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: Ninth

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: Second

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 29th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 20th

Pros: Cowboys Stadium is huge. It is almost impossible to take your eyes off the gigantic video screen hanging over the field. Great food options.

Cons: Very expensive tickets, especially for the quality of seats (or lack thereof).

Year created: 2003

Max attendance: 69,144

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 19th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: T-Seventh (with Indianapolis Colts)

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: Fifth

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 24th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: Fifth

Pros: Eagles are a very exciting team to watch, tailgating scene is energetic, hardly any bad seats in the house.

Cons: High ticket prices, average to subpar food and beer selections at concession stands

Year created: 1998

Max attendance: 65,857

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 13th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: T-13th

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: Ninth

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 12th

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: 13th

Pros: Great weather most weeks in Tampa during the season, nice tailgating options, decently priced tickets, the Pirate Ship.

Cons: The Buccaneers will make some early mistakes as one of the youngest teams in the league, average food and beer offerings inside the stadium, the Pirate Ship.

Year created: 1957

Max attendance: 72,928

Esquire Magazine food ranking: 10th

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: First

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: First

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 31st

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: Second

Pros: Tradition, great fan support, solid tailgating opportunities.

Cons: Tough to land tickets. Weather can get shockingly cold, so be prepared to bring extra layers if you're going any time after November.

Year created: 2002

Max attendance: 71,054

Esquire Magazine food ranking: Fifth

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: Third

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: 16th

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: Eighth

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: Seventh

Pros: Very reasonably priced tickets, great tailgating outside the stadium, nice selection of food and beer in the stadium.

Cons: The Texans have been close to getting over the hump to their first playoff appearance but have said the same thing the last two or three seasons.

Year created: 2001

Max attendance: 65,050

Esquire Magazine food ranking: Fourth

Sportsroadtrip.com ranking: Second

Nationalfootballpost.com ranking: Fourth

Seatgeek.com average ticket price ranking: 23rd

Bleacher Report tailgating ranking: Sixth

Pros: Very loyal fanbase, great atmosphere during games, active tailgating scene around the stadium (get there early!). Team looks to be bound for another deep playoff run in 2011.

Cons: A surprising number of health code violations in recent years (61!).