The true cost of being an NFL fan, according to your wallet

Published 10:00 am Thursday, October 22, 2026

Say you’re a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan living in Southern California. The kickoff of the NFL season means it’s time to start figuring out how you’re going to watch every Birds game from almost 3,000 miles away. The team’s recent run of success has earned them more prime-time slots and national broadcasts. Even so, you’re still shut out of roughly half their games on your local cable channels, which default to airing the two Los Angeles teams or their divisional rivals most weeks.

That means if you want to watch all of your team’s games, you have three options. You can sign up for an out-of-market streaming package, spend your Sundays running up a tab at the local sports bar, or do both. And that’s on top of your already hefty basic cable bill. It all adds up to a significant total cost just to watch the games, never mind buying merchandise or shelling out for the occasional ticket to the stadium.

There’s no doubt about it: The price of NFL fandom is high. But it’s one that millions of Americans are willing to pay. According to a recent study by Intuit Credit Karma, the NFL tops the list of sports leagues and events fans are willing to spend big on. In the survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults, 45% said they’d splurge on NFL games, well ahead of the NBA (30%) and MLB (24%).

But amid rising prices, fans are facing more financial pressure than ever to keep up. Conducted in June 2026, the survey found that 35% of respondents reported spending more than they budgeted for on sports fandoms over the previous 12 months. The poll also revealed that many have already made at least some changes to how they follow their team in response to high costs.

So what does it actually cost to follow an NFL team for a full season? Why do so many fans keep paying it? And how are behaviors changing as fandom becomes more expensive every season? Below, Intuit TurboTax looks at those questions.

Viewing costs are just the start

For NFL fans, the costs start with just being able to watch the games. That might mean local cable, out-of-market packages, or digital streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon, that in recent years have secured exclusive rights to several marquee games each season.

From there, the costs pile up. There’s the new jersey to replace the one bearing your favorite player’s name after he left for another team. There’s the t-shirt for your budding fan of a kid, and the logo hat to cover up the hair loss that last season caused. Then there’s the game day food, whether ordered from a bar menu or a delivery app. And once every season or two, there’s the trip to see a game live. That’s a particularly major financial commitment if you root for the Eagles, which rank as the NFL team with the most expensive attendance experience, according to Statista.

Where fans cut back, and where they won’t

NFL fandom comes at a high price. And with everyday living costs rising across the board, fans are feeling the squeeze. The pressure is changing how fans root for their team, if not how hard. The same Intuit Credit Karma survey found that nearly three-quarters (74%) of sports fans who spend on their fandom said rising costs have already changed how they engage or participate.

Buying less merchandise (31%) and attending fewer games (29%) ranked as the most common cost-cutting moves in the survey. Still, budgetary decisions are unique to each fan’s priorities. For some, the in-person experience is critical, no matter the cost of a ticket. If you’re an out-of-market fan, your non-negotiable is probably access. You’ll pay to watch every game, even if that means wearing an outdated jersey or skipping the snacks.

Why we keep spending anyway

Think about the other side of the cost equation, the value you get out of your fandom, and you’ll find it goes beyond anything you could put a price tag on. Being a fan is about having fun and making memories with your game day watch crew. It’s also about feeling camaraderie and belonging as part of a community of fans all around the world, most of whom you’ll never even meet.

It turns out a lot of fans feel the same way. In the Intuit Credit Karma survey, many respondents cited the memories made with friends (38%) and family or long-term team loyalty (36%) as a reason they continue finding ways to keep up with the ever-increasing price of fandom.

A value worth the cost

So yes, rooting for your team from the other side of the country can cost more than you’d care to add up: the TV package, the merch, the occasional flight to see them play in person. Rising prices may change how you do it, with fewer tabs at the bar or a jersey you hang on to a season too long. But they don’t have to change why you’re a fan.

For a lot of fans, the data suggests, the real value of fandom isn’t just in the shirts or snacks, or even the action on the field. It’s also being part of a community and tradition bigger than yourself. You keep both alive by sharing the joys (and anguishes) of fandom with your kids, who will help carry them into the next generation. Those are things worth paying for every season.

This story was produced by Intuit TurboTax and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.