NFL inflates Super Bowl attendance numbers...why should they be different?

Cowboys stadium/Courtesy: zimbio.com

This is kind of laughable, but at the same time very commonplace in professional sports. The bean counters of the NFL and King Jerry of JerryWorld were hoping to break a Super Bowl record for attendance in the gigantic, palatial Cowboys stadium. They didn't.

Not from lack of effort though. They announced the crowd at 103,219, which would have put the game just shy of the all-time record, held by the 1980 Super Bowl in the Rose Bowl.

However.....The paid attendance for Sunday's game. 91,060. And yes, that includes everyone who appeared as a celebrity cutaway in the FOX broadcast. We have our doubts as to whether or not they paid for their tickets.

But we digress. The NFL's total numbers are including the 3,000 who paid to stand outside the game in what they called "The Party Plaza". Which would make it 88,060 in the stadium. Oh...they counted the media too, all 12,159 of them. While we are sure our media brethren liked to be recognized, they were there working. At least most of them. That would be roughly akin to counting the "Event Staff" security people and concession workers and other stadium staffers. And we are assuming it doesn't count the 400 or so who found themselves without a seat after paying for one.

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Okay. We get it. King Jerry wanted to make a "Texas" sized impression on everyone. And yeah, he wants them (the NFL) to come back so he can get some help paying bills on his creation. We get that.

We also are well aware that pro-sports leagues overcount fans. You don't have to be at an NBA, NHL, MLB or NFL game to be counted as being there. If you are a season ticket holder and don't come, you still count. If you received a free ticket from someone or as a prize and don't go, you still count. That's why you can go to a half filled stadium or arena, listen to them announce a sellout to you....the only guy in your row of 30 chairs.

It capped off what many feel was one of the worst run, disorganized Super Bowls in recent memory. Yeah, we know the weather was bad. But if you think this was bad, just wait until 2 years from now when the game will be played in New Jersey/New York.

Leave it to OSG Favorite and WFAA-TV Sports Guy/Crumudgeon Dale Hansen to summarize the experience: