Watching the NFL From Home Could Cost California Residents $47,151 Over a Lifetime
Watching the NFL from home isn’t as cheap as it seems, with fans spending up to $46,395 over a lifetime, according to new research by iSelect.
The analysis reveals that the cost of streaming subscriptions, combined with energy use across a full season, adds up to a significant long-term expense for American households.
- Hawaii is the most expensive state for NFL fans
- Costs exceed $47K in several states
- Lower-income states face the biggest burden
- Fans spend over 1% of income in some regions
How much does sports fandom cost in the US?
While watching from the sofa may seem like a cheaper alternative to attending games in person, the cumulative cost of following a full season tells a different story.
According to the research, the NFL is the most expensive sports league to follow in the United States over a lifetime. The average fan is expected to spend $46,395 USD across 79 years, equivalent to decades of subscription services and household energy use tied to game-day viewing.
Despite regional differences in annual costs, lifetime spending remains remarkably consistent nationwide, typically hovering around the $46,000–$47,000 mark.
| Rank | State | Total Fan Cost – NFL | Total Fan Cost as % of Household Income – NFL | Total Fan Cost – NFL (Lifetime) |
| 1 | Hawaii | 878.86 | 0.87% | 47,458 |
| 2 | California | 873.16 | 0.87% | 47,151 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 871.06 | 0.83% | 47,037 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 870.87 | 1.04% | 47,027 |
| 5 | Maine | 869.25 | 1.14% | 46,940 |
| 6 | Connecticut | 867.65 | 0.90% | 46,853 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 867.23 | 0.87% | 46,830 |
| 8 | New York | 866.93 | 1.01% | 46,814 |
| 9 | Alaska | 866.48 | 0.91% | 46,790 |
| 10 | Vermont | 864.9 | 1.05% | 46,705 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | 864.11 | 0.79% | 46,662 |
| 12 | New Jersey | 862.82 | 0.83% | 46,592 |
| 13 | Maryland | 862.59 | 0.84% | 46,580 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 860.9 | 1.11% | 46,489 |
| 15 | Michigan | 860.87 | 1.19% | 46,487 |
| 16 | Illinois | 859.26 | 1.03% | 46,400 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 858.91 | 1.11% | 46,381 |
| 18 | Delaware | 858.86 | 0.98% | 46,378 |
| 19 | Ohio | 858.44 | 1.19% | 46,356 |
| 20 | Indiana | 857.96 | 1.19% | 46,330 |
| 21 | Alabama | 857.37 | 1.29% | 46,298 |
| 22 | Virginia | 857.03 | 0.93% | 46,280 |
| 23 | Minnesota | 857.04 | 0.98% | 46,280 |
| 24 | Colorado | 856.95 | 0.88% | 46,275 |
| 25 | West Virginia | 856.87 | 1.41% | 46,271 |
| 26 | Oregon | 856.85 | 1.01% | 46,270 |
| 27 | Texas | 856.8 | 1.07% | 46,267 |
| 28 | Florida | 856.42 | 1.10% | 46,247 |
| 29 | South Carolina | 856.36 | 1.18% | 46,243 |
| 30 | Arizona | 856.28 | 1.05% | 46,239 |
| 31 | Kansas | 855.92 | 1.13% | 46,220 |
| 32 | Wyoming | 855.88 | 1.13% | 46,218 |
| 33 | North Carolina | 855.82 | 1.16% | 46,214 |
| 34 | New Mexico | 855.71 | 1.26% | 46,208 |
| 35 | Georgia | 855.33 | 1.07% | 46,188 |
| 36 | Mississippi | 855.27 | 1.45% | 46,185 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 855.22 | 1.29% | 46,182 |
| 38 | Montana | 855.08 | 1.13% | 46,174 |
| 39 | South Dakota | 854.92 | 1.11% | 46,166 |
| 40 | Washington | 854.89 | 0.86% | 46,164 |
| 41 | Nevada | 854.62 | 1.05% | 46,149 |
| 42 | Utah | 854.55 | 0.88% | 46,146 |
| 43 | Kentucky | 854.47 | 1.32% | 46,141 |
| 44 | Iowa | 854.35 | 1.13% | 46,135 |
| 45 | Arkansas | 854.14 | 1.38% | 46,124 |
| 46 | Nebraska | 854.02 | 1.12% | 46,117 |
| 47 | Tennessee | 853.95 | 1.19% | 46,113 |
| 48 | Missouri | 853.86 | 1.19% | 46,108 |
| 49 | North Dakota | 853.72 | 1.10% | 46,101 |
| 50 | Idaho | 853.39 | 1.05% | 46,083 |
| 51 | Louisiana | 853.33 | 1.40% | 46,080 |
Methodology
This dataset ranks US states by the cost of watching sports. To do this, two different factors were used. These factors were then summed up to produce a total cost of watching sport for each location. The locations were then ranked from lowest to highest by total cost. Each location’s total cost is also expressed as a percentage of the median income.
A lifetime cost was calculated for each location by multiplying the annual season cost by the number of years between age 25 (the assumed age you begin paying for subscriptions) and the national life expectancy.
The factors used are as follows:
- Total Energy Cost – The average viewing hours per season were calculated by multiplying the typical number of regular season games (excluding any play-offs and finals) by the average runtime per game. This figure was then multiplied by the household electricity unit rate, assuming a TV wattage of 100W, to produce the energy cost of watching a full season of each sport. This was then added to the annual energy cost of running a home router continuously, assuming a router wattage of 10W, reflecting the fact that a router must remain powered throughout the year to support streaming services. Combined, these two figures produce the total energy cost associated with watching each sport.
- Total Subscription Cost – The subscription cost for each sport was calculated based on the streaming service(s) required to watch that sport in each region. Where a single service broadcast all games in a league, that service’s cost was used. Where no single service carried the full league, the costs of all necessary services were combined. Subscription costs were calculated by multiplying the monthly subscription rate by the number of months in the season*, unless an annual subscription worked out cheaper for the equivalent period, in which case the annual rate was used instead.
More information on methodology can be found onsite: https://www.iselect.com.au/energy/insights/cost-of-being-a-sports-fan/
