WASHINGTON — Nearing the end of the NFL season, the Redskins wanted to fill seats that had been empty at times during their 2019 campaign.
As Washington struggled to capture its second win against the Detroit Lions late in November, prices for tickets at FedEx Field fell to $4 on GameTime Tickets for upper-level seats.
While ticket prices, in general, cost more for watching a National Football League (NFL) game, the D.C. Defenders' first game as part of the XFL saw tickets priced at a more expensive amount than Redskins tickets this season on certain websites that are used as a third-party vendor for fans looking for seats.
This may not stay the same for the whole season, but as of now, tickets for the Defenders next game are ranging from $24 to $170 for one ticket.
The Defenders had over 17,000 fans attend the game that was broadcast on ABC as part of four games that were played during the first weekend of the season.
The real challenge will be to see if the Defenders can continue to have a supportive fan base, something that lacked in the last spring football league, the Alliance of American Football, which failed and declared bankruptcy during its first season in 2019.
XFL chief operating officer Jeffrey Pollack was quoted in The Associated Press saying, “Our expectation for this first season is for football fans to simply give us a look, give us a chance, sample us.” Pollack said, “We understand that fandom is earned. It’s not given. ... We think that if you love football, you’re going to love the XFL."
Cars were reportedly lining up to enter parking lots at Audi Field in anticipation of the start of the Defenders season.
Cardale Jones, the quarterback for the Defenders, is one of the bigger names in the XFL.
Jones played for the Ohio State University during its national championship-winning season in 2014-15. He played for the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks for a brief period following his college career.
Pep Hamilton is the head coach for the Defenders. His last coaching job was as an offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the University of Michigan.
The D.C. Defenders' next game is on February 15 at 2 p.m. from Audi Field.