Leigh Steinberg, a veteran sports agent who has represented more than 300 professional athletes including eight No. 1 overall NFL draft picks and 64 first-round selections, has proposed that NFL teams allocate 10,000 seats per home game for working families and younger fans to foster long-term interest in the sport.[1][2]

In a phone interview with Fox News Digital, Steinberg said: "I think that it would be prudent and forward-looking for them to reserve, like, 10,000 seats for every game for them to distribute to working families and younger people. So, at least at the end of the year, you have a team planting the seeds for the future."[3]

Steinberg, who hosted his 39th annual Super Bowl party on Feb. 7, 2026, in San Francisco, argued that live attendance is essential to sustaining passion for football, alongside playing the game.[3]

NFL ticket prices have increased with growing demand. The average resale price for regular-season tickets reached $253 during the 2023 season, according to Statista.[4]

An analysis by The Action Network of 2024 season costs for a family of four -- including primary and resale tickets from Ticketmaster, food, drinks and parking -- found totals ranging from $967 at Highmark Stadium (Buffalo Bills) to $2,164 at Levi's Stadium (San Francisco 49ers), with an average total cost of $1,411.[5]

Steinberg acknowledged supply-and-demand dynamics but advocated forward-thinking approaches, drawing from his experiences attending Los Angeles Rams games as a child in the 1950s.[3]

Sources

1. Leigh Steinberg official website. "About Leigh Steinberg". Accessed October 2024. https://www.leighsteinberg.com/about/
2. Wikipedia. "Leigh Steinberg". Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Steinberg
3. Fox News Digital. "NFL agent Leigh Steinberg has plan for ticket prices as fans get priced out". February 2026. https://www.foxnews.com/sports/leigh-steinberg-nfl-ticket-prices-fans-priced-out
4. Statista. "Average resale ticket price for NFL regular season games 2013-2023". Published September 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/193430/average-ticket-price-nfl-regular-season-games-since-2006/
5. Action Network. "Ranking Every NFL Stadium By Cost For a Family of Four (2024)". Published September 5, 2024. https://www.actionnetwork.com/nfl/cost-nfl-game-family-of-4-2024-season-stadium-rankings