If NFL stadiums were people, Soldier Field would be a member of the Greatest Generation. Lambeau Field would be a Boomer. And more than half of today's NFL stadiums would be Gen Z.

This lighthearted manner of classifying venues raises an important question, when you stop to think about it. Which generation of stadium do fans like best?

A 2026 study analyzing more than 539,000 fan reviews across all 30 NFL stadiums found no statistically significant relationship between stadium age and fan satisfaction. Newer, in other words, does not automatically mean better, any more than older automatically means obsolete. The buildings, like the generations we use to label people, are probably better judged by how well they perform than by the year they were born.

The median age of the current NFL stadium inventory is about 24.5 years. The median age of an NFL viewer on linear television during the 2025 season was 56.2. In other words, the typical NFL television viewer is more than twice as old as the typical stadium.

That creates an interesting business challenge.

Owners must serve customers who span generations, from longtime season ticket holders to fans who have never carried a paper ticket or waited patiently in line because that was simply how things worked. At the same time, the technologies supporting those experiences are changing much faster than the buildings themselves.

A stadium born as a Millennial may still be operating when Gen Alpha is buying season tickets. A Gen Z stadium may still be serving fans well into the Gen Beta era.

The league's venues are getting younger. Buffalo just opened the new Highmark Stadium. A new Nissan Stadium is coming soon in Nashville. Cleveland, Kansas City, Denver and Chicago are all pursuing new stadiums. Some venues are breaking tradition and relocating. Kids these days!

Many older venues are beloved for the traditions they anchor. Meanwhile, newer venues are being asked to do more than any previous generation. They are sports venues, concert venues, retail platforms, hospitality businesses, data environments and, increasingly, anchors for mixed-use districts.

Every human generation thinks it had it right. The research suggests stadiums are no different. From a business perspective, we think usability will become the KPI every stadium will pursue.